I can't say this will work for everyone given the scarcity of jobs. I can afford to miss out on certain opportunities and I'm perfectly happy to invest longer stretches of time in networking and doing whatever homeworks if the assignment makes sense and it's something I am interested in. Let me put it this way: I'd very much rather change professions than go through another Leetcode-style interview again. So far it hasn't come to that, thankfully. There are enough opportunities out there once you spend some time building a portfolio and people in the open source space get to know you.
PS: What this approach gives me is piece of mind since I know I won't get a surprise-Leetcode if I go through an interview. It has happened to me in the past, where the recruiter wasn't really aware what the process is and I haven't told them up front what I'm not OK with. Once I'm there in front of people, it's very awkward and frustrating for me to have to get up and walk out and I'd very much rather avoid that situation. Also, it's a waste of my time.
PS: What this approach gives me is piece of mind since I know I won't get a surprise-Leetcode if I go through an interview. It has happened to me in the past, where the recruiter wasn't really aware what the process is and I haven't told them up front what I'm not OK with. Once I'm there in front of people, it's very awkward and frustrating for me to have to get up and walk out and I'd very much rather avoid that situation. Also, it's a waste of my time.