If you’re a new startup founder, you may be wondering how to hire a web developer that will best suit your needs. Filling your hiring needs as a founder can be challenging, especially if you’re hiring for positions you may not be familiar with. And for those of us with a limited background in tech, the hiring landscape can be particularly tough terrain. Indeed, for many founders, the challenge isn’t just in finding the right employee – but learning how to determine the skills needed for a job, so that strong candidates can actually be identified.
With these tips, anyone can learn how to hire a web developer, regardless of how long they’ve been in the startup business for or what their background is like.
Define your wants and needs
Outline what it is you want to build. Whether its documentation for product requirements, prototypes or wireframes, web developers need to know what is you’re looking for in order to do the job right. And perhaps more importantly, startup founders need to know what is they are looking for if they want to hire the right person for the job.
Call your tech friends
Once you’ve defined what you want, have a tech-savvy friend review your outline. Then, start seeking advice on who you should hire to help you define the job’s requirements and develop a code test for potential candidates. Consider creating a code test that correlates with your product requirements so it can be used again later.
Hit the internet
Next, use sites like Upwork to find freelance web developers. Simply submit your job requirements and definition to Upwork and start sifting through candidates.
Eliminate foreign agencies
Be sure to eliminate any kind of foreign (outside the US) agencies from other your candidate list on Upwork; these kinds of arrangements are typical sweatshop deals and they have a track record of ending poorly without legal recourse. While it may be tempting to simply let a foreign agency handle the hiring for you and the price point may be affordable, taking the time to properly select a candidate you’ve vetted yourself is more than worth your while.
Start your interviews
Once you’ve whittled down your web developer candidate list, you can start interviewing. Be sure to evaluate each candidate’s ability to communicate effectively and fit in with company culture. There are lots of great web developers, but you also want to find the right person for your company. And don’t forget to offer the code test to your stand-out applicants.
Hire a web developer
After all your candidates have completed their code test, have your technical lead review their code and assess which applicant is the best engineer for the job. If everything else is a go, you’re now ready to hire a web developer as a startup founder.
