As more and more companies turn to remote working the world over it is only natural that you look into its specifics and wonder if that’s the solution for your own business. If you’re a company trying to expand your tech team, or a startup trying to hire new talent from scratch, you would have already heard much on the benefits of using freelance developers instead of increasing the number of employees on your full time payroll.
Even if you’re an entrepreneur trying to build your own product from scratch, hiring a freelance developer to bring your dreams to reality is probably what you’re intending to do. From the ability to access a wider talent pool, finding those with skill sets that are more aligned with your requirements, to reducing costs and overheads, the advantages of having a remote freelance workforce is extensive.
But how do you make it happen?
How do you find the right people for your job?
What areas do you test them on?
Where do you have to look to find what you need?
If these are some of the questions you’re facing right now, then you are in the right place looking for your answers.
There are numerous online platforms out there such as Upwork that enable you to hire your freelance developers with ease. However, Upwork has a poor reputation due to the non-vetted and under qualified talent that’s present within their platform. If this is your concern you should read our review of the Upwork alternatives to hire developers.
If you’d rather carry on the hiring process yourself, then keep reading.
We should emphasize the need to appointing a well rounded character when making a hire. It is essential that they have sufficient communicative and interpersonal skills in addition to their tech skills. Additionally they should be able to learn and adapt fast, as well as have the skills and discipline to work independently and make right decisions.
Especially in the remote work arena, since you won’t be personally interacting with the talent, a comprehensive screening process is much needed. A vetted talent-base would help prevent future challenges for your organization. In order to do this you should incorporate a holistic approach to evaluate the developers prior to making a hire.
So, let us break down what exactly you should be looking for in your freelance developers.
Top Skills to Look for in Freelance Developers
1 – Technical Competence
For the freelance developer, their technical know-how is even more crucial than for the average full-time employee. This is because the freelance developers are required to work independently and hit the ground running from the get go.
This is unlike the regular full time employee that generally has an induction period, and undergoes training for familiarity with the organization.
Therefore, when opting for freelance developers it is a must to ensure that they possess the entire set of tech skills required for your project or your organization. It would be best to conduct a live coding aptitude test to check their ability in this department.
2 – Problem-Solving Skills
One of the most important skills for developers is the ability to problem-solve. This is a set of skills that cannot be taught by the books.
Problem solving is a very individual self directed process that requires logical thinking capability. It enables the talent to make quick analytical decisions through careful observation.
Developers should possess an-above average IQ level that will equip them with the ability to formulate solutions to problems while under time constraints.
3 – Communication Skills
Due to the remote nature of their work, excellent communication skills are critical for a freelance developer. This is a skillset you do not want to take slightly, as poor communication can lead to misunderstandings that can put your entire project and company at risk.
Hence, it is essential for a freelancer to have strong language-skills both in order to communicate and articulate clearly. They should possess a high level of both written and verbal skills.
4 – Punctuality & Reliability
You should have trust in your team for their ability to meet deadlines and stay accountable for the responsibilities assigned to them. Although they are freelancers they cannot show tardiness when it comes to set meetings. And it is vital that they deliver their output in a timely manner.
For this purpose, you may want to look up their references to ensure the talent’s punctuality and reliability as this is not an area that you can monitor yourself before making the hire.
If you were to test out your candidate on a short-term trial-period however, it would be possible to get an idea of the talent’s punctuality and reliability. This can be done by keeping track of their responsiveness to questions, and delivery of assigned tasks.
5 – Ability to Work Independently
Another important characteristic required in remote workers is their ability to make independent decisions and face obstacles and challenges on their own. Furthermore, they are required to possess the internal drive required to stay focused and be proactive even without having face-to-face interactions.
Freelance developers are expected to manage their time effectively with minimal supervision. They should also possess the organizational skills required to accomplish tasks on their own.
How Do We Evaluate Freelance Developers at CloudDevs?
Over the years, CloudDevs has evaluated thousands of freelance developers across the European and South American regions. We admit only the most elite and senior of those applicants into our platform. Thereby, we have created a foolproof multi-step screening process to ensure the overall competence of each candidate accessed through our platform.
Below, we have listed out our evaluation process to assist you in making the right hire.
Stage 1 – Discovery Stage
The discovery stage at CloudDevs consists of a lengthy interview process. It allows us to get an overview of what the talent has to offer. At this stage we test them on two specific areas of expertise.
- Tech Skills – We will conduct a discussion to understand their technical proficiency and the tech stack they possess. This helps us evaluate whether they meet the requirements of our company.
- Language Proficiency – Throughout the interview of the ‘Discovery Stage’ we will be analysing the candidates’ language proficiency. This is to ensure they have what it takes to communicate in fluent English and articulate themselves with clarity.
Stage 2 – Coding Challenge
The candidate is expected to partake in a timed coding challenge catered to their area of expertise. This chosen based on the discussion held during the discovery stage. During this challenge the talent will be evaluated on the quality of code they produce. They will also be monitored on the time taken to complete the challenge.
Stage 3 – Problem Solving Challenge
At CloudDevs, it isn’t sufficient to simply have the tech skills to pass the coding challenge. We value a candidate’s capacity to utilize their technical experience along with their problem solving capacity. This is a much needed skill in the fast changing field of technology. In order to test this ability, we will be assigning them an algorithmic problem solving challenge.
This allows us to determine how the candidate would perform under pressure. It give good insight into their problem solving skills when faced with a stressful real life situation.
Stage 4 – Background Check
This final stage is where we conduct a thorough background check on candidates to screen them through their past records. From past employers’ references to criminal records, all will be monitored to ensure only those with credibility enters our platform.
The CloudDevs platform only admits those that successively passed all 4 stages of our screening process. But it doesn’t stop there.
We make it a point to continuously monitor the performance of all our talent throughout their time with us. If we feel that they are not consistent with their work, we take the necessary action.
Conclusion
In the fast paced tech sphere you cannot afford to make bad recruitment choices. The cost of making a bad hiring decision is extremely high.
Additionally, time is very much of the essence to your business venture as your ‘time is money’. It is extremely time consuming to follow the given format, screen, and interview each job application that comes your way.
If you’re seeking high-quality freelance developers, but you do not fancy the thought of testing and screening each applicant yourself, then you may want to sign up with one of these freelance platforms. They relieve you of your burden by conducting the entire hiring process for you
