First, as someone who has done a fair number of technical interviews, there are a lot of posers. I have had people claim to be experienced that had no clue ho

First, as someone who has done a fair number of technical interviews, there are a lot of posers. I have had people claim to be experienced that had no clue how to do even very basic programming, just as described in this article. Even more common, I have had people that grossly exaggerate their skills and experience. One that stuck with me was someone who was a "senior DBA" but when I probed further it turned out he mostly ran stored procedures written by consultants and didn't really have the knowledge right then to do much more than that. I would also like to point out that if you are up front about your lack of skills and applying for an entry level post, it can work out. I had one interviewee who had no programming skills, but was ready and willing to learn. She was up front about it, convinced the whole team of her sincerity, and willing to start for less than most people with a CS degree. By the end of her 3 month probationary period, she was competent. Still junior and with a lot to learn of course, but quite competent and a good hire overall.