I could do that for my specific niche for programmers (c, embedded systems [for the systems I know], a bit of web stuff), but not in general for a data analyst or ML for example.

I imagine I would ask for knowledge only practical experience could provide (interest in a topic is not the greatest teacher, but a decent one)

Better than fizz-buzz I think...

But you can never be sure either way. I would think that actually giving people a chance while defining quantifiable expectations would help here. Costly and time intensive perhaps, but I don't believe there to be a reliable shortcut. Especially not if the labor market is in need of more engineers.