Hiring Mobile Developers – What You Need To Know
Mark Byrne | Digital Marketing Specialist | Ward Technology Talent | Twitter | LinkedIn
At Ward Technology Talent, we specialise in sourcing mobile developers. We know what to look for in a candidate, and common pitfalls that you may come across.
When it comes to hiring a mobile developer there are some questions that will be running through your head. How do I find the right person? How do I get the best value? How can I ensure that the developer understands my business? By keeping in mind the following steps you’ll have a better idea of how to approach the hiring process in the most effective way.
1. Do Your Research
Take your time when hiring your mobile developer. Chances are you’ll be presented with a wide choice of candidates to choose from. Some will guarantee a low price, others will promise a record development time.
Your first port of call should be the candidate’s website. Is it clean and well designed? Does it look look professional? This will give you a good indication in the early stages of your search. Most mobile developers will want to showcase their work somewhere if they are proud it. If possible, get in touch with previous client, follow up with them and get the full picture. You’ll get a feel for how the developer operates, their support, if they help out with debugging and so on. All pertinent questions when you’re putting your app in the hands of one person.
A portfolio is also useful to see if their sample work is similar to the project that you are working on. Some developers will only have experience writing code for games. Others will focus solely on business platforms. While it is possible that a developer can write for both, if you are developing a business application you are going to want someone who has this background.
If your candidate has social media channels, you can also use these to glean extra information, from happy or disgruntled candidates.
2. Communication
When hiring a mobile developer to lead your project, one of the keys to success is clear communication. You do not want wires getting crossed – something that can really ramp up expenses when changes and revisions need to be made.
A good acid test is your initial email to the developer. If they take a few days to reply, this is a red flag. When you launch into a mobile app project , you’re going to need to maintain consistent communication with the developer. While it is not realistic to have multiple emails a day answered, you should expect your queries to be addressed within 24 hours during the business week.
3. What Does The Developer Have To Say
The mobile developer should take the reigns on the project. Most likely, before your first phone/Skype meeting, you’ll have given the potential candidate a briefing of the project at hand. By the time you speak, the developer should be thinking of how the project should be approached.
Think of it as if you went to get your car fixed at a mechanics. You would be expected to diagnose the problem, for example, ‘my engine is making a strange send when I go above 30mph’. It is then up to the mechanic to assess the situation, provide possible scenarios of the best ways to solve this problem, and ultimately use his expertise. You should have the same frame of mind when interviewing mobile developers.
This is just a brief look at the landscape that you need to familiarize yourself with before embarking on the hiring process. We’re here for your mobile staffing needs, you can reach out to us here.
