I can't help but object to statements that begin with "The point of a job interview is..."

It seems like we tend to lose the basic reality of gatekeeping and social ritual in these discussions.

It's never going to be empirical. It's how you strike the balance between the empirical part and the social ritual part, and no one ever wants to discuss that.

But I've certainly sat across the table from hiring managers who I knew weren't going to choose me based on a cursory glance, or just seemed like deeply frightened people.