How technical a technical Interview needs to be?

I don't like technical Interviews. Usually, I feel I'm setting for an exam and that adds stress and pressure. I've failed to pass some technical interviews for not being able to explain some technical concepts I didn't have the chance to use in the past 10 years, and still feeling I was completely capable of doing the job.

I believe questions like:

- “If you have to implement a full observability platform, what tools and what approach would you follow?”, or “what is the benefit of using Terraform modules?” is more relevant (for a DevOps role) than asking “what is the first process Linux starts at boot”.

That is why, when I conduct a technical interview with a candidate, I try to make it more conversational, ask for examples, experiences and trying to know the candidate in different aspects. Understanding hers/his struggles, what are the technical preferences, what does she enjoy (or hate) about these kind of roles is key.

I'm a firm believer that if you give candidates room to express their strengths, you'll also learn about the areas they need to improve. In the other hand, if you are trying hard to know their weakness, you are going to miss their strengths.