Re: Interviewing
Yes... I acknowledged his knowledge/experience and went on to interview him from there. I described the goals/expectations and my own background and explained that I needed someone who could complement my deficiencies in specific skill sets. I had a good idea of how things needed to be done, but i lacked the technical expertise; still I was able to discern whether he knew his stuff by the answers he gave.
I interviewed two ppl for that position (phone interview) - one was a fresh college grad who was raw on the experience but eager for the job; the other was an older guy with loads of experience and a more comprehensive skill set. I ended up hiring the older guy; unfortunately when he showed up to work, he came with a big chip on his shoulder. I think he resented reporting to me for many reasons, i was a woman, desi, much younger... and he had a major ego/superiority complex... and it was just an unpleasant experience with him fighting me at every step.
One of the reasons I hired the older guy was because I thought I could benefit from his experience and add to my skillset; that "mutual learning" thing Umar Talib mentioned. However, from that experience I learnt that sometimes it's better to go for someone who may be slightly less qualified but is a team player. After all many ppl learn and grow on the job.