> I've had more luck accessing candidates by asking simple requests like "tell me about your daily duties at your last/present job" or "oh you've language x, what's your least favorite part of developing with it?" If the candidate can't discuss simple things with mild depth or command then they're probably not a good fit.
Being able to answer those still doesn't mean they can actually code proficiently, which would also make them not a good fit.
You seem to be swinging the other way too much. Not testing their programming ability just because other things are important doesn't sound like a great way to interview people, either.
Perhaps but we're not hiring for our autonomous car division, we're hiring people to write and maintain line-of-business applications based on half-baked requirements from non-technical business owners. The problems aren't terribly complicated and the code is relatively simple.
Being able to answer those still doesn't mean they can actually code proficiently, which would also make them not a good fit.
You seem to be swinging the other way too much. Not testing their programming ability just because other things are important doesn't sound like a great way to interview people, either.