Developers become more important by the day. The great ones build apps that change our lives. The not-so-great ones build apps, too — but people aren’t dying to use them.
Now that you’ve validated your idea, taking your business to the next level starts with hiring a great developer. That easier said than done. As you go about your search for a new developer, here’s what you need to keep in mind.
Select Quality Developers
Whether you’re partnering with a dev shop or an individual contractor, it’s imperative that you ensure the developers you’re working with are extremely competent individuals who understand your business goals. So during the interview process, be sure to ask them what they’d do to build something you need. Their answers should include these three things:
Developers should be able to repeat back to you your goals to prove they understand what you’ve said. You can’t expect to form a strong working relationship if you’re unable to communicate clearly with a developer.
Developers should talk about multiple options they’d consider to prove they aren’t married to one technology or methodology. They need to be versatile and familiar with multiple tools and platforms.
Developers should be able to discuss why they’d choose a particular option based on your business goals. They need to be able to provide reasons for their selections.
A great format for a response to any technical question is: “I think we should go with X, because I evaluated X,Y, and Z and X is the one that matched your goal of A + B best.”
Bonus points are awarded to candidates who teach you about things you weren’t anticipating based on their previous experiences — but only if they do it without patronizing you.
Date Before You Marry
Once you’ve chosen a developer, the last thing you want is for a project or relationship to crash and burn. Your success will be dependent on whether he or she is able to execute. Be careful not to promise them too much equity or seniority at the beginning because unraveling that down the line will be a real pain.
The easiest way to know you’re choosing the best developer is by getting to know that person before you partner. Work on small project. Go to a hackathon together. Meet up at a bar for a drink or two. The more you get to know the person, the more informed your decision will be. If you can’t wait to move forward on projects after spending a ton of time together, you’ve got hope.
But beware: Don’t give away equity until you are sure of it. There are tons of horror stories — believe me.
Choosing the right people to work with is hard work in its own right. But because your success will be rooted in the talents of the people you surround yourself with, it’s imperative that you do your due diligence to hire the right individuals. It may take time to properly vet every candidate. But in the end, it’s totally worth it. Choose wisely!