Tips for hiring developers

Hiring good developers is always a challenge. The competition for software development talent is so fierce that it is easy to end up with unqualified or irresponsible devs that only care about completing the project, not its quality. However, I’ve been doing it long enough to notice several key aspects that can make this process more efficient and effective. Here are some tips on hiring good coders regardless of your budget or industry:

1. Outline the desired skills, but don’t limit your talent pool too much

Being upfront about your expectations is important for hiring any specialists. However, if you narrow the talent pool too much, you can miss out greatly. Everyone wants to hire A players, but not everyone can afford that. Candidates with potential, enthusiasm, and good work ethics can evolve into A players and become valuable assets for your company. I usually try to form a must-have list with only the skills and qualifications that are really necessary, marking others as a competitive advantage.

2. Use niche hiring platforms

One of the key aspects of effective recruitment is simply knowing where to look. Popular platforms like Upwork or Fiverr offer a big selection of candidates, but finding a quality developer there requires tons of time and effort. Over time, I have developed a list of various alternative places where great developers can be found:
Specialized platforms like Toptal or X-Team: a bit expensive, but effective.
Places like Reddit or Stack Overflow. For instance, here are some subreddits where you can find quality developers: r/Jobbit, r/techjobs, r/Jobs4Bitcoins. If you are looking for some particular type of coding, Reddit can help you as well. Try r/rails, r/remotepython/, etc.
Hackathons, conferences, and online developer communities (Indie Hackers is one option)

3. Always prioritize practical skills

When hiring developers, you can never underestimate practical skills. Education, resume, and experience - should still be taken into account, but as a competitive advantage, not a deal-breaker. Make sure that your hiring process is data-driven and objective. There are basically two options to achieve this: giving your candidates a paid test task or testing their skills. If you are not a tech founder and don’t have a well-established tech team, I would recommend going for the second option by investing in recruitment tools to test their skills efficiently.

4. Do not underestimate soft skills

There is a general assumption that soft skills are not that important for a developer. After all, their one and only task is to deliver a quality functioning code. However, organizational skills, work ethics and teamwork still matter. If you want to hire a reliable coder who is invested in the project and treats the job responsibly, always check for these qualities. What is more, during the interview, make sure the candidate can take constructive criticism - otherwise, your cooperation will just be counterproductive.

5. Make them want to work on your project

Good developers are a hard to find, so it is important that they are interested in working in your company. Your job spec should explain why your project stands out and why it needs the right talent to be completed. It is essential to show the candidates that there is room for professional growth and fresh ideas - if you have a greenfield project make sure to mention it. Don’t forget to mention salary though, it is still a top attraction for the candidate.

In summary, there is no universal recipe for recruiting quality developers, but I am sure those tips will help you make better decisions in the future. It would be great to hear your tips as well - please share in the comments.

By the way, if anyone needs help doing hiring, candidate screening, or interviewing (especially for tech hiring) - I have recently created an AI-based platform for this. You can check us out here or text in the comments if you are interested in free beta access.