The company I work for are interviewing for a senior C# developer position. Our programming team is small, 2 people (will be 3 when we find the right person), and management just said we can do the interviews ourselves and pick whoever suits us.

So I got to sit in on an interview today (first time for me being on the opposite side of the table). The candidate was the nicest guy I've ever met. He's been programming for 14+ years and seems to know his C++ really well, but he's not too up to speed on C#, though he seemed the type that could pick it up pretty fast. However, he was also very very nervous. When asked of his avaliability, he said he was on 4 weeks notice from the company he currently works for.

Now the guy was very very nice, and he seemed pretty smart. He was also ~ 40ish I think, and I imagine he has a wife, a mortgage and probably children (then again, he's a C++ programmer so maybe not :P). But his lack of skills with C# was a concern to me, especially since its only a 6 month contract and we really need someone fast, we might not have time for him to brush up.

If we interview someone else with great C# skills, maybe an MVP or something, they'll probably be better suited to the job (assuming all else is equal). Maybe they'll be a confident, crash-hot young programmer, with no cares and a zillion other job offers.

Who would you give the job to? I try to think of the companies best interests, but its hard not to let personal feelings get in the way.

I'm glad I'm not the one making the end decision.