How to Assess Technical Skills While Hiring Remote Developers?

Quick Summary: Hiring remote developers has become a growing trend in the IT industry. Thus, assessing their technical skills is crucial to ensure you find the right fit for your team. Read this article to learn the best practices for evaluating the technical skills of remote developers and making informed hiring decisions.

Introduction

The success of your projects and the growth of your business heavily depend on having a competent team of developers who can meet the demands of modern software development. Thus, hiring developers with the right technical skills is of paramount importance for any company. However, almost 86% of HR professionals struggle to locate and recruit technical talent. This challenge becomes even more pronounced when seeking remote developers.

Although with the remote work market on the rise and 62% of developers working fully remotely, this is the right time to join the trend. Remote developers offer numerous benefits like diverse expertise and enhanced productivity. Moreover, they can work across different time zones, providing a continuous workflow and creative problem-solving through diverse perspectives.

But with such a broad range of candidates, how do you ensure you hire the perfect fit for your dedicated development team? Here is the solution for you- technical skills assessment. 

Read this article below to know what technical skills assessment is and how to assess technical skills while hiring remote developers to find the perfect remote developers for your company.

What is a Technical Skills Assessment? 

A technical skills assessment is a systematic evaluation process used to understand a candidate's proficiency in specific technical areas relevant to their role. It goes beyond just checking academic qualifications and work experience. The assessment can take different forms based on the nature of the role and the specific skills required.

It may include coding challenges, live coding interviews, theoretical exams, practical tasks, or a combination of these methods. This assessment helps you estimate the developer's practical knowledge and adaptability to your project's requirements.

Technical Skills Assessment is of utmost importance in the hiring process for several reasons, such as:

1. Finding the Right Fit

Assessing technical skills helps identify candidates with the specific expertise required for the job. This ensures that you hire remote developers who best fit your project and can contribute effectively from day one.

2. Project Success

Skilled developers can deliver high-quality work, leading to successful project outcomes. Assessing technical skills ensures that your team has the necessary capabilities to meet project requirements and deliver results on time.

3. Avoiding Costly Mistakes

Hiring developers without proper technical assessment can lead to costly mistakes and project delays. A developer lacking the required skills might struggle to complete tasks, leading to resource wastage and potential project failures.

Related Read: How To Find and Hire Remote Developers

How to Assess Technical Skills While Hiring Remote Developers

Using assessments in the hiring process leads to 36% higher satisfaction among recruiting managers with their final hiring decisions. With the help of the strategies highlighted below, you can also conduct a successful technical assessment and hire developers suitable for your company’s needs:

1. The Specific Programming Skills You Need

Before conducting interviews or tests, identify the exact programming skills of remote developers required for your project. Different projects may demand different technologies, so clearly understanding your needs will streamline the hiring process.

It will allow you to focus on candidates who have expertise in the specific skills essential for your project, saving time and effort in the selection process.

Moreover, this way, you attract developers who meet your criteria. Thus, reducing the number of irrelevant applications and facilitating a more focused screening process.

2. Check Their Programmer Portfolio 

A programmer's portfolio is a collection of past projects and contributions showcasing their coding abilities and expertise. It provides valuable insights into their coding style, the complexity of projects they've handled, and the range of technologies they are familiar with. 

So, reviewing a developer's portfolio will help you assess their problem-solving skills and project impact. Additionally, it allows you to identify candidates with the right technical skills and experience relevant to your project, making it an essential tool in finding the right remote developer for your team.

3. Take a Look at Their GitHub Account

A GitHub account is an online platform that allows developers to host, review, and collaborate on code repositories. More than 100 million developers use GitHub around the world. Hence, it serves as a central hub for version control, making it easier for developers to manage and share their projects. 

When assessing potential remote developers, taking a look at their GitHub account can be highly beneficial. A strong GitHub profile often includes contributions to open-source projects. Moreover, developers who actively contribute to open-source demonstrate their commitment to sharing knowledge with the broader coding community. 

GitHub also allows you to review the quality of a developer's code through comments and feedback from other contributors. High-quality code suggests a developer who is detail-oriented and values code maintainability.

4. Ask About Their Use of Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is another popular online platform widely used by developers to seek and share knowledge related to coding and software development. Around 50 million people visit stack overflow monthly to learn skills and build their careers. Out of them, 20-25 million are professional developers. 

Therefore, you can assess a developer's eagerness to learn and passion for continuous improvement through stack overflow usage. You should look for candidates who have actively contributed by providing answers to coding questions and have received positive feedback on their solutions. 

Moreover, a developer's presence on Stack Overflow can indicate their expertise in specific technologies and the depth of their understanding. Developers actively engaging on Stack Overflow will likely be resourceful and well-versed in various coding techniques, making them valuable assets for your remote development team.

5. Live Coding Interviews

As many as 78% of resumes contain misleading information, while up to 46% include actual lies. Therefore it is essential to conduct Live coding interviews. They involve conducting face-to-face coding challenges with candidates through video calls. You can even look for some expert tips to interview remote software developers in order to select the best developer for your project. 

This interactive approach lets you observe how candidates handle coding challenges in real time. It provides valuable insights into their problem-solving strategies, critical thinking abilities, and creativity in finding solutions. 

Additionally, it allows you to evaluate a candidate's coding speed and efficiency. Witnessing their real-time coding process enables you to understand how quickly they can write and debug code. This is especially crucial for delivering timely solutions in a fast-paced development environment.

6. Programming Tests

Programming tests are similar to live coding interviews but do not involve real-time interaction. Programming tests are pre-designed assessments focusing on specific technical skills relevant to the project. Candidates complete these tests remotely at their convenience, generally within a specified timeframe. 

The primary purpose of programming tests is to evaluate a candidate's coding proficiency and understanding of project requirements in a controlled environment. It allows you to evaluate coding skills of developers independently and objectively. 

Moreover, if your company uses pre-hire assessments, it is 24% more likely that your employees will surpass performance objectives.

7. Remote Work Experience or Expertise in Using Remote Project Management Tools 

Almost 90.6% of employers choose candidates who possess work experience. This is because an experienced developer can efficiently deal with complex projects and deliver high-quality solutions. 

Moreover, candidates with remote work experience will likely be comfortable with remote communication tools like Slack and collaborative project management platforms like Trello. Having experience with these tools indicates that the candidate is well-versed in the remote work environment and can easily integrate into your team's workflow.

8. Communication Skills 

In a remote setting, where face-to-face interactions are limited, clear and efficient communication becomes the backbone of successful collaboration. Thus, assessing communication skills is crucial before you hire remote developers. Moreover, Effective communication within teams can substantially boost productivity, with potential increases of up to 25%. 

During interviews, observe how candidates express their thoughts and how actively they listen to you. Strong communicators can convey complex technical concepts in a way that is easily understandable to team members, regardless of geographical location. 

9. Interpersonal Skills That Fit With Your Team 

Interpersonal skills refer to abilities enabling individuals to interact effectively with others in a professional environment. Such skills can be adaptability, flexibility, and teamwork. For remote developers, possessing strong interpersonal skills is essential due to the unusual challenges of working in a distributed team.

When hiring remote developers, evaluating their interpersonal skills becomes crucial as it directly impacts overall productivity. Thus, you should look for developers with strong teamwork skills. They can cooperate harmoniously with colleagues and contribute to collective project goals, leading to higher team productivity and better outcomes.

What to Look for When Hiring Remote Developers?

Now you know the technical skills to keep in mind while hiring remote developers. However, there are a few more things that you must look for, such as:

1. Time Management and Self-Discipline

Since a remote work setting can be distracting, remote developers should be self-motivated and capable of managing their time efficiently to meet project deadlines.

2. Cultural Fit

Consider how well the candidate's values and work ethic align with your company culture and team dynamics. This will help the remote developer bond with your team in a better way.

3. Testimonials and References

Reach out to their previous employers to gain insights into their work style and reliability. Testimonials can highlight specific strengths and successes, giving you a clear picture of the candidate's capabilities.

4. Availability and Time Zone Compatibility

Ensure that the candidate's availability aligns with your team's working hours and project needs, primarily if they work in a different time zone.

How YTII can Help You Hire Remote Developers with Ease?

Hiring remote developers from the leading Indian IT outsourcing company, Your Team in India (YTII), can bring significant advantages to your business:

1. Extensive Offshore IT Services

YTII offers a wide range of offshore software development services to meet your business needs. Whether it's the development of a single application or a complete suite of web/mobile application development and project delivery, we can provide remote developers for it.

2. Dedicated Project Management

With dedicated project management, YTII ensures efficient coordination and delivery of your projects, allowing you to focus on your core business.

3. Certified, Experienced Technologists

YTII's team of certified and experienced developers brings expertise and professionalism to your projects, ensuring high-quality deliverables.

4. Cost-Effective Solutions

Hiring Indian programmers from YTII can reduce software development costs by up to 60%. This way, you can take advantage of India's skilled workforce and competitive pricing.

Learn More: Rules To Follow While Hiring Remote Developers From India

Conclusion

Hiring remote developers has become a prominent trend in the IT industry due to its flexibility and cost savings. However, finding the right talent can be tough. Thus, conducting a thorough technical skills assessment is essential to ensure that you find remote developers with the specific expertise required for your project.

You can take help from tools like GitHub and Stack Overflow to gain information about a candidate's coding habits and expertise. You must also remember to evaluate soft skills like communication and adaptability in addition to technical skills. This is because soft skills are vital for efficient collaboration in a distributed team. 

Adopting effective assessment strategies will empower your company to flourish in the competitive IT landscape as the remote work trend grows.

Frequently Asked Questions