1. RTFR (read the...resume) if you don't. The value of a resume is somewhat limited, but you can gain a lot of insight about a candidate by what is said, what isn't said and how his/her experience is presented. A lot of interviewers don't RTFR or skim it right before the interview.
2. Request code samples. A lot of companies ask for Github links but don't bother to take the time to review and discuss the candidate's code.
3. Ask for examples of work product (public facing if possible), and ask detailed questions about them. This is a great filter. A candidate should be excited to talk about his work and should be able to go into technical depth about what was involved.
4. Provide a practical programming task before the interview. This should reflect the type of work that the candidate will actually perform as an employee. Let the candidate complete the task when and where they like. Don't provide a task that would require more than 1-3 hours of the candidate's time as estimated by how long you think the task should take. Set the expectation with the candidate that you'll be reviewing the deliverable before he comes in for the interview and that you'll be discussing it with him when he comes in.
5. Ask practical technical questions. If the candidate is going to be asked to work on an app with a MySQL database, you don't need to ask many questions about basic stuff (like joins, foreign keys etc.) to get a sense of whether they are a poser. Focus on high level concepts, not on questions that pressure the candidate to make a decision on the spot that would be contemplated in a less intense environment in the real world.
If you cannot weed out unqualified candidates doing the above it suggests that you require a demonstration of competencies that will never realistically be obtained reliably in 1 or 3 interviews. If this is your situation you should consider requiring a trial or contract-to-hire arrangement.
Thank you, those are very good. I am always ecstatic to see code samples. Very few people have them from our candidate pool, so those that do stand out.
2. Request code samples. A lot of companies ask for Github links but don't bother to take the time to review and discuss the candidate's code.
3. Ask for examples of work product (public facing if possible), and ask detailed questions about them. This is a great filter. A candidate should be excited to talk about his work and should be able to go into technical depth about what was involved.
4. Provide a practical programming task before the interview. This should reflect the type of work that the candidate will actually perform as an employee. Let the candidate complete the task when and where they like. Don't provide a task that would require more than 1-3 hours of the candidate's time as estimated by how long you think the task should take. Set the expectation with the candidate that you'll be reviewing the deliverable before he comes in for the interview and that you'll be discussing it with him when he comes in.
5. Ask practical technical questions. If the candidate is going to be asked to work on an app with a MySQL database, you don't need to ask many questions about basic stuff (like joins, foreign keys etc.) to get a sense of whether they are a poser. Focus on high level concepts, not on questions that pressure the candidate to make a decision on the spot that would be contemplated in a less intense environment in the real world.
If you cannot weed out unqualified candidates doing the above it suggests that you require a demonstration of competencies that will never realistically be obtained reliably in 1 or 3 interviews. If this is your situation you should consider requiring a trial or contract-to-hire arrangement.