First things first, if you have to conduct a telephone interview, then what is the point of calling the candidate to your office?

Then the interviewer, to start with his introduction to me, was so proud that he had been working for six years at Capgemini (Brownie points for loyalty).

He was also a proud Java certified developer. Awesome.

The interview then started, and he got stuck on String comparison. He did not move beyond the term "String pool," one of the very basic concepts of Java. He didn't understand what I was trying to tell him.

The interview was over with a comment that I "don't even know the basics."

Adding insult to injury regarding Java, he was sitting in the Netherlands.

Please, interview the interview panel before putting them on that panel. They do nothing more than waste everybody's time.

How will you compare two strings?