Interesting. I've done a fair number of interviews for my last few companies, and while I've found that whiteboarding isn't terribly useful, likewise I've found that I really do need people to do some coding. I've definitely encountered people that talk a great story but don't have the chops behind a keyboard.
My usual process (which isn't to say it's perfect, but it's a process I regularly edit to address problems I see) is to give a few, simple problems, and have them actually code it on a system.
* I know that the computer and environment are unfamiliar to you, so I expect there to be chopiness and typos
* I know that most people are nervous during interviews, so I don't fail people if they freeze on one of the questions or miss a concept
* I don't give "trivia" questions - the problems tend to be fairly easy ones that cover your ability to approach basic problems. Example: "here is a nested data structure (like an array of objects). Write a method to pull these sorts of elements out."
* I'm actually hoping you'll screw up - I'm far more interested in seeing how you deal with a bug than if you can dash out an algorithm flawlessly. Nonetheless, I keep the questions simple because I want to minimize the impact of nervousness
* I inform people they are absolutely allowed to use Google, StackOverflow, etc - I'm trying to mimic the actual work experience as much as I can. I WILL judge people on their searches, but I'm pretty loose - I can only recall one person that I dinged for searching, and that's because they went to about.com and copied the answer there without trying to understand it (and it subsequently didn't work). Usually this ends up GIVING people points, because if they demonstrate comfort with finding solutions, I expect that we can hire them and know they'll improve over time.
Despite this, I still ask a few questions that are purely verbal. I want to see if you are someone that will force your preferences on others or are willing to bend. (I'm not looking for a doormat, but I've never met one, so that's a bit moot) I want to see that you are continuing to learn things, because the skills you have now will just not be the skills we need in a year or two.
but overall - I have to judge candidates based on the limited info I can glean in an interview. Of:
* resume
* whiteboarding skills
* discussion skills
* coding skills
...I find the latter to be the best measurement of the options, even allowing that it won't be fully accurate.
My usual process (which isn't to say it's perfect, but it's a process I regularly edit to address problems I see) is to give a few, simple problems, and have them actually code it on a system.
* I know that the computer and environment are unfamiliar to you, so I expect there to be chopiness and typos * I know that most people are nervous during interviews, so I don't fail people if they freeze on one of the questions or miss a concept * I don't give "trivia" questions - the problems tend to be fairly easy ones that cover your ability to approach basic problems. Example: "here is a nested data structure (like an array of objects). Write a method to pull these sorts of elements out." * I'm actually hoping you'll screw up - I'm far more interested in seeing how you deal with a bug than if you can dash out an algorithm flawlessly. Nonetheless, I keep the questions simple because I want to minimize the impact of nervousness * I inform people they are absolutely allowed to use Google, StackOverflow, etc - I'm trying to mimic the actual work experience as much as I can. I WILL judge people on their searches, but I'm pretty loose - I can only recall one person that I dinged for searching, and that's because they went to about.com and copied the answer there without trying to understand it (and it subsequently didn't work). Usually this ends up GIVING people points, because if they demonstrate comfort with finding solutions, I expect that we can hire them and know they'll improve over time.
Despite this, I still ask a few questions that are purely verbal. I want to see if you are someone that will force your preferences on others or are willing to bend. (I'm not looking for a doormat, but I've never met one, so that's a bit moot) I want to see that you are continuing to learn things, because the skills you have now will just not be the skills we need in a year or two.
but overall - I have to judge candidates based on the limited info I can glean in an interview. Of: * resume * whiteboarding skills * discussion skills * coding skills
...I find the latter to be the best measurement of the options, even allowing that it won't be fully accurate.