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I always ask coding questions and I always ask a question or two that are extremely difficult. The goal is not to get the correct answers (although that is a nice bonus), but instead to see how the candidate thinks a problem through. A candidate's thought process is more important than their mad hacking skillz.

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"how a candidate thinks" sounds like a very subjective criterion.

I wish there were more data behind people's interview practices. Do we know that people that think in way X are better employees than those that think in way Y? Why has HR mostly resisted empirical analysis?

> "how a candidate thinks" sounds like a very subjective criterion.

Of course it is. What part of the interview process isn't subjective?

Yes. It is very subjective. Which is a shame. Empirical methods have revolutionized so much of the world, yet this piece of it remains resistant to positive change.

What's an example of one your extremely difficult questions?

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