How To Hire The Right Software Developer?

If your company is looking to develop a new software solution, you’re probably in dire need of a software developer. The problem is finding the right person for the job.

This role has evolved in the last few years. Even though first-class programming skills are still a prerequisite, the individual you hire now has to offer a lot more. For instance, the position has grown beyond solitary work and now usually relies on a hefty dose of collaborative skills. 

In other words, you need someone who can be a team player.

Unfortunately, the hiring market right now is pretty tough, and finding a software developer that checks both technical and personality skills requirements is a herculean task.

Here’s how your company can rise to the challenge and find the right fit.

1. Know What You’re Looking For

Just like other tech roles, software developers have also branched out into different niches. Because of this, you need to pinpoint your needs and define the role you’re trying to fill in accordance with the type of software you’re developing.

That way, you don’t have to put the wrong kind of developer through multiple rounds of interviews, saving you time and money in the process. 

While there are many niches in software development, you can narrow it down to these three varieties:

1. Back-end developer: the back-end is what makes the software work. These developers are usually experts in compiled programming languages such as C#, C++, or Java. They also have experience with databases like SQL

2. Front-end developer: the front end is the chassis of a program and the part that the end-user interacts with. A software developer in charge of creating the interface needs to be an expert not only in scripting languages such as JavaScript, but also possess experience in design.

3. Full-stack developer: this developer can fill both roles and is involved in the design of software, as well as project coordination.

2. Perfect Your Job Descriptions

When you write a job description for a software developer, it has to provide all the information for potential applicants about what you’re looking for. You should include the following information:

1. Required technical skills: in this part, describe the main requirements which include the necessary programming language that your hiree needs to know. Don’t shy away from including the name of the main programming language you’re looking for in the title of your listing, as this can help capture the attention of the perfect candidate. Simply put, if you’re looking for someone who is an expert in C#, don’t use a generic listing name - put the C# right there in the title.

2. Additional skills: feel free to list the additional skills that can come in useful but aren’t essential. For instance, you may prefer someone who has experience with AWS. Make sure to communicate clearly that this isn’t required. The additional skills shouldn’t come across as a requirement in the job listing.

3. Description of your work environment: since development is often a team effort, you have to make sure that you choose an employee that will gel well with your company culture. For example, if your development team is all about DevOps, you should outline it in your job description. 

4. Soft/people skills: to be successful in a collaborative environment, your team needs to operate like a well-oiled machine. This is why you should describe the soft skills you’re looking for to ensure you’re hiring someone whose personality won’t clash with your other employees. You could include teamwork, communication, problem-solving skills, and even empathy as essential soft skills.

3. Conduct Comprehensive Interviews

Since a good software developer needs to be a coding expert and a team player, you need to evaluate a wide range of skills. To make the most out of your time with a potential employee and cover all bases, you should conduct two interviews:

1. Technical interview: this is where you test the programming skills of your hire. Make sure to give over the reigns in this interview to someone with development experience. 

2. Personal interview: here, you can further test the technical ability of the candidate, but your main focus should be on assessing their soft skills and personality.

Since software developers are hard to come by,  keep the time between these interviews short to see to it you don’t lose the ideal employee. You need to keep the candidate hyped, but you can also test the attributes of the candidate better if the first interview is still fresh in your mind.

4. Offer The Option of Working Remotely

The problem with hiring tech employees is that they know they’re in demand, so it’s more of a question of what you can offer them than what they can do for you. This is why you should provide them with the option of hybrid or remote work.

Since everyone appreciates a bit of flexibility in their approach, offering this perk will go a long way in hyping them up for what’s to come if they join your team.

5. Offer a Competitive Salary

Along with the other perks and benefits, you should also offer your potential software developer an attractive salary. This warrants a lot of research, including having a look at the salaries your competitors are offering for similar positions.

6. Hire a Developer Through a Tech Staffing Agency

Hiring a software developer may take weeks. It involves multiple steps, such as writing job postings, sorting through multiple applications, conducting phone interviews, calling references, etc.

By partnering with a tech staffing agency like Griffin Global, you can save time and more importantly, your fiscal and human resources. 

We can connect you with skilled candidates, take care of your job posting, research a competitive salary, conduct reference and background checks, and handle all the other important details. The brunt of the hiring process will already be done - you only need to pick a software developer you click with.

Finding The Perfect Addition To Your Development Team

While finding the right software developer in times of employee shortages is challenging, it’s not impossible. Once you have a clear understanding of what you’re looking for and are familiar with the intricacies of the hiring process, you’re in a better position to attract, and ultimately, retain a valuable company asset.

If your search ends up with mediocre results, you can always hire some outside help.

Regardless of how you go about it, we know this - armed with this knowledge, you’ll have a skilled software developer in your ranks in no time.