What works for me is to consider what work the engineer will be doing, and ask them to write code to prove they can do it. For instance, a front end engineer c

What works for me is to consider what work the engineer will be doing, and ask them to write code to prove they can do it. For instance, a front end engineer can be expected to be able to write a to do list or similar app in a framework (ideally the one your team uses, but not a hard no hire if not) app with minimal googling (although that’s fine as long as not excessive) in ~45 minutes. Then you have to look at what level of experience they have. Less experience requires more mentoring generally, which may be fine depending on how much time your team budgets for that work. Lastly, measure their body language and tone of voice to check for red flags pointing to difficult communication styles or people who treat others poorly. If all three match, hire!