It’s so much better when someone giving the interview finds a way to open up the conversation isn’t it?

What you’ve said there about opening up a line based on a code sample is a great idea. I try to find some common ground, raise a smile, and just talk without too much direction initially just to get things going — rather than going through a list verbatim.

It’s kind of nice to get that feeling that you’re both human, doing a job, and not competing in some way.