Interesting points. Like the idea of the giving a developer actual development tasks.<p>This is how I interview - We have a bitbucket set up with a project very similar to our current site. We simply ask everyone who applies to get the code from Bitbucket and install it locally. And then fix a simple bug. Most developers who are well versed in the basics are able to install the code in 2-4 hours. People new to something specific are stuck for a day. It helps us weed out people who are a) Not comfortable reading code b) Not hungry enough to ask questions or google a little bit if they do not understand c) Not able to debug and fix simple issues.<p>So far all developers who have lasted that test have been good technically. Its another challenge to keep them motivated over long periods of time.