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If you’re in the market to hire Ruby on Rails developers, here are 10 things to keep in mind as you navigate the hiring process and narrow down your options. These tips will help you find the right candidate without wasting time or money on a long-term hire that isn’t going to work out. If you’re hiring Ruby on Rails developers , here are 10 tips you should know before proceeding with your search.
1) Double-check your requirements
Before you even begin to look for candidates, make sure you know exactly what skills and experience you’re looking for. This may be more difficult than it sounds—every developer has different strengths and weaknesses, so what works for one may not work for another. Before long-term development begins, think of things from both sides: Do they need to have certain skills or experience? Will your company benefits from hiring someone who’s an expert in Big Data and novices in web technologies like Ruby on Rails?
2) Beware of free services
Many new startups are tempted to hire ruby on rails developers off a freelancing site, like oDesk or Elance. These sites can be convenient—they allow you to quickly and easily post jobs without any sort of vetting process. The problem with them is that developers often won’t take your job seriously if they don’t know anything about your company, and these services also usually charge higher fees than you’d pay for someone who has an established relationship with your business.
3) Narrow down your options
The first thing you’ll want to do when looking for a Ruby developer is narrow down your options. There are many different types of developers, so it’s important to decide exactly what you need. Are you looking for an independent contractor or do you want to hire someone full-time on staff? Is cost more important than experience, or vice versa? If you have strong technical skills yourself, do you still need to outsource development work, or can you handle it all in-house?
4) Look for experience in the most popular languages
Top developers typically have experience working with some of today’s most popular languages, such as JavaScript and Java. They’re also often familiar with at least one server-side language, such as Ruby. The latter is especially important for those building back-end servers or developing large e-commerce systems. For example, if you run an e-commerce platform on Amazon Web Services (AWS), hiring a developer who knows how to program in Python would be ideal.
5) Beware of résumé lies
According to a recent survey, 64% of hiring managers say that resumes lie or exaggerate. Resume lies are not just annoying to deal with during interviews; they also waste precious time and money. To avoid being duped by liars, here are some common lies found on résumés and what they really mean
6) Check code samples from candidates
When you’re hiring, it’s critical to check your candidate’s code samples. This is one of the best ways to determine their skill level and experience. It’s easy to tell if someone doesn’t have much coding experience by checking their samples—but it can be more difficult to figure out how experienced they are. The best thing you can do is create an interview template that runs through some common problems and has candidates solve them on paper or in code.
7) Check recommendations from previous employers, colleagues and clients
Good developers are hard to find—but if you know what to look for, it’s much easier. A great developer will have strong recommendations from previous employers and colleagues (references are often taken very seriously in hiring decisions), as well as positive feedback from clients. If possible, always check references; don’t be afraid to reach out and ask if they think their developer will be a good fit for your company.
8) Ask specific questions about technical issues
Hiring a developer is one of those situations where it’s good to ask questions even if you don’t think you should. You want to avoid hiring someone who can’t handle your specific job requirements, so asking about their past experience, what parts of development they find most challenging and how they learn new skills will tell you whether or not they’re right for you.
9) Let developers do the job on their own terms
There are many factors to consider when you’re hiring for a new position, and it’s easy to get swept up in ensuring that candidates have everything from years of experience to specific certifications. But, as important as these things are, they’re also completely irrelevant if your company isn’t a good fit for a developer or if you aren’t able to develop an effective work culture.
10) Write an offer letter, not an employment contract
Before you start thinking about an employment contract, it’s important to first make sure you have in place a good offer letter. If you hire someone, your relationship with them will be governed by an offer letter, not an employment contract. An offer letter is similar to a job description and outlines all of your hiring expectations for employees on day one. Employment contracts are designed for more senior employees—think executives, not junior devs—and define legal liabilities and obligations between employers and employees.