Finding the right talent is a challenging process; but hiring a software developer is arguably more demanding. Because unless you have direct experience as a developer (which gives you the benefit of personal experience to help you choose a suitable candidate) you’re going in blind.
Fortunately, the traits of a great software developer have stayed the same:
- Strong technical skills
- Intuition
- Collaborative
- Unwavering focus
- Insatiable curiosity
- Loves learning
This means you have a shot at recruiting the ideal talent, even if it’s a position you haven’t hired before. Don’t worry, we’ll help tilt the odds in your favour.
What makes finding a great software developer tricky is that you shouldn’t settle for those who only meet your requirements; you should hire the best. This is particularly crucial for smaller companies, which typically don’t have deep pockets so every employee needs to contribute. The best talent can rise above the chaos to help their employer flourish.
To help you in your search for the best software developer for your organisation, here’s what you need to know.
Types of software developers
Software developers – otherwise known as programmers – are professionals who create computer software. They come in various types, but most come in four general categories:
- Front end developers – They’re responsible for software parts that users interact with, like app interfaces and website menus. The job usually requires web design skills but needs better know-how in development.
- Backend developers – They build and maintain technologies where data is stored (e.g. servers, databases). To make everything work, backend devs should be skilled in server-side languages like Ruby and Python; and tools like Oracle and MySQL.
- Middle tier developers – They’re responsible for the layer between the presentation (front end) and data (back end) layer. The job involves tasks like authorisation, authentication, and API endpoint design, and requires skills in languages like JavaScript, Scala, Ruby, and Python.
- Full stack developers – They’re jacks of all trades who do all of the above (front, back, and middle). In other words, full-stack developers can handle various roles in project coordination, application design, and more.
Note that software developers specialise in other fields as well, such as big data, video games, embedded systems (e.g. microcontrollers, set-top boxes), and middleware.
To determine the specialty of the developer you want to recruit, consider the following:
- The type of software you need to create.
- The skills that your development team needs.
What to include in software developer job descriptions
When advertising your available positions, you must inform potential applicants the following:
- Required technical skills – This list will include programming languages that potential applicants should be proficient in. Including these in the job description title will make your advert more searchable. Plus, people will likely ignore any ad that merely says “Software Developer” versus one that specifies “COBOL Programmer”.
- Soft skills – These are non-technical skills that encompass how people work. This includes social skills, communication skills, problem-solving, work ethic, and in this period of quarantine, working remotely – because not everyone has the traits to successfully work from home. Soft skills are vital, especially in collaborative work environments.
- Good-to-have skills – Because there’s no developer who knows everything, you can also include skills that are useful but not mandatory (like knowledge of Node.js or Fortran). However, don’t make a long list of nice-to-have abilities and make them appear as if they’re required; that’s unrealistic.
- Tasks and duties – Potential applicants need to know the tasks for the open role. To prepare the task list, think of a typical day in the job and list down the responsibilities that need to be performed in short and clear bullet points. Start with an action verb and end, follow with the task’s description, then end with the intended outcome.
- Key performance indicators – These are the quantifiable outcomes tied to the open role’s tasks and duties. Including them in your job description informs potential candidates what metrics will be used to evaluate their work, should they be accepted. That way, they’ll know what they’re getting into.
- Tools and processes – Enumerating the tools used for the job will help potential candidates decide if they’re suitable for the role.
- Your team’s culture – Software development is usually a team effort. Thus, you should look for candidates whose attitude towards work meshes with how your team works. Do you regularly engage in crunch culture? Kanban or Scrum? Revealing your team’s culture will help potential applicants if a job is for them.
Tips on hiring a software developer
Some more suggestions to increase the odds of getting the best talent:
Don’t rely solely on traditional interviews – If the interviewer doesn’t have any actual experience as a developer, you’ll have to resort to other methods to assess the candidate, like:
- Behavioural interviews, which look at how an applicant behaved in past jobs to predict future performance.
- Technical interviews, which are conducted in person or through video call by a seasoned developer from your team, so that you can evaluate their specialised knowledge.
Pitch a competitive salary – While there may be justifiable business reasons for offering lower pay (like a pandemic or recession), applicants for software development roles expect to be presented with a competitive salary.
According to PayScale, the average salary for a software developer in Australia is AU$69,084. In the U.S., it’s $71,363. This figure changes, depending on your location.
To be “competitive” in terms of salary, you’ll have to offer equal to or above the standard offered by organisations in the same industry or geographical area.
If you lowball your applicants, don’t expect the top talent to line up for the job.
Test candidates with an actual tech problem – Never give candidates a test copied somewhere off the internet. If it’s a written test, they can simply search online for the answer!
Instead, present them a real technology problem your company encountered in the past, and ideally something you’ve already solved, so that you know if their answer is correct or not.
Furthermore, using an actual problem gives you a better idea if the candidate is suitable for the kind of work your business does.
Communication skills matter – The ability for a candidate to communicate effectively is an important factor because it can directly affect the harmony and success your team.
Take the current work-from-home situation. Your new hire must know how to properly communicate in a remote environment. Otherwise, your entire team will struggle because of its weakest communication link – especially if you’re a startup.
Don’t accept the excuse that poor communication skills are acceptable because you’re hiring a technical professional.
Look beyond the résumé – The best software developer doesn’t necessarily have the best résumé. Candidates with excellent résumés may look great on paper, but there’s no assurance that they’ll perform just as well in tests or interviews.
This is precisely why you should bolster your evaluation processes.
Evaluate their code – Strangely enough, coding skills tend to be undervalued during the hiring process. To avoid this, you need to make the effort to assess your candidates’ code.
Why? Because badly written/poorly optimised code causes significant problems in software development. If the candidate’s coding skills are poor, eliminate them from the running.
Partner with us
Hiring the best software developers isn’t easy. So is writing a proper job description, screening dozens (or hundreds) of applicants, and tediously contacting character references.
Can you imagine doing all this during a quarantine?
If you want to hire the right people for your organisation without the hassle, team up with Remote Workmate. We do all the heavy lifting for you, including payroll and onboarding, so finding the ideal software developer becomes so much easier.
You can actually choose from our pool of top candidates right away. Simply click the button below to browse a wide range of profiles on our Hotlist page.
