About 10 years ago, I gave a woman a coding interview question and her hands were literally shaking. She got through it, but I felt terrible because clearly she was the type of person who gets really nervous when under that type of pressure. She was very experienced and my discussions with her really seemed to indicate she learns quickly and would probably be a decent fit. The only reason we didn't hire her was I found another woman who was a better fit.
Since then, I've tried a lot of things. Lately, I've been putting the emphasis that we allocate some time to pair program. We simply get in a room to make something together and we may take turns with the keyboard. I actually go out of my way to tell people this is not a coding test, but rather a play date. I emphasize I don't expect them to know everything and I even half-joke I deduct points for not asking questions.
Some people have told me they really like this approach, the others haven't commented one way or the other, but I'm still skeptical about my method. Most seem to relax well enough, but there are always people who may be more than competent who simply don't manage to relax in a realtime environment.
Some people work like tortoises. They may appear slow, but the culminated effect of their very deliberate and careful decisions accumulates far better than a hare. I'm pretty sure my current process doesn't work in their favor, but I'm at a loss for better alternatives at this time.
I'd love to know what HN readers think. Do your interview processes penalize tortoises or other people who don't simply fit a mold? Do you have a good system that takes into account the diversity of people's talents?