In our process, we use almost the simplest possible tasks like making an HTTP request to our API and displaying the data im some form and ask people to solve them 'just as they would as part of a project they are working on'.
They get a timeframe and have to quickly elaborate on their process, what they got done and what they didn't get done.
There are drastic differences between candidates. Some barely manage the task or are satisfied as soon as it works. Some over engineer to no end and reason about all the bells and whistles and others write abstracted code without overdoing it, add some tests and rudimentary docs.
The way people approach this simple task and what their threshold for 'solving' it is has told me more about people than any difficult interview question.
They get a timeframe and have to quickly elaborate on their process, what they got done and what they didn't get done.
There are drastic differences between candidates. Some barely manage the task or are satisfied as soon as it works. Some over engineer to no end and reason about all the bells and whistles and others write abstracted code without overdoing it, add some tests and rudimentary docs.
The way people approach this simple task and what their threshold for 'solving' it is has told me more about people than any difficult interview question.