>"Writing code in an interview is a great way to tell if someone has social anxiety or feels pressure to get a job. It's a terrible way to tell if they're good

>"Writing code in an interview is a great way to tell if someone has social anxiety or feels pressure to get a job. It's a terrible way to tell if they're good at writing software. Do a (paid) take-home test, ask them to review some fake code, or talk to their former coworkers instead. There are lots of shy, anxious people who are fantastic employees and never make it past a stupid whiteboard." PDS: First of all, that is an absolutely great comment! You nailed it! I couldn't have said it better myself! Second (and this is the more subtle point!): If you're a programmer, and you're looking for a programming job, and you have to go through thousands of job ads; thousands of potential companies, and you need a way to "screen the employer" fast(!) -- then simply ask them what their employee screening procedures are -- and if they tell you that candidates come in and write code on a whiteboard (as opposed to a take-home test!), then you can quickly REMOVE that company from the list of companies you're applying to! Let another candidate waste their time (and possibly a good chunk of their future programming career!) with yet another company that "doesn't get it!". Think of it like this, for any given problem in Math, there are typically long ways to solve the problem, and then (if you know them!), there are algorithmic short-cuts! Well, employer psychology -- is like that, too! Being able to "screen the screener" -- as a result of their screening process(!) -- is a career "algorithmic short-cut"! (I know, how meta, right? <g>) You don't want to spend time with people who don't understand programmers or programming as well as you do(!) -- because if you do, it will drag you and your programming career down!