> people who are great but can't deal with the pressure
> and awkwardness of coding on a whiteboard in an interview.
We try really, really hard to allow for that. We try to get people talking first, and make moving to the whiteboard or paper or whatever part of the discussion, rather than propping them up and saying "Go!".
Additionally, in our line of work sometimes you have to program in a team under extreme time pressures. We've found that most people who can't talk about programming while sketching ideas and solutions in interview, can't do it for real.
The upshot is that you should always be testing for what you actually want. We want programmers who can design solutions, work in a team, get stuff done, ask questions when unsure, make decisions when necessary, change their mind when appropriate, and write programs that work. That's what we try to test for in interview, and before.
Additionally, in our line of work sometimes you have to program in a team under extreme time pressures. We've found that most people who can't talk about programming while sketching ideas and solutions in interview, can't do it for real.
The upshot is that you should always be testing for what you actually want. We want programmers who can design solutions, work in a team, get stuff done, ask questions when unsure, make decisions when necessary, change their mind when appropriate, and write programs that work. That's what we try to test for in interview, and before.