Hiring a competent software developer might be a little bit tricky. Some reputable hiring managers have confirmed that the most challenging part of their job is hiring a skillful software developer. The challenges are two dimensional – The challenge of identifying and hiring a competent software developer and the challenge of bridging the skill gap between the demand and supply of software developers.

The latter is a subject of concern because statistics from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that demand for software developers will increase by 21 percent within the next seven years. That’s huge! Despite these challenges, here are some tips that will help you hire a competent Software Developer in 2021.

1) Write a specific job listing

It’s not uncommon to see recruiters write very general, vague job descriptions. This will often lead to getting requests from a lot of developers with the wrong skill set. It’s much better to be specific about the skills you need. It’s imperative to talk about the nature of projects your prospective developer will need to handle. By being specific about your needs, your prospective developer will scrutinize himself to be sure that he can handle the project before applying.

2) Stop depending sorely on job boards

Great developers are not desperate, unemployed developers. And you can hardly find them by posting job listings on job boards. In most cases, they already have an excellent job. They may simply be on the lookout for better opportunities. You can meet these passive job seekers on professional platforms like LinkedIn or other social media sites; you can catch up with them in the least expected places.

3) Stand Out

You can stand out as a hiring manager by posing a challenge to your prospective hire. You may decide not to go along with the conventional procedure of telling prospective employees to send a CV, work sample, and application letter. You can find several ingenious ways to make your job stand out. Be creative; you may conduct tests that’ll help you understand how proficient a developer is in handling some programming languages.

4) Test Drive

When there seems to be a tie between the best candidates, you can take them on a test drive. What we call a test drive can be done by bringing the strongest candidates together to identify their potentials. You can further do this by getting them to do some nearly identical tasks – similar to the actual job they’ll do for your company. With this, you’ll be able to identify the most suitable candidate. You’ll be able to access their efficiency as they work independently. You’ll also be able to know if they can collaborate and work with your team effectively. Above all, you will get to see if they understand the nitty-gritty of the skills they claim to have.

Conclusion

Here are the essential points to keep in mind while looking to hire a software developer. Additionally, learn about the qualities of a proficient software developer. Hence, by implementing the aforementioned suggestions, you’ll be able to land a talented Software Developer for your company.