I agree absolutely with this. A bad hiring process is responsible for so many problems that companies have. Lots of places which 'require' <insert trendy langua

I agree absolutely with this. A bad hiring process is responsible for so many problems that companies have. Lots of places which 'require' <insert trendy language / framework> experience hire someone who ends up being in way over their head because they have no real programming ability, just 'knowledge'. Tons of people 'know' how to play a guitar, right? It doesn't mean they're any bloody good at it. Someone who can play a guitar WELL, can probably also play a bunch of instruments, and I'm willing to bet that they'll be able to pick them up fairly quickly too. So they can't play a keyboard right now - I'd put money on it that they'll pick it up pretty quickly if they have to. The problem companies face is that the real traits of good developers are difficult to evaluate in the interview process. This is why tests (both generic programming tasks and a few 'real-world' problems) during the interview are important. Yes, I hate having to do them, but I recognise their importance. I'm very wary of an interview for a development position that doesn't involve a test at some point. People hiring for development positions: languages (particularly the new trendy ones) aren't particularly important - a good developer will be able to learn enough in a short time to essentially hit the ground running. Hiring a bad developer who knows (or at least manages to convince you that they know) your favourite language / framework is going to cause you endless headaches.