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Hiring a web developer for your project is not an isolated decision. In fact, it is one of the most critical decisions you will ever make.

A web developer is the person who will create a digital presence for your company and will enable you to interact with your customers. So many aspects of the project have a direct link with your decision to hire the right candidate for the position.

When considering how to hire web developers, you have to consider the project size, and consider your options for the level of sophistication that you are expecting from the project. All of these will make up the base of your requirement list for hiring the right web developer for your team.

If the hiring is for an organization, you will need to check whether the new web developer is compatible with the rest of the team across the departments. When developing a scalable website, your developer will need to work closely with the design, content, and other teams. Any frictions due to the working styles can directly impact your projects.

Your business would most likely need a developer for the time of the project or mission, and it is ideal because there are plenty of platforms where you can find freelance developers.

5 Reliable Tips and tricks on how to hire a web developer

A skilled web development professional can take your business to the next level. However, hiring the wrong candidate for the job can set you back in time and make the entire project more tedious and dispiriting.

Below we have gathered five important tips and tricks that will guide you while interviewing the candidates who apply for the role of a web developer and hiring the best that can be perfect for any project.

Let's find out how!

1. Identify and outline the project challenges

Every web development project has its unique set of demands and challenges. You have to recognize what your project needs before you can start drafting the interview questions.

Start by identifying the core characteristics of your web development project. These characteristics will define the scale and scope of your project. You have to find a professional with adequate skill and experience to handle this scale without compromising the quality.

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Beginner level projects require less time and they can be handled without too many critical deadlocks. For a project of this size, you can afford to concentrate less on the experience and more on the skills of the web developer during the hiring process.

For intermediate level projects, the professional web developer will need to think fast on their feet to adapt to different platforms without compromising the brand consistency through the multiple product development. You will need to focus on adaptability and experience across multiple service channels such as CMS, databases, CRM, and APIs. The professional should have an understanding of responsive web development to maintain brand consistency without dropping the functionality of the applications.

For hybrid-level projects, you require more from your potential web developer. This is not a challenge to be taken lightly. The presence of a dedicated skill set and experience with complicated integrations should take preference in the selection process.

You should also create some simulated challenges to test the professional in a hands-on environment to analyze the level of ease they have with your project type.

2. Prioritize aptitude over skill sets

Dedicated web developers can always acquire the skills but developing the right aptitude might not always be that simple. Web development projects are dynamic and require an intuitive level of understanding of Application Programming Interface (APIs).

Troubleshooting in a dynamic environment is like trying to change the tires of a moving car. When you hire app developers, the ideal candidate has to adapt quickly to the changing equations of the problem before them. This in no way ignores the need to have the necessary skills. In fact, what is required is constantly upgrading your skill level to match with the dynamic evolution in technology in the web development domain.

The only advantage that aptitude gives you is to be able to evolve through the situations and adapt to the changing environment. You can test the presence of problem solving skillset through cognitive ability tests. You can also check for these key characteristics during the interview with pointed questions on what the professionals do to keep themselves relevant with the changing technology.

3. Draft a transparent job description

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Hiring the right web developer is only possible if you have access to a deep candidate pool. Attracting the right candidates to your job offer is a primary technique. However, the responsibility of a job description does not just end with attracting and hiring the candidate. When you hire remote developers, you have to treat the job description as your very first communication with your potential candidates. Transparency is obligatory at this stage.

In this description, you need to itemize all the skills and solutions you need from the potential web developer. The job description should also enlist what you do not need in your ideal web developer.

An ideal web developer will have the necessary skill set and the mental acuity to adapt to a flexible team environment. They should be open to ideas and constructive criticism when the app is taken through the testing phase. One of the most important traits in the perfect candidate would be their willingness to seek intuitive solutions for troubleshooting persistent errors in the application.

Let the description present a clear premise of your requirements and not leave room for any assumptions in the future. A good job description might even contain some samples of the graphics and links to sample pages that are a good portrayal of your expected project standards.

4. Set a budget

Salary negotiations are an inevitable part of hiring a reliable professional for your team. Setting the right budget is critical to ensure you are attracting professionals at the right benchmark. You also do not want to exceed the operational budget at the starting point.

The best way to come up with an infallible budget would be to conduct price surveys ahead of setting the job description. You can look for projected salary ranges offered for similar companies on the popular job portals. You can also conduct an in-depth competitor analysis to understand the price that is the current median for a developer working on your web development project.

The budget you set for hiring web developers will be a part of your total web development cost. Make sure the price package you quote for your web developers justifies the amount of work honestly needed for the position.

Several factors, such as volume of the web pages, design complexity, and added functionalities of the application will definitely influence the package costs for the position.

Few companies also experiment with versatile billing models when hiring web developers. Hiring options, such as pay per project, monthly payments, or payment after fixed intervals, can provide more flexibility to keep your project costs and budget in line.

Again when it comes to hiring a freelance web developer, it is better to chalk out the hiring plan before freezing on the budget. Here are a few steps that could make your job easier:

1. Start with a better understanding of the project — When contracting out your website project, make sure to plan ahead of what you want your project to look like.
2. Consider the factors for additional cost changes — The rate charged by the freelancer will significantly vary based on the efforts. Some of the freelancers prefer to give opportunities to their families or friends and in such cases, building solid relationships matters more than a fat paycheck. Again when the business is tight, the freelancers might accept work at lower rates to maintain a steady income than just waiting for high-paying projects.
3. Consider a flat rate per project — There are many clients who would like to pay a flat rate per project as it provides them with more predictability when it comes to estimating the total costs incurred in a project. Having said that, this is a place where your shortlisted freelancer may not be ready to work unless the scope of work and terms are very explicitly stated in the agreement.
4. Content creation and ongoing maintenance — These are ongoing needs and cannot be misused from a web development project. The first one is a primary need while the second one is important too as you always need to make sure your website is functioning properly. It also involves troubleshooting issues and these should be taken care of as and when the need arises. These are critically important in the sense they could impact your site’s growth and increase your traffic demands.
5. Avoid extensive engagement — When hiring a web developer from sites like Fiverr and other marketplaces, make sure you treat them like one. For this, you need to first scope out the entire project, plan the tasks, and then allow them time to execute them at their pace and within the agreed timelines. It is better not to get involved in the minutest detail and manage them by the hour. Doing that will increase the cost significantly and could also get you in trouble with the federal tax agency for treating a freelancer like a full-time employee.

5. Design a robust interview system

At the interview stage, you interact directly with a potential team member. Make sure not to underestimate this communication by leading your interview with trivia questions. When you hire software developers, knowing the answers to trivia about the programming field is in no way a parameter of aptitude or skill set for actually performing on a web development project.

Proactive method of testing is the only way you can truly understand the professional spirit and performance measure of your potential web developer. However, do carve out a section of the interview to test them on their soft skills.

Responsiveness to authority and an inclusive work style is important to maintain team dynamics. The web developer you decide to hire should be able to communicate effectively to create a project together with the other professionals. You need to design the interview to test them on their comprehension of a problem, find a solution, and effectively communicate their requirements to the correct team members to consolidate the project in time.

Ask the right questions and observe the subtle soft skills and presence of mind. It might seem like an overly drawn-out process, but do not disregard the power of a practical test.

The personal DNA is of utmost importance during the interview process. A web developer could be a great fit for a big marketing organization but they may not be able to showcase their best potential in a web design start-up. A start-up requires more of a risk-taking mentality along with other important traits like agility and versatility which may not be so important for a bigger organization.

You can segment your hiring process to simplify the testing levels. This can also help to put your candidate at ease and reduce the risk of an ideal candidate falling through the cracks of the hiring process.

Conclusion

Hiring reliable web developers is a multi-step project. However, it is not very complicated if you have a clearer understanding of your business requirements. Matching the right candidate to your business goals might need some quick thinking and insightful interviewing skills.

You have to communicate objectively with the candidate as a potential team member and need to exclude those who might hinder the team dynamics. Try and hire a candidate who has the right balance of potential, skills, and approachable attitude.

Each tip mentioned in the guide above is a step forward in the right direction to hiring reliable web developers to your team. Following these tips will not only guarantee success in hiring the perfect candidate for your project but will also help you choose the best working and paying models.

In the Comments section below, let us know if you have any other trick that helped you while hiring a great web developer in your team.