[muddyrivers]

-- "I mainly want to know how you think." I totally agree with you on this. I hope my case could help contribute to the implementation details.

People have very different working styles. Since interview as a process can't be tailored to all of them, it is rationally refined to suit for the majorities. For the minorities left, I have to say one has to adjust, trying to go through the 5-hour drills.

I, unfortunately, is one of the minorities. Given a hard question, one has to think first. I am the opposite of thinking aloud. In real work, I either stare at walls, or look at the vast void far away, silently. I might have a piece of paper, drawing odd shapes and graphs, because I am primarily a visual thinker. In the interview, it would definitely look odd. It could be awkward as well if I completely fall into silence, ignoring the interviewers.

So I would face to the white board, wrote a few lines of pseudo-code, uttered some words, while trying to get my inner self into my real work routines. Sometimes it works relatively well, sometimes it failed completely, especially the interviewers kept talking that requires my interaction. In many cases, I understand the interviewers were trying to help, giving my hints, while the effect was the opposite of their intents.

[lukaslalinsky]

I think you are not really a minority. Most programmers I know work like that. I realized that this is why I can't really do job interviews. Not only are the problems there not real, so I don't care that much about solving them, the expected way of solving them is very unnatural for me. I'm more than happy to explain the problem in great detail to anybody after its solved, but explaining the things as I go usually does not lead anywhere.

[phamilton]

If you think exactly like I do, you may not be the ideal candidate.

However, if your approach is so radically different that I can't see how you got there, you may not be the ideal candidate.

Don't worry about being different in your approach. It is, however, very important that you are able to keep someone on the same page.

Edit: autocorrect

[agumonkey]

Repeatedly it's been written how the biggest minds found solutions at random times, and more often far from their workplace.

At my next interview, I'll bring a bed, ideas come when I lay in and stare at the ceiling.

[kevrom]

Mine always happen while in the shower. Me and that interviewer are going to come out of it a lot closer.

[danieltillett]

I have to say I also get some of my best ideas in the shower - walking is also good especially with overcoming block points.

[agumonkey]

It's quite weird how wandering/walking is such a common way to open your mind. I also found that when going abroad I would be filled with creativity. Maybe being removed from my home habits and games. Or maybe because the foreign context stimulates your brain. Somehow it seems like physically changing your perceptions triggers opportunity for your brain to change its view on abstract things too.

[danieltillett]

So much of your thinking and habits are tied to your immediate environment. For example, people find it much easier to overcome addiction when they move to a new location where all the triggers for their addictive behaviour are removed.

Problem solving is similar in that your current environment constrains your thinking. Getting up and changing your environment changes the constraints on your thought processes. The bigger the change in environment, the more constraints removed and the greater the opportunity for creativity.

[agumonkey]

A nice twist about environment constraint is mere people presence. My last mission I was shifted one hour later than the usual schedule. At 6pm the office emptied, and as soon as I was alone, felt like my mind expanded against the walls. Freedom and motivation rushed, I could bubble in my ideas without thinking of anything or anybody else.