What is one unusual way you vet potential technical hires and why does it work?

There are 2 things we do:  pair programming and temp to perm hiring.  Pair programming is part of our interview process.  We pick an actual task from our current sprint and pair program with the candidate.  You don’t truly know someone until you code with them 🙂

This allows us to get an accurate assessment of technical ability as well as actually get work done!

The other thing that is effective is finding a small project and hiring the candidate for a temporary contract position.  You’ll be able to see how that candidate works with your team for personality / culture fit as well as the quality of their work.