How To Hire a Great Developer

GENERAL GA ASSEMBLY HOW TO HIRE A GREAT DEVELOPER More learning at startmaking.com LOOK FOR CANDIDATES PASSIVE APPROACHES | ACTIVE APPROACHES Open source your code Make a compelling jobs page on your website Advisors Colleagues Look on Stack Overflow for technical jobs Get experience working with people in the community before diving all in Investors Family Advertise job opening in your email signature Contact everyone in your personal network Friends Friends Write technical Post on job posts job board GOOD of friends Use LinkedIn Go to meetups Work with NOT SO GOOD a recruiter (expensive but can be effective) Focused on particular disciplines or skillsets Host a hackathon Great place to get the word out, especially when looking for a co-founder General/ Non-specific INFORMAL MEETING Let the passion you have for your product/company show through in the way you talk about it Gauge their skill level and get a feel for their personality First meeting should be casual (e.g. coffee shop) Talk about the Get input from your current employees on why they love their job and use that info PRO TIP perks and benefits of your company Might they be a good fit? Arrange for a formal interview YES Have technical team members run the technical recruiting Move on FORMAL INTERVIEW YES Is this a technical hire? Warning: There will be a lot of applicants but only a few that are high quality NO Have the applicant meet with 2-4 people that they would be working with. (But don't tell them this beforehand, so you can cut it short if they aren't a good fit.) Don't ask personal questions regarding age, marital status, sexual orientation, race etc. Make sure everyone meeting with the applicant knows this! LEGAL DISCLAIMER Request code samples before the interview Evaluate two things: 1. Do they have the skills to do the job? SAMPLE QUESTIONS NO Are they on GitHub? YES Probably not a good hire, don't have them move on to the next person. Do they have good communication skills? 2. Do they fit within the company culture? YES NO What OS do they use? Do they have a personal webpage? Great! Continue as planned, having them visit with each of the 2-4 people on your team. IF YOUR CANDIDATE MAKES IT THIS FAR UNSCATHED.. Are they comfortable with the entire web stack? The formal interview PRO TIP process can often last multiple rounds Reference checks. Don't rely on these to make your hiring decision. Do use them to identify any possible red flags or issues with a candidate. Give them a "code Pay range? assignment" as a test EVERYTHING CHECKS OUT? Strengths and weaknesses? Reason for leaving? MAKE AN OFFER How did they work with others? Legalities to consider with this, talk to Contracting to hire your lawyer. Negotiation: Try to find their range before you make the offer. Set your own limit and know the market salary range before negotiating. IF CONTRACT WORK GOES WELL... PRO TIP Full-time offer Informal offer can Formal offer should Include benefits happen on the phone be written in a letter package in offer This infographic is excerpted from Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship, a free digital learning program. Sign up at startmaking.com