I think another way to impress an interviewer is to come to your interview prepared to discuss (with technical detail) past exploits in which you were able to d

I think another way to impress an interviewer is to come to your interview prepared to discuss (with technical detail) past exploits in which you were able to do just what you described. Most people just flow with the interview rather than try to (subtly) direct it in a way that is more favorable to them. This is a workaround for sure, but aren't programmers used to finding workarounds to impossible situations? Another option is to tackle the interview itself as a challenge and practice interview skills, such as whiteboard coding. I think Steve Yegge suggested this in one of this blog posts about how to interview at Google. Personally, I find this to be very impressive: You knew there was going to be whiteboard coding, so instead of complaining about it, you practiced it. If you (casually) mentioned this during one of my interviews, I would probably give you some extra points.