How to choose software developers for your business
Need to choose a software developer for your business but no idea where to start? Here are three simple steps to finding the right person.
The will come one, no matter what your business does, one day, you’ll wake up and say, “I need a software developer.” If your company does not have a mobile application yet, it is time to hire developers and get the most out of your business by creating a revenue-bringing app.
But how exactly should you find the best software developers?
If you’re not tech-savvy and have absolutely no idea where to look for good developers, this article is for you. We’ll help you find the best ones who will take your business to the next level and ensure its powerful digital presence.
So, let’s get straight to the topic.
How can you choose software developers for your business?
Here are some steps to help you get started
1) Understand your project
It’s all about you.
First of all, you have got to know what you want. Finding the best developer starts with you. Ensure you understand all your project’s aspects and can explain them to your future software developer.
Before you hand in your software project, try to figure it out yourself, considering all the issues that may arise and the possible solutions. For example, if you need software applications compatible with multiple mobile operating systems, you should hire cross-platform app developer.
In this phase, you also need to understand how complicated the task will be: if it’s a considerably light one, you can consider a junior software developer who would treat it as a side gig. However, if you think the project will require a lot of focus and hard work, consider hiring a senior ready to be committed to the job for at least a few months.
2) Skim through the portfolios
Hiring a software developer without skimming through their portfolios is like going on a blind date: it’s a thrilling experience, but you don’t really know with whom you’ll end up.
The truth is if blind dates can be fun, “blind” employments aren’t that pleasant. You might get lucky and end up with a good software developer, but the opposite can happen too. So before you rush to send your offer to the charming developer who seemed to be pretty good at his job during the short interview, skim through their profiles.
Interview skills and development skills are two very different things. One might be a master communicator, fluent in the secret language of persuasion, but barely knows the programming languages he is being hired for.
That’s why checking his portfolio will help you figure out how good your potential software developer is at coding. Do you like his projects? Do you want yours to be similar to those? All these are questions you need to consider when skimming through his works.
If your developer does not have a portfolio (which, by the way, is a red flag), or you think his portfolio is not enough to estimate his skills, you can always give him a short task.
It would be the perfect way to check your developer and see if they suit the specific project you are working on. For example, if you are looking to create a fitness app, try and hire a fitness app developer with experience in that field.
3) Check their soft skills
Remember we talked about interview skills, right? Well, trust us, they are no less important than the technical ones.
Of course, no one cares about the developer’s communication skills if they are terrible at their job. Still, you also don’t want to hire a senior developer who does not know how to communicate with you and the team. Remember that you could be spending more time with them than with your friends, so you want to ensure you enjoy it.
But it is easier said than done. How can you know for sure if the person is ‘your type’ or not? Sadly, the answer here is you can’t. There is no secret way to guarantee that no conflicts would arise with the person; however, you can be 95% sure if you conduct a decent interview.
During the interview, go through some questions that would help you to evaluate the soft skills and be very attentive to the answers. If they are going to work with the team, try to include a couple of employees from the team too: in the end, they will be spending the most time with the new developer, not you.
Follow these simple steps to hire the right software developer
If you follow these three simple steps, you can know for sure that you’ve hired a good software developer:
- Figure out your project’s details
- Skim through the potential developer’s interview
- Call them to an interview to estimate their soft skills
Good luck with your journey!
