How the applicant seeks clarification is just as important as how he answers.. he's going to be presented with problems all the time. When I pop the open-ended

How the applicant seeks clarification is just as important as how he answers.. he's going to be presented with problems all the time. When I pop the open-ended technical questions, there really is no right or wrong answer - it's just there to judge someone's real ability - I have some questions you can't fake your way through. You don't have to have every little detail right, but I can tell from how you answer whether or not you are afraid to ask for clarification, and whether you know the material, and to a good degree how well you know the material. It's a conversation - not a one-way thing (at least in my case). I can tell if someone's nervous - and that's okay, too, but the job is going to be stressful, so after I explain not to be nervous and don't worry about getting every detail right.... but if you can't even begin to describe the systems I'm asking about, you don't belong on the team... same goes for if you don't seek clarification.