It was an internship for a full-stack developer role. I was given two days - today is the final day, and I did not even start with the project as I was too stressed to complete the task, worrying about designing and modelling the database part, and because I have a really vague idea about system design. The skill requirements for the project are NextJS and MERN stack - which makes little sense. It said nothing about state management library, so I was also really confused about that.
Here are the requirement of the task project:
- make use of NextJS
- create a LinkedIn clone, without the feeds
- must have shareable short-link profile
- should be SEO-optimized
- should provide API for creating and editing profile
- should make use of good UI practices
- explain the reasoning behind the system design decisions
- explain the steps required to run this application
- use of ChatGPT was allowed
- share this on GitHub
I think that I was being fooled - that I was being made to work on a project for free, and that this test is very unreasonable and a big red-flag into the startup's WLB. Just wanted feedback on whether I was being unreasonable?
Edit: Here's what the listing says:
Are you a passionate Full Stack Development intern looking for an exhilarating opportunity? Look no further! , an innovative company, is seeking a talented intern with expertise in Node.js, JavaScript, ReactJS, HTML, CSS, MongoDB, and Next.js. Join our fast-paced team and gain invaluable experience in a dynamic work environment.
Selected intern's day-to-day responsibilities include:
- Collaborate with the development team to design and implement user-friendly web applications using cutting-edge technologies
- Develop and maintain scalable backend systems using Node.js and MongoDB to ensure efficient data management and retrieval
- Create visually stunning and responsive frontend interfaces utilizing ReactJS, HTML, and CSS to deliver an exceptional user experience
- Conduct thorough testing and debugging to ensure optimum performance and seamless functionality across different platforms
- Assist in optimizing website performance by analyzing and refining code, and implementing best practices
- Contribute to the development of RESTful APIs, integrating with third-party services to enhance application capabilities
- Stay updated with the latest industry trends and emerging technologies, sharing insights and participating in team discussions to drive innovation
If you have a hunger for knowledge, a strong work ethic, and a desire to make a meaningful impact, apply now to become a part of the team. Ready to revolutionize the world of web development? We can't wait to meet you!
Might be much for an internship, but they aren't asking for months of work.
When they ask for LinkedIn clone without feeds, it's pretty clear they just mean the ability to create, edit, and share a profile. They basically say as much in further bullet points. That's straight up CRUD(minus delete). This is pretty much backed up by them wanting NextJS and MongoDB.
The next key requirement that sounds like it would take a lot of time is the SEO part of it. That doesn't make sense at first glance, but since they specify that one must use NextJS, it becomes more clear what they meant. NextJS offers feature specific for SEO score like SSR and component streaming. So they want them to implement something regarding that.
The rest are just what you should do with any take home, follow best practices and provide a readme detailing why you made what decisions. If you chose something over another option mention it because that tells whoever looking at it that you at least thought of it.
Overall, may be too much for an intern, but they probably don't expect them to finish it. Just list what they would do to complete it in the readme and leave it at that.
Even if you're right, I would never work for a company demanding this much for merely the interview process. Especially at the junior level. It speaks to their [shitty] culture, which sounds like it is absolute garbage.