As someone who sometimes gives interviews, this is how I prefer to handle the problem. I'm not trying litmus-test people based on their answers to specific que

As someone who sometimes gives interviews, this is how I prefer to handle the problem. I'm not trying litmus-test people based on their answers to specific questions, I'm trying to get a feel for their background, how they think about things, and what it would be like working with them. My ideal technical interview would be 30 minutes of this kind of open-ended discussion, and then 30 minutes of pair programming, or better yet them walking me through a personal project they care about. But I know there are mixed opinions about hands-on programming during interviews.