If you are looking to create something outside your area of expertise or need help because the project is too big to handle alone, it makes sense to hire someone to help you.
Having said that, if you have no prior experience with outsourcing work, it can be tricky to find the right person.
Let’s take a look at some of the key steps to consider when you are in need of a developer and want to ensure that the odds of hiring the perfect candidate are as high as possible.
Set Realistic Expectations
First and foremost, set realistic expectations. It comes down to the complexity of your project and the budget, but the suggestion that you can hire someone super good with a lackluster budget is not realistic.
A similar thing can be said about expecting someone lacking qualifications to overperform. It is one thing to, let’s say, hire a developer to create a relatively simple autohotkey for Mac macro and another thing to come up with complex solutions.
Ask for Actual Experience
Since you are likely looking for a developer blindly, you need to ask for actual work experience to back up someone’s claims that they are good enough to do the job.
Be thorough with your monitoring because hiring the wrong person means going through everything from scratch again, which is hardly ideal, particularly if you are on a tight schedule.
Seek References From People You Trust
Having a recommendation from someone you know and trust can cut your efforts by a significant margin.
If you have a decent network, why not consider going for a middleman who can recommend you a reliable developer? Of course, nepotism should not take place. If the reference is there, it should be justified and backed up with the right qualifications.
Explore Places to Find Developers
You might consider putting an ad on one of the job marketplaces where you are looking for a developer. However, taking a proactive approach and getting in touch with developers yourself might be a better option.
Platforms like Stack Overflow, CodeChef, and Topcoder are worth a shout as well. They let you sort the developers by specific qualifications, which helps narrow down the list.
Of course, when you are going through freelancer platforms, it is crucial not to fall for scammers. Someone might have a solid resume, but you cannot discard the possibility that they are lying to get gigs. Not to mention shady practices like paying money for fake reviews to leave the impression that they are great at what they do.
Once again, you need to confirm that a potential candidate is actually good enough to take on the task.
Give a Test Run
Once you have a list of potential hires (regardless of how you got in touch with them), there is one more hurdle to overcome.
If you wish to determine whether someone is suitable for the position, you must administer the test.
This test serves a pretty self-explanatory purpose. People who fail the test are not fit for the job. Whereas if they pass, you can consider their candidacy.
The test itself should not be too complicated. Some developers, even if they are suitable, might be reluctant to take on a difficult test when there are no guarantees that they will get the job.
On the other hand, if the test is too easy, it might be difficult to determine someone’s qualifications. Thus, you need to think hard about what kind of test to give.
Discuss The Project With Your Candidate
After you are set on the candidate, the last thing to do is talk to them about the project. Discuss the expectations, deadlines, potential obstacles that might get in the way, and so on.
Both parties should agree on things and be available to talk about problems openly whenever there are some during the development.
An in-depth conversation should seal the deal and help you decide. And in case you notice that something is not right, going back to the backup candidate might be the right option.