What happens if you have to hire a programmer for your business but you cannot understand a thing about coding? How do you determine if someone has the skills your company needs?
Computers systems such as open-source SCADA isn’t the easiest thing to master. You wouldn’t be faulted for not being able to understand the computer programming language. Just because you’re running a tech startup doesn’t mean that you’re code literate. So many businessmen are going into this industry without an iota of knowledge about coding. What they have are ideas and the ability to execute these ideas with the help of programmers, engineers, and designers.
While you can always look for a hiring manager, you would be better off doing this process yourself because you want to be as hands-on as you can in bringing in a team of skilled professionals who are going to be responsible for the success of your business. Here are some tips for hiring a programmer without a single idea about how coding works:
Talk with Programmer Friends
Hopefully, you have programmer friends who are generous with their knowledge. All you need is a list of questions that you need to ask the programmer and what to look for when they answer the questions. You also need to ask for signs of obvious red flags. What are the no-nos? What should stop you from scheduling a second and final interview?
Ask the Right Questions
If you ask the wrong questions, you won’t be able to get the answers you’re seeking. You’ll either lose the chance of hiring the right programmer or hire the wrong one. Some of the things that you want to ask are:
- Tell me about yourself.
- What time do you usually work?
- Do you have other commitments?
- Are you more of a programmer or a project manager?
- How are you going to fix these problems?
- How are you going to prepare for something you’ve never done before?
The potential programmer’s answers to these questions will give you an idea of who they are as a person, how they work, what their process is, what other commitments they have now, and how they address problems and challenges in the workplace.
Invite Experts Over
For the second round of interviews, ask your programmer friend or another employee who’s part of your programming department to join you. These experts can pick a skilled programmed from an unskilled one. They will be able to give you sound advice on who’s going to fit your organization.
During this interview, the interviewers would ask more technical questions about the job requirements. If you don’t have access to any programmer, you can go on LinkedIn and find consultants who could sit on the job interviews with you to help find someone whose skills fit your needs.
Aside from the skills of the programmer, you should also look for someone you can get along with. Most of the times, communication and attitude are more important than the brilliance of a programmer. A decent programmer with the right skills will learn the trade given the chance, but a skilled programmer with the wrong attitude will be a problem now and in the future.
