A good customer and a good developer aren’t necessarily a good match 🙅‍♂️ One of the most important factors is how well they meet each other’s expectations. Imagine a customer with a tight budget for small tweaks and a developer who works diligently and carefully but at a slower pace. Both are great in their own ways, but they aren’t an ideal match. The customer would benefit more from a developer with a quick turnaround, while the developer would thrive in a full-time, large project that values attention to detail. One of Match.dev’s goals is to consider all relevant factors for each match like this and to provide a replacement developer in case of a mismatch.

Follow @matchdotdev for more tips on hiring and getting hired

🤓 Constantly learning Tech changes quickly. Is your potential new teammate open to exploring new approaches and technologies? Ask them to tell you about something they've learned recently.

⌚ Punctuality Being on time communicates respect for other people. Is the developer on time for your first calls? If not, do they send a note in advance? If they’re late and don’t say anything, there’s a good chance this will happen again.

🌐 Open-source contributions Not every developer makes open-source contributions. Those involved in open-source communities and making contributions are often great collaborators and community builders.

🧠 Strategic thinking You want to hire someone who can help make the right long-term decisions. Ask them to explain the choice behind a particular tech stack and its possible downsides. You can ask about a hypothetical case or one of their past projects.

✍ Good writing skills Notice how they write in their emails and public profiles. If their writing is clear and well structured, there's a good chance they write clean code with clear comments and documentation. Multiple typos should raise a concern 🚩

How you can test for soft skills when hiring freelance developers Vetting technical skills is critical to finding the right developer, but what about soft skills? Here are some ways to identify a star developer 🧵

Hiring fast is a huge advantage startups have over larger companies. Founders, use it. If your hiring cycle takes four weeks, you're overcomplicating things and missing out on top talent.

Asynchronous communication is the key to unlocking the benefits of remote work. It allows team members to work on their own schedules, reduces interruptions, and fosters deeper thinking.

Employee referrals are a great way to find pre-vetted developers quickly and efficiently. Encourage your team to recommend people they know and trust, and see how much easier hiring can be.

We’re happy to feature another successful match in our community! Lucas Souza joined sofi as a fractional back-end developer back in 2022. Together they are on a mission to reconnect people and plants 🌱

In remote work, over-communicating is better than under-communicating. It builds trust, avoids misunderstandings, and keeps everyone on the same page. Share more information than you think is necessary. Your team will thank you for it!

Revamp your developer interview process by flipping the format. Let them ask the majority of questions about the company, culture, and role. This will reveal their character, communication skills, and curiosity, which are vital for success. Try it out 💪

Follow @matchdotdev for more tips on hiring! TL;DR - Focus on a few most important skills - Avoid empty-phrases and buzzwords - Include a salary range - Set transparent expectations - List real perks and benefits

List real perks and benefits Be specific about what you can offer on top of the base compensation. Candidates quickly see through fake benefits like "family culture" or "growth opportunity." Hotjar does a great job linking to their perks page in every job posting.

Set transparent expectations People leave quickly if the job they signed up for isn’t what they actually end up doing. Be honest about the not-so-glamorous parts of the job. The right candidates will appreciate it and the wrong candidates will filter themselves out sooner.

Include a salary range Glassdoor reports that 67% of candidates consider salary a top factor when looking at a job ad. A ballpark range will save a lot of time for all sides at first. You can negotiate the exact salary/rate later.

Avoid empty-phrases and buzzwords. Using vague phrases ("coding ninja", “team player”, etc) sounds like unprofessional HR slang. It will scare away the best candidates. Get straight to the point with simple words.

Focus on a few most important skills. Don’t list every technology and framework your company is working with. Focus on a few specific technologies most critical for this role. The best specialists learn quickly and will beat out any jack of all trades.