And so do I.  Most interviews seem more like a "dance", "hop" or performance that is highly artificial.  If the job is more creative then Seth suggests you hire the applicant for a short engagement and see how they perform (perhaps even over a weekend - so you have 20-30 hours to observe the applicant.  I guess this insight came out of Seth Godin interviewing people as he mentioned in a recent blog post.

I also like how segments jobs to 2 basic types:

"The first kind of job is a cog job. A job where you need someone to perform a measurable task and to follow instructions. This can range from stuffing envelopes to performing blood tests. It’s a profitable task if the person is productive, and you need to find a reliable, skilled person to do what you need.

The second kind of job requires insight and creativity. This job relies on someone doing something you could never imagine in advance, producing outcomes better than you had hoped for. This might include a sales job, or someone rearranging the factory floor to increase productivity. It could also include a skilled craftsperson or even a particularly skilled receptionist."

I think Seth’s approach would work in many situations (but not all); but that does not mean it should not be tried.

"There are no one-on-one-sit-in-my-office-and-let’s-talk interviews. Boom, you just saved 7 hours per interview. Instead, spend those seven hours actually doing the work. Put the person on a team and have a brainstorming session, or design a widget or make some espressos together. If you want to hire a copywriter, do some copywriting. Send back some edits and see how they’re received."

It would take a bit of work on the part of the employer to set this up, but it’s less work, in a way, than what they’re doing now, and you get much better results.