do you screen them over the phone? seems to me like it would be much easier and less depressing if you just gave them the work, gave them an hour, and told them to email the results back to you. stuff that is nontrivially difficult such that they can't just search and find answers. they have to know.
edit: i think i'd prefer having to do this myself, as well, because i'm a shy person in person and i find myself floundering when i'm on the phone and have to "explain my thought process" to someone as i'm working through it. i'd much rather write down an explanation.
I think "quiz" type of questions are pretty ineffective at filtering out candidates. You do filter out the bad candidates, but great ones could also be left behind. Who knows, the person could be an brilliant developer who got nervous during the interview and had a blank. Or the phone call is breaking up. Or the person is in a non-ideal location. Etc... I would not filter out a potential hire just because the person couldn't remember the SQL syntax on the spot...
For me, a senior developer is someone who is able to work in a TEAM, be dependable (i.e.: The guy who you can call at the 3am with an urgent matter), mentor others and be able to contribute and implement new processes and practices. The technical stuff is important but should not be the main filter IMO.
It also seems to me that you want to apply a certain logic or algorithm to the process. Personally I prefer to call up and just have a conversation with the person (trying to find out the aspects I listed above). Unless I am Google and I am getting a gazillion applications, that's different...
i can agree with this. i don't like quiz types of questions either. if i were to hire someone, i'd rather hire someone who i know i can rely upon to get a job done, regardless of their knowledge. someone who knows how to teach themselves, who is able to learn and learn quickly.
but, i still think that a longer-form, more essay-like quiz is better than grilling someone over the phone and expecting them to continuously talk to you while they're working through something.
I agree. I used to make the mistake of screening on language trivia and simple functional ability (like they're doing here). HUGE mistake.
Now I screen on much bigger topics that tend to be more philosophical in nature. The role of design patterns, benefits of one language over the other (particularly functional languages), value of unit tests...
They submit their answers via e-mail, and within a minute or two I already know if there is any value in at least talking to them in a more formal interview setting. I've found that folks who understand development at this much higher level always handle the basics well.
edit: i think i'd prefer having to do this myself, as well, because i'm a shy person in person and i find myself floundering when i'm on the phone and have to "explain my thought process" to someone as i'm working through it. i'd much rather write down an explanation.