I can tell you what I know from experience having had the luxury of working on teams with some Damn good people (from PowerSet, Google, Microsoft, OneRiot), and

I can tell you what I know from experience having had the luxury of working on teams with some Damn good people (from PowerSet, Google, Microsoft, OneRiot), and a few less than good people. You recruit good people. YOu find them at the top of their field at whatever level they are at, evaluate them by how well they have performed in teh past and what they have accomplished, check for culture, and sell yourself. Good people are not lining up to post applicaitons, submitting resume's into web forms or taking quizzes. You go find 100 people in 100 companies with rockstar performance, excluding those that are still in university (graduate or undergrad), and you wont find 2 of the 100 that will stop and fill out a test. You want good people? Hit your networks or find someone with a netowrk, and find someone who is busy and well respected in whatever he or she does. Good people are working right now, not trolling job boards with time to take tests. There is a time for tests and puzzles: in the interview process. At this point her or she understands the role and the team, and now you want to know how (s)he thinks, and if the culture is right. Throw the toughest you got at that point, but on a web form? Thats a great way to attract B & C talent, in my opinion.