Interesting.. yeah you're right, AFAIK better banks (Goldman, BAML) hire for specific roles even for non-IB teams... All in all, I often wonder if/how it's possible to improve on both of these approaches, how to figure out both if someone is actually intelligent (as opposed to just booksmart, or got the interview questions from the recruiter) and whatever else is needed to perform (drive, common sense, not IYI, ... I'm probably not experienced enough even to know, let alone to judge...), particularly for computer developers or generally researcher types.

Btw, I'd love to meet and chat about this. If you're in London, feel free to email me tom.primozic at gmail