What to Look for When Hiring a Software Developer? | iMocha

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24 August, 2023

Organizations in many sectors are still on the lookout for good developers despite being hit by the layoff tsunami.

Why?

Well, it is because most mainstream business operations are due to the demand for effective e-commerce, cloud-based data solutions, and the focus on better customer experience. Thus, developers can understand, create and implement this vision of the product.

But that being said, hiring developers is not a piece of cake.

While hiring a software developer, some of the common questions that you might be contemplating are knowing how to create a robust mobile app that resonates with the brand enough or evaluating all the required technical skills necessary.

In this article, we’ll help you understand what to look for when hiring a software developer.

Let’s deep dive!

Table Of Content

What to look for when hiring a software developer?

13 Must-Have Technical Skills for Software Engineers

How to Assess the Skills of a Software Developer?

What to look for when hiring a software developer?

In today's dynamic software development landscape, it is critical for developers to possess a healthy mix of technical and soft skills as it can:

Boost work productivity
Improve worker efficiency
Drive optimal completion of tasks
Enhance the developer-client relationship

In fact, according to research, soft skills are in demand in the software industry. Another study claims the following:

Most-Valued Soft Skills for Team Leaders are:

Soft Skills for Software Engineers	Key Characteristics
Leadership	As a software developer, it is important to have good time management skills. By focusing on their tasks, developers should be able to allocate their time effectively and take proactive actions.
Communication Skills	It is crucial for software developers to be capable of explaining concepts in a simple and understandable manner when communicating with others.
Emotional Intelligence	Emotional intelligence is a trait for software engineers as it empowers them to thrive in their profession. They can maintain composure in situations, show empathy towards their colleagues and intuitively adapt to their surroundings.
Collaboration	It's important to recognize that each team member brings expertise, communication style, and objectives. Collaboration goes beyond pushing code into a repository.

Most-Valued Soft Skills for Team Members are:

Soft Skills for Software Engineers	Key Characteristics
Problem Solving	Rather than constantly nagging about the issues at work, software developers should have the ability to analyze the issue, use logic, and solve problems.
Attention to Details	Employees who value accuracy and precision don't settle for mediocrity. They take the time to ensure their work is of quality and consider ways to avoid mistakes.
Open-mindedness	Having an open mind means being willing to listen to other thoughts and perspectives and being open to the possibility that you could be wrong or that your own viewpoint might change.
People Management	The success of a developer isn't solely determined by their coding skills but by their proficiency in skills like patience, empathy, communication, and time management.

Want to accelerate your hiring process? Learn how iMocha can assist you in finding and evaluating people with the necessary soft skills to expand your team.

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13 Must-Have Technical Skills for Software Engineers

Here's a quick summary of the must-have technical skills for software engineers:

Top Technical Skills for Software Engineers	Key Characteristics
1. Data Structures + Algorithms	Considered to be the core of programming Allows recruiters to understand whether the candidate will be able to organize data in less time and with reduced space and use the code to solve a real-life problem  Examples of Data Structures and Algorithms include arrays, linked lists, trees, etc.
2.  Programming Languages	Candidate must have in-depth command of at least one programming language (think: JavaScript, HTML, Python, SQL, etc.)  Helps recruiters to understand what the candidate's area of interest is and which language they prefer to solve the problems in
3. Source Control	Essential for developers to understand how to manage and store the code Helps recruiters understand how proficient a candidate is in version control and collaborating with other team members Common version control concepts and tools include Git, Mercurial, SVN, etc.
4. Text Editors	An essential tool of a developer's daily life Examples of text editors include Notepad++, Sublime Text, Visual Code, etc.  Helps recruiters understand how a developer can use the text editor and keyboard shortcuts to drive smart and productive development
5.  IDEs (Integrated Development Environment)	Enables developers to write, compile, modify, run, and debug code with speed Helps recruiters understand the kind of development environment the candidate prefers and, by extension, what's the candidate's purpose in using a specific language Common examples of IDEs include Visual Studio, PyCharm, Spyder, Jupyter Notebook, NetBeans, etc.
6. Databases	Candidates must have a good understanding of how to store, create, update, and delete databases and records securely and with proper backup Helps recruiters gauge how well a candidate can use databases to create software/apps Common examples of databases include SQL, Oracle, Cassandra, Redis, etc.
7. Operating System	Helps recruiters assess a candidate's knowledge of the mechanism and fundamentals of the operating system Candidates need to have a good working knowledge of the operating system to work on key parameters such as: Memory usage Ability to communicate with another machine Tools with conflicting issues
8. Networking Basics	Recruiters will be able to understand how a developer can develop and support an application Candidates must understand the basics of networking as most applications today use web-based, cloud computing, or business automation client-server architectures
9. Testing Basics	Helps recruiters assess the candidate's ability to test the app/software and roll out a functional product Candidates must have the required knowledge for three testing types: Unit Testing Integration Testing System Testing
10. Cross-Platform Software	Allows recruiters to understand if the candidate will be able to write code for a maximum number of systems such as Windows, Linux, Mac, etc. On the candidate's front, having knowledge of cross-platform software can boost their career growth
11. Encryption and Cryptography	Helps recruiters understand if the candidate will be able to write code for a secure and encrypted key to prevent data theft Candidates can gain a full understanding of how: Encryption algorithms work Authentication works Cryptography methods work
12. SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)	Software developers must have in-depth knowledge of the life cycle of software, which includes: Requirements gathering + analysis Feasibility study Design Implementation + coding Testing Deployment Maintenance
13. Microsoft Excel	An essential skill for: Tracking project progress Conducting data analysis Ensuring data quality check Maintaining data Driving good project planning

Want to assess software developers' in-depth understanding of their logical capabilities? Try iMocha's AI-LogicBox capabilities.

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How to Assess the Skills of a Software Developer?

We've talked about what to look for when hiring a software developer. Let's now understand how to assess the skills of a software developer.

You can assess a candidate on the following parameters with a robust skill intelligence tool such as iMocha:

Ensuring goals alignment
Leveraging a quick skills test
Conducting an in-depth technical interview
Creating skills profile
Employing the right individual in the right role

With the help of this tool, you can reduce the hiring time by 45% and onboard high-quality talent with lesser dependency on the technical team.

The platform offers a host of useful features empowering recruitment managers to assess a software developer's technical and soft skills. These include:

Skills library: iMocha offers the world's largest library of skills, with over 2500+ skills spread across different areas such as app development, coding, cyber security, digital, and more. By leveraging these ready-to-use skill tests, recruiters can reduce the technical screening time by up to 85%!
AI-enabled proctoring: The tool comes power-packed with a host of 'intelligent' recruiter-friendly features to monitor the candidates' behavior during the assessment and ensure the integrity of the exam.
Coding simulator: Another powerful feature that empowers recruiters to assess a developer's coding knowledge, analytical thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and more is the coding simulator. It offers 35+ coding compliers with thousands of coding challenges.
Live Coding interview: iMocha's live coding interview feature is an immersive and interactive hiring experience; it enables recruiters to:
- Remotely assess the candidate’s logical skills and problem-solving abilities in real time
- Evaluate the thought process and approach of the candidate
- Eliminate time-intensive processes such as providing written feedback

Check out these developer assessment tools to establish a compelling and fair technical hiring process for your organization.

Looking for a robust proctoring solution to reduce cheating and bias?  Leverage iMocha's AI-based Proctoring Solution

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FAQs

1. What are the 3 qualities of a good software developer?

The top 3 software developers required skills include having:

Experience and intuition
Attention to detail
Flexible and adaptable

2. How to select the best software developer?

When it comes to selecting the best software developer, you need to pay attention to the following points:

Understand the development needs and end goals of the organization
Laser-focus on the specific requirements for the product development in terms of the technology to be used
Use an automated recruitment tool to lower the screening time, hire the right kind of job-fit candidates quickly, and drive intelligent talent decisions
Assess the developer's ability to:
- Balance pragmatism and perfectionism when solving problems
- Tackle bugs and issues with positivity
- Look at the solution with skepticism and test it extensively
- Understand what the business wants to achieve with the product/solution
- Know when not to write code
- Communicate complex ideas with clarity
- Simplify coding and not get too attached to their code
- Understand the demands of the industry

3. Why is it important to check soft skills for developers?

Having the requisite software engineer skills can help software developers to engage in client relationship-building, a critical part of the software development process.

Want to identify critical skills for organizational growth? Learn how iMocha helped Capgemini, Cognizant, TCS, Fujitsu, and other global organizations to do so!

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Ankita Kharwal

Content writer by day and fickle reader by night. Ankita is a creative individual who is passionate about writing and enjoys finding new and interesting ways to engage with the audience. She is writing to support iMocha in its efforts to educate people all around the world about Talent Acquisition and Talent Development. When she is not writing, she is probably spending time with her family, reading a good book, or exploring the great outdoors.

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