Hiring the right person for the job can make or break your company, especially if you’re looking to build out your development team with a new Python developer. There are so many different things to consider when hiring someone, including their work ethic, talent, and even personality traits that could affect how they fit into your company culture. If you want to land the best Python developer for your company, take some time to review these 10 helpful tips on how to find the best candidate to fill this role.
1) Focus on the skills you need
Whether you’re a recruiter or hiring manager, it’s your job to know what you need from a candidate and focus on those qualifications. You don’t want to waste time with applicants who have skills you don’t need, and your client won’t appreciate your efforts if they do hire someone and find out later that he or she is not properly qualified.
2) Hire someone with experience
It’s important that you hire someone who’s not only good at what they do, but also someone who has a track record of success. Hiring someone with experience will give you a higher probability of success. If you don’t hire anyone with experience, they may take longer to learn your business and won’t have any idea how to bring value from day one. – Jeff Grant
3) Explain what your company does and what it is looking for
A great place to start is by explaining what your company does and what kind of person you’re looking for. If you have a website, include a link so that candidates can learn more about your company and its work. This part of your job posting will tell candidates if you’re an industry leader or a new startup—so be sure to make it compelling!
4) Understand every detail of their resume
After carefully screening every developer, you’ll narrow down your list of candidates. You need to know exactly what kind of experience they have and how their work history might be relevant. No matter how well you think you know who you’re interviewing, make sure that you don’t take their resume at face value; instead, dig deeper into what makes them an expert in their field and if there are any reasons why they should or shouldn’t be considered a good fit for your company.
5) Don’t ask specific coding questions
A well-known developer once told me that he hates being asked, What’s your favorite technology? It’s like asking him, What are you wearing? He might not even be wearing clothes. What if he just put on his brand new pair of jeans and a hot-off-the-press t-shirt from Threadless (an awesome t-shirt shop)? In other words, don’t ask irrelevant questions like that one.
6) Don’t be vague in hiring
If you want your ideal candidate, it’s important to know what makes them a good fit for your company. Having a clear job description and including examples of desired skill sets in your ad are great ways to attract quality candidates. If you can’t find developers who meet these criteria, don’t waste your time—and theirs—on interviews that won’t lead anywhere.
7) Don’t rely on social media
Social media might be a fun way to expand your network and stay up-to-date on relevant industry news, but it’s not an effective tool for recruiting. While social media is great at creating connections between friends and family, it doesn’t have much of a place in recruiting.
8) Look at past projects they have worked on before
This can give you a good idea of their experience and how well they might fit in with your company. While it’s true that you want someone that can work on any kind of project, knowing they have worked on similar projects in the past will make you feel more comfortable hiring them.
9) Review their portfolio
Prospective candidates will often post their own portfolios online, and while these shouldn’t be relied upon exclusively, they can provide an excellent starting point. Once you’ve gone through a developer’s portfolio and checked out their GitHub contributions, try reaching out to your connections on LinkedIn or Twitter; if you don’t have any Python developers in your network, reach out on social media anyway. You may just get lucky! Another option is hiring a third-party service that specializes in recruiting.
10) Ask them how they would handle a specific situation
This is one of those tips that sounds obvious, but it’s easy to forget. When interviewing candidates, don’t be afraid to ask them about how they would handle a specific situation. By doing so, you’ll gain insight into their experience and mindset. You’ll be able to tell how quickly they can think on their feet and what sort of problem-solving skills they have. When hiring any professional, ask them hypothetical questions that reflect real-world scenarios and dilemmas instead of just asking straight forward interview questions.
