A recent entry in Bruce Eckel's web log points to an article that I found interesting. The article gathers the opinions of several software development professionals on How to Interview a Programmer.

I like Dave Thomas' comment that companies should "hire for talent." Throw out the shopping list of so-called required skills and instead look at general programming talent. The idea being that someone that is talented will be better able to adapt to a changing environment.

I'm not a fan of writing code in an interview although it does have the potential to weed out anyone that's faking it. I do think that asking what someone has read is a good indicator of enthusiasm for the profession. A lot of people don't touch a computer outside of work while others go home and work on personal programming projects. It seems to me that if all other things are equal, the hobbyist is going to contribute more to the team which makes for a better hire.