If you are looking to hire a freelance software developer to take advantage of the benefits of custom-made software, you may well be wondering what interview questions to ask in the hiring process. Asking the right questions is fundamental to finding the right person, since bringing on the right candidate for the job can significantly improve your chances of having a custom-made software package developed that fits your needs.
Software development services for startups, in particular, are essential to get right, given how cash flow for startups is often at a stage where money management is of the utmost importance.
In this article we outline the most important questions to ask a software developer so you can enlist the best development services for you and your firm.
Interview Questions for Software Developers
The following questions are a good set of base questions to ask a software developer before hiring them. These questions can also be used as springboards to get down to the nitty-gritty of the person you’re interviewing.
From their answers, you need to ascertain not only whether they can provide a good quality product for you at the end of the development process, but also if you can work with them personally, since personality factors can have a huge impact on your overall experience with a developer. At best you may not enjoy working with them; at worst, your personality clash may impact the overall effectiveness of your final software solution.
1. What Is Your Development Process or Methodology?
Asking how a developer works is a good way to understand whether their method will produce a software solution for you that fits your needs, as well as being able to understand if their process is efficient.
Time is, of course, of the essence when it comes to custom-made software. The quicker it is created, the faster it can be implemented, though this cannot be at the expense of quality. By asking them to outline their methodology, you should be able to calculate whether they really understand the balance between speed and quality.
2. How Do You Approach Solving a Client’s Software Problems?
All software developers work differently. How they create a custom-made software solution will vary. As a result, you need to know which method works best for you. By asking them how they approach solving a client’s software problem, you will be able to glean whether their method will harness the optimum solution for your needs.
It will also give insight into whether you think you can work alongside them until the software is finalized. This question differs from asking what their process or methodology is because it goes to the center of how they get the answers they need from their different clients—all of which will have different ways of working, and unique problems that need to be solved.
3. What Issues Have You Experienced Working for Clients Before? How Did You Overcome Them?
While highlighting past difficulties may be something that interviewees want to shy away from, by providing them with the opportunity to state how they proactively overcame an issue in the past, you will be able to infer whether you can work with them constructively or not.
There will undoubtedly be times that a software developer does come across issues when working with your firm—either on a personal level or in trying to create the very best custom-made software for you. If you know they have the experience, and therefore the ability, to work through those issues, you will have far more confidence in their capabilities.
4. What Are Your Strengths in Software Development?
This is a really positive question to ask a development professional, and it can get to the heart of what you need to know about a developer on a personal level, too. What they do not say is almost as important as what they do.
It also means you do not have to ask them directly what their weaknesses are, since this question doesn’t always set the right tone for an interview. Plus, asking about strengths ultimately gives a person the opportunity to shine.
5. How Do You Iron Out Problems in a Software Package You Have Developed?
Knowing to what degree a software developer tests packages they create is key to ensuring that the final product is a workable solution. Software testing is vital, yet some developers may not be as thorough as others. Also, it is a question that can elucidate further how a software developer goes about solving problems.
Ensuring that a software developer has a process to ensure that a piece of software is as effective as it can be is fundamental to hiring the right developer.
6. What Post-Development Services Do You Provide?
This is such a crucial question to get an answer to before hiring a freelancer or company to develop a software package for you. You may really like a person individually or their wider team, but, if they do not offer post-development services at a price you can afford, it may be that they are not the best development firm for you. This question should include what training they offer clients for any custom built software they provide.
Interviewing Software Developers
Custom made software can improve a company’s ability to work optimally, so it is vital to ensure that any developers you hire will be capable of producing a high-functioning piece of software built to suit your needs.
The right questions can help highlight a developer’s strengths but also their weaknesses. Plus, the right questions can also expose whether you and your employees will be able to work with them; as they need to be a good fit both personally and professionally for their final product to be the best that it can be.
