Freelance Software Developer for Hire

In most of the cases where hiring's have gone wrong, the number one cause - “People /companies aren’t ready with their requirements, and often lack an understanding of what’s expected from the freelancer”.

1. Knowing your Project Requirements - You need a software developer that understands your needs. The only way for the developer to understand what you need is for you to have clear project specifications in mind before the interview. If you already have project documentation, review it and identify important components.

2. Knowing your Budget - There is no need to interview a software developer that is outside of your budget, so understand your budget constraints before you start an interview.

3. Knowing your Deadline - The best of the developers have been hired, but now there’s a mismatch in the timeline expectations, what do you do? It’s best to be aware of your deadlines before looking to hire a Software Developer.

Questions to ask a Freelance Software Developer before hiring them?

What programming languages do you prefer?

This gives the experts a chance to talk about the programming languages they have used and what they appreciate or dislike about certain aspects of each one. This helps you determine if they will be compatible with your technologies, and can work with you.

What’s important when checking a team member’s code?

While this question does not have a right or wrong answer it will give you insight into their thought processes on coding. What are the really important things when writing code? Do they focus on functionality or simplicity? Is security something there concerned with?

What project management tools do you use?

This will give you an idea of the project management tools such as Jira, Asana, or others that they are comfortable using as well as the type of work environment and they’re used to.

Talk about a project they completed successfully

This gives the software developer a chance to discuss a project without getting too technical. It should give you an understanding of how they worked with teams, time management skills, interacted with managers, and what contributions they made to the project.

What makes them want to work with us?

Did they do research about your company? Try to find out what they know about your company’s mission, what your values are, and what your company culture is like.

If they did not do research about your company and are simply looking for a new job because they need the money, they might not end up being a good fit for your team. You want to make sure that their values align with your own and that they will be dedicated to your mission.

Ask them about some of the mistakes they might have made in their careers?

The answer to this question allows you to get an insight into their work ethic, their willingness to admit mistakes and learn, and how they work on improving their skills while working on projects.

How Do You Come Up With the Cost & Time Estimates?

Software developer often come up with estimates that are entirely off the mark. Although they may want to think that they can deliver an end result within a specific time frame, new issues and bugs often come up that causes them to be late on their estimate.

Ask the candidate how they come up with estimates to find out how accurate they are and whether they have realistic expectations about what it will take to complete a project.

How Do they Assure Software Quality?

When working on a project, it is important to conduct a quality control process to ensure that the end results come out great. Ask the developer what their quality control process looks like and whether they use any specific tools to test their results.

Any freelance software developer can end up having bugs in the software they are working on, but it is important that they have a process to test for bugs and a method for fixing them.

Do You Enjoy Working With a Team or Alone?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question, as it all depends on what you are looking for in a software developer. You may want an software developer who will work hard and who can be independent. On the flip side, you may want someone who is a team player and is not stubborn about doing things their way.

What Questions Do You Have for Us?

When interviewing a potential software software developer for freelance work, it is important not just to ask them questions but to allow them to ask their own questions. One can judge the developer, and their interests based on the answer provided to this question.