I've interviewed for and been interviewed by companies large and small. We all know software engineer job interviews suck. But it's hard on the other side of the table too.
One of the better places I worked for had a lightweight process of one phone screen and a four hour on-site. The company also prepared offers before the on-site interview round.
When you finished interviewing, you got a same-day yes or no answer, and if it was yes, you had the offer in your inbox within an hour.
What interview practices have you found effective?
... And by what metric?
My interview for an internship that became my first developer job, for sure. It wasn't a traditionally "technical" interview, meaning it wasn't the latest trivia ever. They looked over my resume, and asked me technical questions about what I had done, decisions I made for projects, etc. The team just didn't believe in staring at people trying to code on a whiteboard.
Got the offer within about an hour and didn't have to interview to sign on permanently. I have subsequently always refused interviews where salary range wasn't disclosed up front, and if I talk to a recruiter, I have always asked for contact information for a dev on the team.
But, that's the advantage of having a job I don't need to leave, and having experience. I've heard much worse from others.