I don't ask candidates to code on a phone screen. For coding proficiency, I show them code with flaws and ask them you do a code review. To break the ice I jus

I don't ask candidates to code on a phone screen. For coding proficiency, I show them code with flaws and ask them you do a code review. To break the ice I just ask them to describe the program behavior line-by-line. For a good candidate, it's a jumping off point for a deeper discussion.