I realize everybody's going to jump in and rant about algorithms in interviews, but I wish you'd all add something constructive as well.

I just had to conduct a round of interviews in a non-SF large US city, and it was a hellish crapshoot. Resumes are meaningless, and often re-written by recruiters to match the job anyway. Everyone has the same canned answers to the stupid behavioral questions. And as for the code, we included what we thought was a trivial nested for-loop problem and virtually nobody could even get started on it.

Is this kind of code problem too complicated in your opinion? For all I join in when complaining about irrelevant algorithmic questions, I have to admit that they at least test something, even if it's just willingness to study for the interview.

Instead of reading everybody's complaints about interviewing, I'd love to hear how you think it should be done. Because I have to admit I'm pretty much lost right now.

I can tell you how I do it and would certainly recommend it as the way it should be done. For some context, I've been interviewing software engineers for about 25 years in companies ranging from established multi-nationals to tiny startups in very fast headcount-growth mode. I'm in silicon valley. I can say that I've never regretted a hire I said yes to, so the method works to my satisfaction.

It'd be nice to think I have some special skill here but I really don't. This is just how interviewing was done in the 90s. To some of the younger generations, I've been told it sounds crazy.

If you send me your resume I'll actually read it, carefully. If the person described in this resume fits the background experience the role needs, you get an interview.

During the interview we'll talk about all those projects you worked on that are relevant to this role. Which parts you enjoyed the best and why? Which parts were boring and why? Which parts were the most challenging and why? What you find too easy and why? What would you have done differently? Could you have? If you were to do the same project all over how would you approach it? Other open ended conversations along these lines.

I don't ask anyone to whiteboard code, that's not part of the job so it's not part of the interview. No puzzles, no trivia-pursuit style questions.

It works great. You can't BS your way through such a conversation with a senior technical peer if you didn't actually do the work described in the resume. You just can't.

It is, however, vital that the interviewer must be a expert in the field.

I wonder if there is a list of companies doing interviews this way.

Reader beware, of course, I know at least one company on there shouldn't be.