Chapter 12. How to Spot a Good IT Developer
SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGERS know that project success rests on having excellent developers. How do you spot stellar performers in the applicant herd?
Before new candidates interview, talk to your best developers. Have them reaffirm the specific knowledge needed. Is experience with a particular development life cycle, a specific methodology, special toolsets, or definitive sector knowledge (experience in the defense industry or the pharmaceutical sector, for example) preferable, or mandatory?
Assess knowledge. Mix interviews, involving you and trusted representatives from your development team, with theoretical tests. A good software engineer will be able to fix "mock" syntax errors immediately and without any mental stress. He or she can read other people's code and understand its intent without extensive documentation or glyph-by-glyph translation. When presented with a programming problem, your candidate should be able to spot it and then describe it in both "developer geek" and in language appropriate for non-information technology stakeholders.
We all think "more is better" when hiring programming skills. But how do we define "more"? Although a candidate may have excellent knowledge, this person may not yet have developed the finesse to employ it effectively. A recent graduate or newly trained developer may struggle to apply ...
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