[cbhl]

If the OP finds that knowing how to use IRC correlates well with the kind of people that the OP wants to hire, then I think it is reasonable to OP to test for basic IRC skills in their hiring process. For example, maybe IRC is the preferred communication medium during an emergency at OP's company, because it is more reliable than email or Skype when a data center goes down.

But as a general practice, I don't see why this would be more beneficial than presenting a candidate with a rotary telephone and telling them to make a phone call with it.

[vidarh]

> presenting a candidate with a rotary telephone and telling them to make a phone call with it.

I felt terribly old the other day, as one of my younger co-workers overhead a conversation where rotary telephones were mentioned and turned around to ask us "what is a rotary telephone?"

Then again, I don't think my 6 year old son has actually seen a wired telephone yet (we do have a land line, but it's wireless too) before, so I'm sure said co-worker will get the pleasure of feeling old soon enough.