How do you identify a great software developer in an interview?
swombat: I find that a 15-minute chat about a related topic that's not on their CV (i.e. something tangential to their "career") is a great way to sniff out hackers. Being a hacker myself, I have a very sensitive bullshit-o-meter and fairly varied interests, and I can quickly figure out whether that person is a "career programmer" who will end up disappointing, or someone who's got real passion for the job.Add to that an intelligence filter (well, I have an affinity for smart people too), and maybe an informal chat about some past projects that they've worked on if still in doubt, and I think I can recognise good programmers even on a text chat system.In fact, I spotted our last hire on IRC and was about 80% sure that he was someone we wanted to hire, after just 30 minutes of chatting.Someone already posted the link to my article on how to recognise a good programmer - that breaks down the process I follow (though it's more internalised by now).