Technical interviews often reject skilled engineers while hiring mediocre candidates, according to the author's 15+ years of observation. Research shows the median replacement cost is about 21% of annual salary, with senior roles climbing to 213%. Most processes treat hiring as a filter, but this approach selects for wrong characteristics and misses valuable talent.

Whiteboard interviews create anxiety filters rather than talent measures, with women performing significantly worse under observation. Standard interviews test explicit knowledge while skilled engineers rely on tacit knowledge they can't articulate on demand. Common personality assessments like Myers-Briggs are unethical for hiring, while growth mindset measures nothing useful.

The Big Five personality model offers better predictive validity, with conscientiousness and openness correlating with programming aptitude. Seniority levels flatten complex skill profiles, while the Dreyfus model describes five distinct stages of skill acquisition from novice to expert, each with different thinking approaches. Skill-specific assessment provides more meaningful evaluation than general seniority labels.