Hire A Coder Online: 5 Useful Tips

The term ‘coder’ encompasses a wide range of digital-based jobs, which can be critical to the success, productivity, and security of a company’s online database. Any professional who creates different types of computer software is classed as a coder, which can range from computer programmers and developers to software engineers. 

From start-ups to established companies, programmers are an essential aspect of building a reputable business and online presence. These individuals are typically in high demand by recruiters because of their specialist technical skill set and the importance of their duties on business optimization. 

While the hiring process may be more challenging compared to filling other roles, there are several tips you can use to find a suitable coder for your business online. Here, we explain our top five tips to help you hire a coder online. 

1. Research the best platforms to advertise your role

To access a network of high-quality candidates, you will want to advertise your available position on a platform frequently used by coders. While posting your advertisement on broader job boards can help you find a larger applicant base, it also increases the likeliness of under qualified candidates applying. This can lead to recruiters spending a lot of time and energy reading through applications that are under qualified or unsuitable for the job listing. 

By posting your job opening to a platform or online community that coders and programmers regularly use, you can limit your candidate search to those with interest or experience in the computer software industry. 

Another way to reach a niche and technically skilled audience is to practice active social recruitment. This is when you find candidates with experience and the right skill set through social media platforms, such as LinkedIn. Using this strategy, you can connect with an array of talented individuals who have prior professional experience as a coder. By advertising the job directly to them, you can limit the amount of under qualified candidates applying and increase the quality of your talent pool.

2. Don’t just ask for a resume 

A portfolio is the key to understanding the past work a candidate has done, both in a professional and personal setting. When advertising to hire a coder online, ask applicants to send across their resume as well as their portfolio. This can help you observe how their skill set and qualifications have influenced their work, and can provide you with a better idea of the general quality of their programming. 

If the candidate uses a website to host their portfolio, it may be beneficial to see how the applicant uses their programming and software skills to enhance the viewing experience. Make sure you pay attention to both the content of their portfolio and the way they’ve created the portfolio itself. This can demonstrate what the candidate is capable of achieving with their programming skills. 

3. Ask candidates to take a skills test

Once you have compiled a list of candidates who have passed your resume and portfolio check, put their technical knowledge to the test by creating a customized skills test online. Your skills test should reflect the knowledge and problem-solving abilities you expect the successful candidate to possess in order to carry out their daily duties effectively. You can create an online skills test by yourself or through a third-party company. Through High5, a candidate’s technical skills are assessed over an hour-long video interview.

For coders specifically, you may want to test their competency in different programming languages, their attention to detail, their mathematical skills and their ability to use programming tools and software. You can also add on any questions or scenarios that relate to common issues in your workplace to observe how the candidate responds or resolves the problems. This can help you identify which candidates possess a holistic skill set that suits both the job role itself as well as your company’s work ethic and values. 

Alternatively, when partnering with talent solution agencies, such as High5, you can gain access to a global network of expertly vetted professionals. You can be assured that you’re engaging with highly talented individuals, as High5’s experts interview, score and rank each candidate’s technical skills, offering you recommendations of the most suitable applicants.

4. Tailor your interview questions to each candidate 

To ensure you hire a coder online who is of the highest quality, be sure to take your time while recruiting. Performing job interviews is a crucial part of the recruitment process, and can help you learn more about each candidate’s unique abilities and work ethic. 

Selecting the right candidate will help you save a lot of money in the long run, as opposed to rushing to fill the position and choosing an unsuitable candidate. Therefore, to make the most out of the interview process and find and hire a coder online for your company, consider tailoring the questions you ask to the specific candidate you’re interviewing. 

To do this, prepare some interview questions that are specific to the candidate’s resume, portfolio or cover letter. You may ask how they developed their skill in a certain programming language or why they prefer one software tool over another. Personalized questions can help you determine how passionate and driven the individual is, enabling you to decide more easily whether they suit the role. 

Additionally, you could consider asking for a follow-up interview to discuss matters further and provide an opportunity to test their practical knowledge in a working environment. 

If you’re searching for more than one coder, it may be beneficial to ask your interviewees about their professional network within the industry. This could help you facilitate connections with other talented programmers and make you aware of the best online communities or platforms to target for future job advertisements. 

5. Consider soft skills too

While possessing a strong technical skill set is beneficial, it shouldn’t be the only thing you require from a candidate. Soft skills, such as communication, teamwork and timekeeping, are all valuable assets for an employee to progress and thrive within a workplace. If you want to develop or maintain a particular type of office culture, aim to find candidates who exhibit soft skills as well as technical expertise. 

The best soft skills that successful coders often have include interpersonal skills and problem-solving. Collaboration is a large aspect of efficient coding and programming, so finding candidates who are great team players with effective communication skills may increase your team’s productivity. Problem-solving and creative thinking also show that a candidate has a logical mindset, which may help you overcome both small and big problems quickly, without affecting your company’s reputation or disturbing your customer base. 

By choosing candidates that display these key soft skills, you can create an office culture that facilitates productivity and fosters professional growth. This can help to ensure that your employees collaborate well together and share a similar work ethic. As a result, you can boost workplace employee satisfaction levels and increase your employee retainment rate.

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