You'd be surprised. Degrees don't count for much in terms of experience. I've seen people with electrical engineering degrees (from good universities) ask whi

You'd be surprised. Degrees don't count for much in terms of experience. I've seen people with electrical engineering degrees (from good universities) ask which way the strips are connected on a breadboard. Many, many people go through university and get a good chunk of theory in their minds without any practice. As for companies - if someone is leaving a well known company, you should ask why. Almost always there is a good reason for it, like moving to warmer climes, family commitments and so on. However, there should always be a fizzbuzz check to make sure the person wasn't let go because they were inept. As an aside, a long list should also give warning signs if it's in a short period. If I'm hiring a 20-something and they've been through 5 companies I'd be wary. They may be a top notch programmer, but do I want to hire someone who will most likely jump ship in a year or two? Probably not.