Eight Tips for Hiring Software Developers
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For the team lead or project manager of a software development team, hiring a new developer could sometimes be a hassle. If not done well, it could cost a lot of money and time as well as bring down the morale of the existing team. Success in any software development endeavor requires having a good team and good software developers to succeed.

It is, however, at times, is more about fit than anything. How to hire a developer? Let’s explore.

Hiring Software Developers—Tips for Success

1. Study and analyze the software engineering landscape

An overview of the market trends will help you determine the demand for specific technologies. The greater the demand, the more competition, which escalates the salary levels. The best way to study the software engineering market is to review recent studies and research.

The majority of tech industry players put out reports and research every year. Even with the pandemic, there is steady growth in software development.

2. Recruit Fast

Avoid getting hung up on the CV, formal education, or lack of experience. Although all of these are important, a lot of experience usually leads to people becoming overconfident and stubborn in terms of process or method optimization simply because they already know how to write code for it.

Some things to take into account:

  • Use a test coding assessment
  • Pay close attention to soft skills
  • Partner with recruiters

You can also shorten the hiring time by making certain that the prospective developer knows how to program. You can do this by giving a special test assignment prepared by a senior developer. Furthermore, the senior developer could ultimately evaluate the results of the test and the tech skills of the prospective developer.

Consider asking the candidate to resolve of the existing concerns that the development team is struggling with at the moment. This will help you learn about the problem-solving skills level of the candidate, their willingness to work on real-time issues, and within a real development team in general.

It’s important to pay candidates for their time and effort, which helps build a good image for your brand.   

3. Create Employer Branding

Your software developers should be real enthusiasts with a passion about their work. Show them that your team could help them grow and achieve more. Make sure to follow your deadline for the final CV.

Consider these:

  • Give feedback on interview and test assignments on time
  • Position the company as a tech-focused one
  • Build and replenish the talent pipeline

Maintain a positive experience for your prospective developers from different coding tasks. Even if they will not pass the certification, their skills and knowledge could be used in the future. They could be taught new skills, and with good experience, they’re likely to recommend your company to others.

4. Find a Collaborator and Communicator

A developer that’s extra-passionate could move the work faster even when working alone. Nevertheless, collaboration with others is key to go far. A project, in some instances, could be finished by one person. At some point though, any developer would have to work with others for things to be better.

Therefore, a good communicator is needed to unify the efforts of the team and simplify workflows. As a business owner or a team leader, you likely would have to put all responsibilities in one person. And due to the different characteristics of each, strong collaboration is a must.

Without clear collaboration, the members of the software development team will not be on the same page, things could go haywire as people work in different directions, which slows down the process. Strong communication skills are important so developers could understand the vision of the project clearly and communicate their thoughts in an accurate way.

5. Find a Clean Coder

Software development certainly is a complex process. Clean coders, however, make the work much easier, particularly in terms of troubleshooting, maintenance, and future updates. Keep in mind that great developers could make complex work look easy.

If you hire messy developers, this will only make developing software harder, and harder for developers to collaborate with others. This will, as a whole, slow down operations.

6. Choose a Creative Developer

You may already have a vision of the software project, but a creative developer adds color to it. Furthermore, creative developers could add features that contribute to the good user experience and functionality of the system. So, while technical and theoretical skills are important, creativity is needed to drive innovation.

You need developers who are quick on their feet, and who could effectively work with the software development team to brainstorm before the actual process of development. A creative developer lets your company have a wider perspective and new angle to consider when building a software product.

7. Working with an IT Staff Augmentation Firm

This enables you to hire new developers efficiently and quickly. Partnering with a professional augmentation company helps you choose suitable candidates based on your project requirements.

Some things to take into account:

  • Think about the job description carefully
  • Look for a reliable software vendor offering staff augmentation services
  • Allocate a couple of hours every week for feedback and interviews

At present, there is no shortage of software developer jobs. However, the problem is that the majority of employers look for the same things, such as a good CV, samples of previous work done, and most often a cover letter. This is not only time-consuming but won’t help the job posting stand out among the rest.

Give software developers a quick coding task instead and perform preliminary interviews with an IT recruiter.

8. A Cultural Fit

Aside from considering the experience and skills of prospective software developers, it is equally important to ensure a cultural fit as well. Moving forward with developers with the skills you need but who do not have the attitude and traits aligned with your company culture is likely to impair growth in one way or another.

Consult the values and culture of your company every time you eye a certain candidate. Does he/she have the values in tune with your standards? Furthermore, does he/she possess the traits you’re looking for in a software developer? These are just some of the questions you need to make sure that you hire a developer that fits your company culture.

Conclusion

Finding and hiring software developers should not be too difficult as long as you have a robust hiring system in place. This guide hopefully will help you determine what things to look for in a developer, what to avoid, and a step-by-step process you could easily follow.