[jpalioto]

I appreciate the notion of having the whole team prepared for the interview process. I think this is a best practice. But, when I interview, I am looking for completely different things than the author.

I really don't care about what you did at your last company or if you raised this by 50% or that by 30%. Rather, I want three things in a candidate: smart, talented and hungry. If I get someone who is smart, talented and hungry and I drop them into a situation where there is unlimited upside, my job then becomes to guide them to greatness.

I also strongly disagree with the notion of not asking questions you do not know the answer to. Anyone can read an obscure section of the C++ language spec or a chapter on some data structure 5 minutes before an interview and make themselves feel superior to the candidate. What does this prove? Nothing. I often ask questions I don't know the answer to in order to determine whether or not the candidate can teach me something. I love having people on my team that have the ability to teach others.

The author's point is very well taken -- interviewing is an important process and it should be conducted in a way that results in the best possible outcome. But, he's looking at the situation far too rigidly for my taste.

[umsm]

I disagree with the hungry part (if you are referring to someone that needs the money). Being "hungry" just means that they will be stuck with a company but will not love what they do.

[jpalioto]

Less about needing money and more about being ambitious. Hungry for success I should say.

[Terretta]

Whether hungry for money or hungry for success, you're then missing hiring candidates who aren't "hungry" because they have a proven track record at having done very well financially from a series of successes.

At this point, they don't need money or validation, they just figure they can help you solve things and are talking to you because they enjoy solving new things.

Hungry is overrated when what you need is focus on solving the business' problems. This is one reason VC like to see founders take "shelter money" off the table early.

[nilkn]

Someone who has sufficient self-made wealth to retire, or nearly retire, but who is still looking to work for you as a developer I would certainly describe as "hungry" in this context. But I'm mostly interpreting that term to mean "passionate" about the intellectual and creative aspects of the job.

[jpalioto]

Point taken. Sometimes I walk out of an interview and say to myself that the candidate did well, but just did not convince me that he/she really wanted the job. It may just be my personal perspective, but candidates that really stick the landing with me are ones that have that "let me at 'em coach!" attitude.