[npsimons]

First off, not sure how your company does it, but I've had companies ask me to interview when I wasn't even looking, and then not extend an offer. So interviews are not always to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Second, the gist I got from the "color of the wire" question was it was an analogy for asking someone to write code for a linked list. It's banal and been done before, so it seems ludicrous to ask, but many places use it as a FizzBuzz filter. I can think of very few places that would actually pay someone to "fix the wiring distributor cap" (write linked lists).

[lessnonymous]

First point has nothing to do with my company in particular. Talent interviews are just different from vacancy interviews. In a talent interview I really am looking for someone who meets our future needs. And without my crystal ball, that means I'm looking for someone with the currently require skill set, but who has the ability to pick up wherever we go in the future.

Agree with you on the second point. This comes into us not explaining ourselves very well. Questions like this ARE banal and ludicrous. But FizzBuzz filters are a great first screening. People lie (shock! horror!) on their resumes all the time. So asking them to write something banal in front of you is annoying for the people who can do it, but quickly finds the pretenders and lets me cut an interview short.

(Oh, and before anyone calls out 'interview pressure', I'll work through the problem with people who struggle. The difference between nerves and talent is blatantly obvious)