Senior developers do not need to reverse a linked list on a whiteboard. You already know they can code. What you need to learn is how they think, decide and work with others.
You can do that in under an hour. Here is the format I like.
Why puzzle interviews fail at senior level
Algorithm puzzles test practice, not experience. A great senior engineer who has not studied puzzles in years can fail them. A recent bootcamp graduate who grinds problem sets can pass them. The result is a filter that does not match the job.
Strong candidates also find these interviews insulting, and they have options. If your process feels like hazing, you lose them.
The 60-minute structure
Minutes 0 to 10: Context.
Describe the role and a real problem your team faces. Let them ask questions. Good seniors ask a lot, and the quality of their questions tells you plenty.
Minutes 10 to 30: Walk through a past project.
Ask them to take you through one system they built. Then dig in:
- What was the hardest decision, and what did you reject?
- What would you change today?
- What broke in production and how did you handle it?
You are listening for ownership, honest tradeoffs and clear explanations.
Minutes 30 to 50: A realistic design problem.
Give a small, real scenario from your business. Ask how they would approach it. There is no single right answer. Watch how they scope the problem, ask about constraints and communicate risk.
Minutes 50 to 60: Their questions.
Ask what they want to know about you. Senior people interview you back, and how they do it shows what they value.
Make it consistent
Use the same structure and the same rubric for every candidate. Score each area from 1 to 4 right after the call: communication, technical judgment, ownership, collaboration. Write down evidence for each score. Do not rely on a gut feeling alone.
Where AI helps
AI can keep the format consistent, capture the conversation and produce a clean summary for the hiring team. It does not replace the interviewer's judgment. It just makes sure the interview is structured and nothing gets lost, which is exactly why we built our own interviewing platform.
What the hour will not tell you
It will not prove someone can deliver every day for two years. So follow it with a short paid trial task or a reference call with someone who worked with them directly.
The payoff
A one-hour process like this is faster, fairer and better at predicting performance. Through AI Rescue & Technology Consulting, TDZ Pro provides developers, DevOps, QA, and PMs vetted over years of delivery, on a top-1% talent bench, and I took a firm from $6M to $60M in under three years. Hiring well was the engine. Strong seniors raise the whole team.
Want help building a hiring process like this? Visit tdzpro.com.
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