This is a contentious view because everyone has their own experience of code and documentation. A few thousand lines of source code doesn't need much documentation. Tens of millions of lines probably needs some. A trivial system probably doesn't need much. A complex system probably does. A system with lots of external interfaces and dependencies probably needs some. Where I think all experienced developers agree is that code must be written with support and maintenance in mind. http://cvmountain.com/2011/09/whats-wrong-with-this-code-really/ Whether or not the system also needs documentation depends on the system and the context in which it will be maintained over its life.

Context is all-important, and hiring for MegaCorp is vastly different to hiring for NextBigThing. Interviewers can learn from the mistakes of others; don't be that guy (inquisitor, invigilator, water torturer... http://cvmountain.com/2011/11/taxonomy-of-interviewing-characters/)

Ben Simpkins said We'll never miss you as much as your children would. Very well said, poetic actually.