When a candidate struggles with my OOP discussion, I try to give him some relief by asking him to define inheritance. Inheritance, after all, is fundamental to all modern programming and is easy to describe; simply define the word. But I was shocked when the candidate admitted that he did not know of inheritance.I've also run into candidates who didn't know what they were talking about. Would you hire an electrical engineer who did not know Ohm's Law? I've encountered at least one new EE grad who couldn't identify this basic precept of electrical engineering. (For us non-engineers, the formula is I=V/R.)
The point is that in every interview, the candidate must reinforce that s/he has the standard knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the position.
HERE'S THE WISDOM:
Candidates: Check out the mind of a hiring manager (especially you techie types).
Hiring Managers: Bill's use of a consistant set of questions and a specific methodology is fair, objective, and helps him compare candidates. This helps him hire better people.