Important Factors to Consider While Looking to Hire Remote Software Developer

Last updated on April 26th, 2023

Businesses have an equal probability of getting successful or failing in the market. Running it big, or succumbing at the initial stages. But, there’s one thing that can increase the chances of success, and that is; Efficient team! 

No matter how strong a strategy a business develops, if the team is unable to execute it properly, the strategy stands obsolete. And, that’s why businesses invest a sheer amount of research, and inspection while amalgamating a team. But, mustering all the right people is not a cakewalk. Finding a candidate that matches the expectations, and fits right into the role is not straightforward. It takes a lot and a lot of rounds of shortlisting, interviewing, analyzing candidates, and whatnot! 

Though for every business, each member of the team plays a significant role, it requires an extra concentration on hiring people for critical positions or managerial roles. And, one of such positions is a software developer in an IT firm. Let’s comprehend the role of a software developer in a company before discussing how, and why you should hire remote software developer! 

Role of a Software Developer

A software developer works centrally on developing software products or platforms. Some of these software programs can be mobile applications for a certain utility, while some can offer other range of services. But, there’s a lot more to software development than writing codes, and programs. 

Software development is a pool. Be it on the functional front, or on complexity. For instance, there are immense languages available to code and write computer programs. These can be Javascript, Python, C#, C++, etc. 

A typical software developer handles and manages the development, and design of software programs either for your company or for your clientele. Developers would also be held responsible for managing, and looking over the delivery of software to clients. Be it about its management, functionality, and utility precision, software developers take the onus from ideation to complete delivery of a software product. 

And, because today’s world relies on software, the software developer has a lot to handle in an IT firm. This makes hiring software developers an important company investment. However, the process to hire software developers is strenuous. There exists a lot of challenges while recruiting software developers, one thing that businesses often encounter is whether to hire remote, or in-office software developers. We suggest you hire remote software developer! 

Related Article: 8 Ultimate Steps For Hiring A Remote Software Development Team

Why Hire Remote Software Developer? 

A remote position is when a candidate works from anywhere but is dedicated to delivering the work commitments on time. This is of utmost benefit as it lies in the comfort of both businesses as well as candidates. 

By hiring candidates in remote positions, businesses can save infrastructure resources. This can help them save costs, and employee management budget as well. And, due to the pandemic, and plenty of tools available for keeping teams connected, and collaborating online, a software developer working remotely poses no hassle for the team. 

But, all these factors boil down to the fact that you hire remote software developer that’s right for your company. Let’s move on to how you can ensure you get the right software developer on board! 

How to Hire Remote Software Developer

• Degrees, or Certifications

Software development is a rich skill. The difficult concepts, exceptions, and a range of use cases make it complicated, and advanced. This is not something that can be crammed into a month or so. And, only the one who has a passion for software can do so. Therefore, it is advised to consider the degrees or certifications one holds in software development. This highlights that a candidate knows basic to advanced concepts, exceptions, and functionality of software development. 

But, it doesn’t mean you follow a rigid approach and only shortlist candidates having education from top schools and organizations. To hire remote software developers, look for reliable degrees, and certifications, that match up with their practical exposure, and experience. This way, you can increase the chances of hiring the right developer for your firm. 

• Experience in Industry 

Experience plays a major role when it comes to software development. This is because technology is advancing every day, and one needs to move ahead parallel with it. To evaluate if the candidate has the right experience or not, comprehend what all languages they have worked on in the past. What type of, and how many projects did they deliver? Was the project dynamic? or did it need any specialized or advanced software development knowledge? You can also get this idea from a candidate’s portfolio, online work samples, project certifications, and recognitions. 

All this would help you understand the hands-on knowledge of the candidate. Further, to hire remote software developers, it is always advised to add the step of a practical, or technical round in the hiring process. This mitigates any chances of getting the wrong candidate on board and provides you a better idea of what all you can expect from a candidate if you hire them as your software developer. 

• Testing Knowledge

Software testing and software development are not mutually exclusive. Though software developers are not expected to work rigorously or know the software testing to a T, it is an added advantage if your software developer knows basic, to intermediate levels of testing. 

This would help establish better coordination with the testing team. Also, if you hire remote software developer who knows how to test, develop, and design, the job becomes easy. This also gives them an upper hand in identifying bugs, and possible glitches right during the development phase. It’s a plus for the whole team! 

• Familiarity with Tools

When someone says the technology world is advancing, they don’t exaggerate. Every day, a new tool with new functionality comes up. And, because everything at the job cannot be done manually, it is of significance if you get to know what all tools your developer is familiar with. 

To begin with, you can evaluate them if they are familiar, and comfortable with the tools you already use in your organization. You can also assess them on their comfort with newly available tools. All this can make you more confident when you hire remote software developer. 

• Diversity of Knowledge 

The number of languages your developer can work with can increase the width of the projects he/she can work on comfortably. Further, if you are an IT firm dealing with a range of clients, it is suggested you hire remote software developer with hands-on practice in a range of programming languages. 

This mitigates the need to get different developers for different projects. But, it nowhere means you hire a candidate who’s a jack of all trades, but a king of none! To make sure you don’t do this, plan the hiring process judicially to comprehend the experience, and diversity of knowledge of software developers. 

• Soft Skills 

Professional skills are important. But, the right combination of soft skills always wins. Soft skills are empathy, ability to be a part of the team, learning potential, confidence, communication, etc. All these play a major role in building up one’s character. It is said that the right soft skills set speaks a lot about how disciplined, and dedicated an employee will be in professional life. This is the reason why organizations have started valuing these skills more, and more. 

“In a recent study in the UK, it was found that around 97% of employers consider soft skills key to their business’s success.” 

And if you hire remote software developer with desired soft skills, you can ensure quick resolution for every challenge or bottlenecks that come in the way. Because when knowledge fails, character wins the glory!

• Skill Set that Matches up with the Need 

Hands-down, one of the most important factors to look for when hiring remote software developers is the skill set of a candidate. Think of a situation when you have Javascript programming language projects in hand, but you hire remote software developer who’s equipped with C+ knowledge and practical exposure. The resource stands futile. 

This makes matching the skill set with your needs of utmost importance. To make sure you hire remote software developer with a profile that matches your needs, and requirements, run a profile-fit test. Add practical rounds in the hiring process that correspond with the original job role. 

Evaluate the performance of the candidate in the hiring test carefully. Further, also familiarize candidates with the job role, the language you would be needing them to work on and list the challenges of the job. This would keep both sides on the same page!

Related Article: 8 qualities your successful remote software developers should have

Are You Planning to Hire Software Developers? Take the First Step! 

If you are someone who is planning to hire remote software developers, it’s time to make the first step. List the job roles, make up a detailed job description, search for the right talent, and start analyzing candidates on the factors listed above. 

And, throughout the hiring process, make sure you keep a few other things in mind. Such as empathy, keeping candidates informed on all steps of the hiring process, and not letting go of human behavior parameters. All this helps you become better in the process when you hire remote software developer.