How not to assess a developer's ability in an interview

To the writer's point, many of the questions listed are "basic skills". Maybe you know them off hand? Maybe you don't? The question is: can the candidate learn them? Is she/he willing? What is their amplitude and abilities, not some check list of "facts" you'd hear on Engineering Jeopardy?

But better, for the candidate such questions trigger their own questions:

- Do they expect me to know everything?

- Is this a conversation or an interrogation?

- Why are does it feel like they're focused more on what I don't know, and less on what I have done?

- That's a very basic question, did any of the interview team look at my code samples? Or blog posts?

- Oh, I guess education and professional growth isn't a thing here?

- And so on...

I've had interview "conversations" often enough to realize there are a lot of bad hiring [1] and bad interviewing practices. It amazes me (in a sad and disappointing sort of way) how many outfits don't realize the process is a message; that their questions are also signals to the candidates. In short, both parties are conducting an interview.

[1] During the application process do not ask for references. Asking someone you haven't met yet to hand over the contact details of trusted colleague and friends is bad form. As in, I'm not going to finish this one bad form.