Remote work has been prevalent for nearly all of the past year. In software engineering and computer science, shifting to the online mode has helped companies improve their bottom line. Since administrative costs, office costs, and property rental costs have been waived. As a result, several companies have been considering moving to a hybrid model to hire a remote software developer.
This change in employment practices has also led to a change in hiring practices. Since software engineers are no longer required to relocate from one city to another physically, hiring managers have a much larger pool of candidates to choose from. Software engineers can also apply for jobs in other cities where the concentration of jobs and pay might be higher.
The techniques used for hiring remote software developers are significantly different from traditional hiring methods.
Here is a look at how hiring managers evaluate the skills of candidates for software engineering roles.
How To Evaluate For Remote Software Developer Jobs
1. Opt For A Remote Software Developer Partner
You can choose to work with a third-party tech company to fulfil your software development needs. Platforms such as Supersourcing provide you access to competent software development partners based on the requirements that you communicate to them.
Additionally, working with third-party companies helps you in reducing the cost of software development while choosing the kind of relationship you want to have with them. You can also vet their remote software developers and have them work in tandem with your team without having to manage them as employees.
2. Asking For A Portfolio
Since it is harder to make software developers demonstrate their skills live when hiring them remotely, you may ask them for their previous work portfolio. You may mention the type of projects necessary for the remote software developer job you are offering and the type of optional projects. Additionally, you may also set a maximum number of projects that the candidate may submit to minimize the screening time.
Just as a design portfolio is an essential document for a graphic or product designer. A programming portfolio showcases a software developer’s real skills. You may pay extra heed to parts of the portfolio that have been implemented commercially or are available online. The portfolio will aid you in choosing the right software development partner for your specific needs.
3. Conduct A Tech Interview to Evaluate A Remote Software Developer
Technical interviews are some of the oldest methods technology and software companies have been using to scout and hire candidates. While tech interviews have been going out of fashion with companies favoring projects that the candidates have completed hands-on, they are still essential tools to determine their conceptual foundations.
On online hiring platforms, interviews can be carried out through video conferencing. Technical interviews have an advantage over written technical tests in that they preclude the possibility of using unfair means over online platforms.
Additionally, they also provide you with a deeper insight into the candidate’s attitude and personality. Generally, companies organize multiple rounds of technical interviews to make up for the lack of a physical examination method. If you opt for a third-party developing partner, you can also vet their developers using this method.
4. Live Coding Test to Evaluate Remote Software Developer
When companies held the hiring process offline, live coding challenges were among the most frequent ways companies assessed software developers’ skills, especially at the entry-level. However, live coding is harder to assess when it is held online. Over the past year, several platforms have come up that allow you to carry out live coding rounds in your hiring process.
When you choose a development partner, you can have them go through a live coding exercise to assess their competence. The significant advantage of a live coding round is that companies can assess multiple candidates concurrently.
Live coding also helps bring a level of objectivity to the hiring process – in most cases, all you will need is to determine whether the candidate was able to provide an appropriate code for the problem posed. This is in comparison to more subjective methods in which your software engineers might have to glean through the code to analyze its efficiency.
5. Product Development
Another alternative to live coding is the development of a full-fledged product. You can divide your candidate pool into groups and provide them with a problem statement. Asking them to create a software or app to solve the given problem. You can also give a smaller scale task to individual candidates and assess their code after submission.
If your company is involved in product development, such problems will provide you with an insight into how a candidate performs in crunch situations. When you are offered a choice from among a number of different partners on an online platform. You can assess their capabilities by having them develop an entire simple product. It also gives the candidates a peek into your company’s product development process before they are hired.
6. Hire Interns
Hiring interns, possibly a long-winded process, but their selection criteria is considerably relaxed compared to full-time employees. When you hire interns, you get first-hand knowledge about how they will perform. You also ensure that training will be carried out on the remote software developer job. Thus, you do not have to spend your revenue on training your recruits.
Over the years, several companies have been looking at this hiring method by recruiting 2-3 interns for every full-time role available. While internship stipends need to be paid, and this method is significantly more expensive than the rest. It also helps you gain better employees in the long run.
Conclusion
Software development shifting online has opened several avenues for companies as well as budding software engineers. The above method will help companies hire the best remote software developer available through a deep insight into their skills and attitude.
Companies such as Supersourcing can be really useful in allowing you to gain access to the most competent and capable software developers available. With Supersourcing you can match the skills of software developers with your requirements and create a more streamlined process.
Do proper research and consider what will be best for your firm in the long run!
