How to hire a skilled software developer

Your team of software developers comprises creative professionals who are skilled in developing applications for the web and mobile. If you are hiring a software developer for your team, searching for the right aptitudes is important. Various skills are required to carry out the role efficiently, and, of course, looking for top programming skills is fundamental.

It isn’t always easy to make the right hire, and hiring the wrong software developer can be costly. As described by Existek.com, even hiring a cheap developer ‘with an average salary of $105,590, the company could spend $31,677 additionally for such expenses like onboarding, training’, and a range of other costs. So, in this post, we have provided an in-depth guide to help you hire the best software developer for your team.

Front-end developers vs. back-end developers

Front-end developers are responsible for producing a website’s code from the user experience (UX) perspective. This means they are involved with creating a web page’s structure and design and ensuring its design can be optimized for mobile.

Their role also involves working alongside user experience analysts or designers to oversee a wireframe’s development. This includes identifying user experience issues and suggesting solutions that help to influence the design positively. They are also responsible for getting the right balance between a webpage’s design aesthetics and its functions.

According to CareerExplorer, a back-end developer “builds and maintains the technology needed to power the components which enable the user-facing side of the website to exist.” Back-end development is what makes the front-end developers’ work function.

Other back-end developer responsibilities include debugging applications, building code and libraries that can be reused in the future, and working with system administrators to identify new features. They also liaise with front-end developers to ensure the UX and user-facing elements can be integrated with server-side logic.

What about full stack developers?

A full-stack developer is responsible for designing user interactions on webpages. Their role consists of developing websites from the UX perspective, but they are also involved with server-side development.

Full-stack developers write code to enhance the cross-platform optimization of applications for mobile. They are also responsible for developing Application Programming Interfaces, which allows applications on different platforms to connect.

Each of these software developer roles relies on various skills, which you can assess in different ways.

Which skills should you look for when hiring a software developer?

The aptitudes required for software development roles include several specific key skill areas, including technical skills, team-based skills, and soft skills. These are essential skills that you should prioritize when hiring a software developer.

Technical skills

The fundamental technical skills required for your vacancy should include a range of programming languages. Depending on the software developer role you are hiring for, your candidates should show super technical skills in different areas.

Your front-end developer, for instance, might need proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In contrast, your back-end developer will most likely need to be familiar with PHP, Python, MEAN, Ruby on Rails, and Java. And if you are hiring a full-stack developer, you should prioritize candidates with a combination of these programming languages.

Team-based skills

Team-based skills are now essential for all developers. The days of the lone developer have now gone. Your team’s success depends on candidates who can communicate effectively and work within a team.

To achieve this, you might look for a developer who can work using an agile methodology – a candidate who can organize themselves and work within cross-functional teams. Searching for a good fit for your company culture is also important, so finding candidates that align with the way your team works is essential.

Soft skills

Looking for nontechnical aptitudes is also important when hiring a software developer. For example, as remote working is on the rise in this field, you might prioritize candidates that are comfortable working from home.

You might also search for a candidate who is:

Approachable and supportive
Empathetic and patient
Open-minded and willing to adapt
A real problem solver
Creative and insightful, and
Good at time management

Each of these skills in these key areas can be screened in different ways.

How can you screen candidates when hiring a software developer?

One way to screen candidates when hiring a software developer is through a personal interview and a technical interview. These types of interviews are crucial for identifying whether a candidate has the above-mentioned skills.

Personal interview

As an HR professional, you are most likely aware that the personal interview involves getting to know your candidates’ personalities. Using the interview to determine if your candidate has the soft skills required for your software developer vacancy is also important. Of course, you should also assess whether the candidate is an appropriate fit within the company culture, in addition to the way your current software developers work.

Technical interview

Testing your candidates’ programming skills is important. Try to ensure that a senior or experienced software developer carries out the interview to gain a deeper understanding of your candidate’s skills. The technical interview should give you an insight into your candidate’s programming aptitudes and assess their coding abilities.

But, you can screen for technical skills more simply, too – by using a programming-related test. TestGorilla’s range of programming tests is one example that has various advantages.

How to test programming skills

TestGorilla provides various programming tests you can use to evaluate your candidates before you even look at a single resume. These tests include:

One advantage of TestGorilla’s various programming tests is that you can comprehensively assess many different programming skills for every candidate. Using the test results makes it easier to focus on the candidates who display the exact skills that your software developer role requires. This makes it easy to hire the best software developer.

With TestGorilla, it is faster and simpler to narrow down your choice of candidates. You can benefit from reducing your time to hire by comparing your candidates’ programming-related test results and selecting those who have performed well.

TestGorilla’s programming-related tests also reduce hiring bias. This means you can make your decision based on your candidates’ aptitudes shown by their test results. You can therefore avoid hiring a software developer simply based on personality attributes.

Hiring skilled software developers with TestGorilla

Although hiring a software developer with the best programming skills is a priority, it isn’t always easy. Many variables can make this process difficult. But by using TestGorilla’s programming-related assessments, you can ensure that you hire the best software developers with top skills every time.