From our 9+ years as Recruiting Consultants, we at Safari Solutions have learned that there are two undeniable truths in hiring:

People are unpredictable.

and

Candidates lie.

Not the most reassuring news when you are looking to hire a new employee, but establishing those as truths will ensure you do everything you need to in order to make the best decision possible. 

I just read an article describing “3-D Interviewing,” which basically is an interview technique in which you ask the candidate to actually demonstrate the skills that they have.  This is not too unlike having candidates complete an assessment in your office.  I was surprised by the first comment that said in part:

“Getting honesty is not always about putting people under pressure and honestly if I was interviewed in this way (giving the perception that you do not trust people you interview and potentially your own staff) then I doubt I would be interested in working in that sort of environment if offered a position.”

I have found that the true superstars are happy to demonstrate their skills.  While writing code on a whiteboard may not make a person feel comfortable, giving some kind of opportunity to show your skills will help you get the job if you really are a good fit.  And if you aren’t able to perform the test, then it is probably best for everyone that you do not get the job.

What do you think?  Would you get the impression that you were interviewing at a company with an environment of distrust if you were asked to “prove it” in an interview?