If you are in the market of hiring SharePoint resource then I strongly suggest that you do all the required due diligence to ensure that the talent that you are hiring is the right one. Here are some tidbits that I think can help you.

1) Search on Google or Bing about the person who he/she is. You can find tons of information about the person just by searching. A big red flag - If you don't see the candidate's name associated with SharePoint anywhere (Usergroup, SharePoint Conferences etc). I would be really apprehensive about the candidate.

2) Before you invite the candidate for the interview, request a small summary about his expertise and things that he/she likes to do. Even better, have a templated word doc and have them fill it out. The questions that you are asking are specific to the opening that you have in your team.

3) Ask tough technical questions during interview process. Just don't take word for it. Try and go as deep as you can and see at what level the Candidate says - a. He hasn't done that before b. Totally misses the question by a mile. Dont be shy. Its your budget dollars that you are spending and since you are in the interview, chances are your neck is on the line as well. Remember the due diligence that you do when buying a used car for yourself. Okay this is not the same, but I think you get the point. If you are looking for a list of technical questions, please email me @ sandeep@integrationnow.com and I will be happy to provide that to you.

4) References: Extremely important! Make sure that you request at least 3 references and thoroughly check them. During your reference call, ensure that you request specific details about the project done and the role of the candidate that you are considering.

5) SharePoint is a big product. There are 3 levels of so called SharePoint architects. Level 1 are the ones who are more like power users. Level 1 are great for working with users, creating simple out of the box workflows, creating lists etc. Then there is Level 2. Level 2 are strong developers with good architecture skills. You need Level 2 if you have any custom development needed to accomplish some turnkey projects. The Level 2 is a hard skill to grasp and not every Tom, Dick and Harry can be a SharePoint Architect. There there is level 3. Level 3 are strong on infrastructure side and are primarily responsible for installing patches, ensuring backups and other mundane "administrator" type jobs. A good candidate for Level 3 is someone who has been doing network/server administration for some time.