&gt; Start by telling recruiters, up front, that you don’t do trivia interviews and the like.  Be firm and explicit about this, as in, “if they start asking me to describe merge sort, I’m going to thank them for their time and tell them I need to go.”<p>Wow, OK. I suppose this is fine for someone who doesn&#x27;t actually want a job, or in those rare times when the hiring market favors candidates. But in most cases, the company will just move on to the next resume in the pile. Why bother with this kook when there&#x27;s a line of people outside eager to have a shot?<p>&gt;“Hmm… you know what?  I’m really sorry, but I think maybe we got our wires crossed somewhere here.  I’ve had experience on the hiring side of this sort of interview style in the past, and I’ve seen it result in some really sub-optimal matches, so I’ve adopted a policy of having certain deal breaker cues in the interviewing process.  So at this point I can safely say I’d be unlikely to accept an offer, and I really wouldn’t want to waste any more of your time.&quot;<p>Expected response: &quot;Well........ Bye.&quot;<p>I appreciate the effort put into wording that nicely, but really all you&#x27;re saying is, &quot;Company, you need me more than I need you, and I expect YOU to jump through MY hoops.&quot; This is only true when you&#x27;re a one-in-a-million talent. It&#x27;s not going to work for the other 999,999 people.