Finding a hire today is easy. Tech has made tons of options available everywhere you look. Freelancer sites are on a continuous rise too. More and more skilled web developers are signing up on these platforms, creating a sea of options and a huge selection problem at the same time.
You can link up with a freelancer who’s worked for you before. It deals with much of the hiring hassle. Some employers live on referrals. But what do you do when you don’t have any? Fish from an online sea of options!
To catch the best, you’ll have to follow a few principles as we’ll discuss in this article.
1. Take your Time
Take it slow sounds like advice for relationships rather than the fast world of developers. While you have to keep up with the pace, narrowing it down to the right candidate takes far more than reading their application.
Make the interview practical and theoretical. Ask them the basics that fit into your particular project and take time to give them a practical test. Add your current team to the interviewing panel. After all, they know what works and what doesn’t. Your team will be an extra set of ears and eyes to spot the strengths and the weaknesses you’d miss alone.
2. Test their Soft-skills
What good is a developer if they can’t understand programming language or have wanting math aptitude, right? Of course, their practical abilities are essential. But can they gel with the rest of the team?
When you’re goal is to complete a project, their practical skills may be more important. But if you’re looking to have them for a while, their willingness to learn is as important as their hard skills. Often, a person with a teachable spirit is also a good team player. In any case, tech keeps changing. You’ll never hire developers with hard skills that won’t require improvement with time.
3. Tailor the Hiring Process to Your Needs
Tech used in development is fast evolving. New additions keep cropping up. It is essential to filter out candidates with less than average knowledge of these additions. You can tailor your interview to meet your specific project needs.
Prepare a brief which entails what the project is about. Explain the duties so that the candidate will understand your expectations. You should be ready for aggressive advertising especially if you need to hire ASAP.
Avoid repeating questions the candidates can find on Google. They could be great at cramming and blow you away only to fail on the job. Avoid yes/no questions too. Let them explain themselves away to your advantage.
Once the applications come, eliminate the bulk of them depending on your needs. If you want top talent, remove those who simply have a good idea. Shortlist those who have proven experience and hire the best based on a combination of their hard and soft skills.
4. Include Existing Employee Vested Interests
Your team of developers can help you phrase questions that narrow down to the nitty-gritty of the duties. For example, they can help you phrase questions that distinguish between the skills needed for the current programming language from the previous one.
If you’re going for top talent, it’s a learning opportunity for the rest of the team. This makes part of an existing team’s vested interests. If the candidate will take on leadership roles, the team will help you test their teaching skills. Sometimes, the best in the market could be the worst in teaching others how to do things.
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