Finding and Hiring the Best Software Developers in the Industry

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Photo by Jozsef Hocza on Unsplash

Getting to interview and hire candidates effectively is fast falling away from just being an art; it is now more of a science. This is because methodologies are now required for evaluating and hiring candidates. The hiring process usually involves high-grade technical know-how, social networking, and appropriate management. Little wonder the process of hiring a software developer is now being referred to as a skill. While evaluating hard skills comes in pretty easily, assessing soft skills could be challenging.

Long before the interview, the processes involved in hiring a software developer should have begun as it helps to quickly identify potential candidates while also increasing the overall efficiency of the entire recruitment process. Some of such processes will be discussed shortly.

Sources of Technical talent

The best single source for finding qualified recruits is through niche job boards such as Unicorn, Careers, or WhoIsHiring

Via blogs and online postings- Blogs for software developers could be a very potent source of finding qualified candidates. Technical posts also provide an insight into the skills a software developer possesses

Conferences: For technical conferences, be on the lookout for the presenters who might not just be the qualified candidate but could also link you up to highly skilled developers that you so desire.

Contributors on Open source code- Scanning through sites with open source projects could help deliver the rightful candidate for the job into your hands. This resource would help you evaluate a candidate even before interviewing them, same as for the previously discussed sources.

How to evaluate the technical understanding of a software developer?

While thinking through the evaluation process, critical skills such as problem-solving, creative thinking, and technical strength are important. A significant way to evaluate this is by posing a programming challenge with no language constraints for the candidate. The point of this exercise is for the developer to give a correct solution using their preferred language.

Online testing is also an essential part of the process of interview. However, there have been arguments in favor of in-person tests as they have been known to be more reliable than online tests because it makes you elicit how well a software engineer can function under pressure.

Another important way to evaluate technical acumen is to request from the candidate a compilation of the open-source projects they have authored or contributed to.

Communication skills: It is really easy to identify a candidate with good verbal communication skills. But asides from that, be on the lookout for their written communication skills by requesting their writing samples.

Moral dilemma: Another vital evaluation needed for software developers before they are hired. Try to pose a hypothetical ethical dilemma to the candidate and ask how they will act in such a situation. Let your hypothesis mirror the actual complexity of real-life situations.