Whether you're a small business owner or a large corporation, there is no doubt that your website is one of your biggest assets. An attractive and appealing website that also provides all the necessary functionality can have a huge impact on the success of your business in the long run.
As such, it's best to hire a web development team that will bring your vision to life. But, how do you know who to hire? How can you make sure the team you hired is the right fit for the job, and more importantly, how do you make sure that they have the necessary skills? There are plenty of web developers out there and finding the one with the right skill set and character is not an easy task. In this article, we'll go over some tips that will help hire the right development team for your project.
- Know your goals, needs and requirements
- Start looking for developers
- Ask your existing network
- Personality matters too
- Experience and skills
- Check portfolios and previous work
- Avoid being trivial - be significant
- Consider giving small projects first
Know your goals, needs and requirements
Before going out and starting a hiring process, the first thing you need to do is to know what exactly do you need and what the main goal of the website is. Consider the following questions:
- Do you already have a general design aesthetic in mind for your website?
- Do you need a simple brochure-style website or do you need any special features such as e-commerce capabilities, membership features, or anything else?
- Will you be making changes such as adding new content on a regular basis?
- What are you trying to accomplish with your website? Which goals do you have in mind?
- Do you want to generate more leads? Build brand recognition? Sell more products?
Once you're clear on the purpose behind the website you would like to launch and know exactly what you need, it will be a lot easier to find the right candidate for the job and the team you hire will be able to find the right approach for developing your website. Your next step following just below.
Start looking for developers
The best place to start looking for developers includes professional networking sites, like LinkedIn, as well as various job portals such as Upwork, Codeable or Envato Studio where freelancers can apply for jobs in their field. These platforms help you to connect and to communicate with them.
Aside from browsing through freelancer's profiles, you can also post your own job ad specifying the details of your project. If budget allows, sponsoring events that could help in gathering web developers would similarly be effective, giving you a higher chance of meeting the best match.
Ask your existing network
Take advantage of your existing network and ask your associates, friends, and colleagues if they know of a good web developer or a web development team. You can also ask your current and previous clients. This would not only help you meet new web developers, but it also gives you a chance to ask them if they were happy with the results and to find out more about the development team from someone else's experience, instead of relying on the developers' word itself.
Personality matters too
The right skills and experience matter but you should also make sure that the developer in charge of the team you hire fits within your company culture. If discipline and strong attention to detail are at the core of your company, a web developer who lacks these traits usually is not the right fit.
Similarly, if you are a startup, working with developers who have always been at large companies might not be a good move since startups typically need extra patience, adaptation, resilience and risk-taking skills to be able to break through. These particular skills might not be that important to programmers who are used to working in larger companies. Keeping your company culture and brand values in the back of your mind during the hiring process will make your search easier.
Experience and skills
In the web development field, new technologies are always around the corner. That's why it's crucial to check the skill set and the experience of anyone who goes through your hiring process. A good web developer is someone who stays on top of trends and is able to pick up new technologies easily. The key to identifying these kinds of people can be done by asking them the following questions:
- What programming languages have you recently learned?
- Did you attend any recent technology conferences?
- Where do you usually go to explore new technologies?
- Are you currently working on any side projects?
Check portfolios and previous work
Professional web developers and designers usually have their own website with a portfolio of their past projects. Reviewing their portfolio and previous works will help you determine whether or not they have a particular skill you're after and give you an insight into their design aesthetic.
Source: Pexels / Pixabay.com
Additionally, you should also check if the developers have a GitHub profile as this is another place where many web developers share their own code snippets and projects they are working on in their spare time. This is a quick way of learning what you and your prospective candidates have in common and if they offer what you need in building your website.
Avoid being trivial - be significant
Programming goes beyond simple memorization. It relies more on how programmers can use their knowledge of coding practices and standards to achieve the desired functionality and visual presentation. Asking very simple questions that can easily be found online is not going to help you determine whether or not a person has the knowledge you need. That's why you should avoid questions with specific answers such as:
- In what year was IBM founded?
- Who is the creator of the C++ programming language?
- What is the difference between Java and JavaScript?
Instead, ask specific and practical questions that will help you estimate the developers' capacity better. That way, you can better assess if they are passionate and can communicate and if they understand the scope of the work. Ask questions that relate to your project such as:
- How would you, as web developer, manage and solve web application problems and conflicts?
- Have you used design patterns? In what situations have they been applied?
- Which database will you use for storing the data on the backend and why?
Consider giving small projects first
Before making the final decision, consider giving the web development team a smaller, one-off project. This will allow you to see how the team handles a real project. It will help you gauge their ability to handle deadlines and how well they communicate. You can gradually increase the workload and hire them for more complex tasks before moving onto the main project. This will allow you to see how well the team works under pressure and varying project scope.
Web developers are people that can make or break your website, literally and metaphorically. While finding the right team is not an easy task, it can be done with a little preparation and knowing what to look for. Once you do find your web development dream team, it's crucial to retain them for as long as possible to ensure they will be able to help with any future projects you might have.
image sources
- Planning / Research: Pexels / Pixabay.com
