Freelance Web Developer: How To Find a Good One?
Hiring a freelance web developer is a tricky thing. The wrong choice can make you lose millions, while the right one can give you an edge over competition. Before embarking on the task of hiring a web developer, here’s what you can do. Keep in mind that the web developer has to have certain qualities that will progress your company. There are good sources through which you can land with the best people for your company. The articles discusses both angles for this:
Top Networks
1. GitHub Jobs
One of the best places to find developers is the GitHub Jobs board. You can see a number of jobs posted there, with developers applying for them. You can also post a job requirement there, and get hold of talented developers, either by looking at their profiles or when they apply.
2. Stack Overflow Careers
This is also a website where like GitHub, you can post a job requirement, and get a freelancer for your work.
3. Craigslist
An online classified site that has been around for a really long time. You can search for developers by your location, and arrange for one-to-one meetings with them.
The Best Services
Here are three of the best services where developers apply and hangout. You can get hold of some really talented developers without much effort, here.
- Toptal
Any developer worth his salt will be at Toptal. According to their claims they connect the top 3% of freelancer talent all over the world. You can hire Developers, Designers and Financial experts from the website, especially people with superior technical skills. Toptal helps you find the perfect match, so all you need to do is just state your requirements.
- Gunio
Gunio is a service that connected the best talents with companies. Their claims of having vetted their freelance developers/designers are only accentuated by the fact that they provide a 100% money back guarantee should your requirements are not fulfilled.
- Matchist
Matchist is another top freelancer based site where you can post projects and the website itself will give you three of the top designers based on your requirements. The website hires only the cream of talent, and they hire only 15% of the people who apply.
If you’ve hired people before, then you would know that looking just at the resume wouldn’t be enough, What is written in the resume might not reflect how a person will be fit in with your company. It is true that resumes can weed out unwanted or unqualified applications, but it is a tough task when all the applicants have similar skills, knowledge & experience.
In order to get the right freelance for your job, you can divide the search task into two main parts
- Understanding what you need; what kind of a freelance would fulfill your requirement and where to look for them
- Going through the resumes that’s stack on your desk, and deciding on the best ways to tackle them
Realizing the need of the company
As mentioned above, you first task would be to realise the company’s need. What kind of websites are you planning to build? What are your client requirements? What kind of website do you mostly create? What kind of website coding would the job entail?
Next, think about the kind of freelancer who would fulfill those requirements. Are you looking for someone who can play three key roles – graphic designer, web site designer and developer/coder all rolled into one? Or do you need 2-3 people with specialized skills for each of these three tasks?
Sometimes finding the right mix of talents is hard, but you can create your own dream team by pairing, and mixing and matching the best talents. Finding a designer who can solve technical problems could be tougher than you think. It is always best to go for specialists with specific skill sets rather than generalists.
The job to be tackled
What kind of projects do you normally handle? Are you looking to take on different kind of projects to expand the skillset your company offers? Having a well-thought job outline would help you hire the right people for the company. Spend time with the freelancer you are planning to hire, to ensure he/she is in sync with your expectations.
Create a good job description by being specific so the right mix of talents will see your requirements.
Once you have these points sorted out, you can tackle the resumes with ease.
Your advantages of hiring from the above mentioned portals
Access to a good selection of qualified web developers from across the world. There are all sorts of freelancers, right from UK, US, Australia to Philippines, Romania and India. These portals have rating systems that you can check in order to get the best deal. In order to ensure that the people have the necessary skills you are looking for, you can give them thorough interview through skill testing tools.
Once you selected a few developers that you’ve taken a liking to, here are some techniques that would help you go forward with them
- Communication
Open a steady stream of communication, both traditional and the latest, to ensure you gauge the person’s availability and promptness.
- Coding language
Talk in the language of codes to check with their proficiency in coding . How comfortable are they with key languages HTML, CSS and Javascript?
- Their designing skills
To know what kind of people you are hiring, and evaluate their growth, visit the works they have done. As for an online portfolio, so you check it thoroughly before you call them for further discussions.
- Payment
The skill set of the designer will be a major determinant of their pay. So depending upon the complexity of the project, you will have to pay them more, or the standard generic rates.
Hiring freelance web developers can be a serious undertaking because there are so many aspects to consider. But if you look in the right places, you can always find the right people, mix and match their skills in the execution of the project.
Interesting links about the topic:
Where To Find Good Freelance Website Developers
How To Hire A Great Freelance Web Designer
Pictures: Flicker.com / home thods/ perzon seo
The author: Reema Oamkumar is engaged as a thought leader at www.Software-Developer-India.com which is a part of the YUHIRO Group. YUHIRO is a German-Indian enterprise which provides programmers to IT companies, agencies and IT departments.
