One of my favourite interview questions to ask is, what version control systems have you used. I don't really care if it's not what we use. But someone who can't talk fluently about whatever system probably hasn't worked on a large project, probably hasn't worked as part of a team, and probably hasn't had experience dealing with regressions. That's a red flag.
One of my favourite interview questions to ask is, what version control systems have you used.
I always ask what the applicants favourite editor is. Not because they have to use The One True Editor, but because they definitely should have one they prefer (which implies "know"). Craftsmanship warrants knowing your tools.
The thing is that learning version control is well worth the hassle of version control for someone trying to become a programmer.