I had a 800+ page study guide while living in SF for the ridiculous technical interviews they'd put you through. Then you'd see their code base and realize they've never actually done anything that would remotely resemble best practices.

The best part though was realizing if you didn't answer that one question exactly how the "brilliant" person interviewing you wanted it answered, you were done. So at that point I'd quiz them on all their shortcomings that were evident based on what they'd told me.

In my experience hiring it's not that difficult. Good attitude, good aptitude, genuine interest in the field (software engineering), ideally interest in the applied product (if not a software product), decent communicator and good hygiene. If they've done well in those areas, I've never had to let someone go.