I've been on both sides of the whiteboard interview (candidate and interviewer), and I've failed a good number of them. The last one I had as a candidate was ab

I've been on both sides of the whiteboard interview (candidate and interviewer), and I've failed a good number of them. The last one I had as a candidate was about 4 years ago, incidentally when I was 42 (I did get that job and I'm still with the same company). The best whiteboard interview evaluates a candidate for technical skills and soft skills at the same time. I want to see if candidates ask questions and can deal successfully with ambiguity as much as knowing the "right" answer. At the same time I'm asking questions about their previous work, specifically looking for concrete examples of how they balance the needs of different stakeholders in a project. The worst whiteboard interviews look to evaluate knowledge of a specific algorithm, and don't provide help when the candidate is stuck. The very worst is just a pretext to cover up the interviewers biases. In my experience, the right company is out there for you, but as an older candidate it can take waiting a long time for the right opportunity where you can highlight the specific skills you've spent your life accumulating.