blog post
Growing a team from 1 to 4
December 1, 2022 | By Isaac Kadosh
When I had my first product idea, I knew that hiring a skilled developer was crucial for bringing it to life.
I understood the importance of finding a talented professional who could turn my vision into a reality.
In this article, I’ll share the strategies I employed to find and hire a top-notch developer who could help me bring my product idea to fruition.
Where to start?
How did I begin this journey? Well, it all started with crafting a solid job description and understanding the specific requirements and technologies needed. Once I had that clarity, I delved into contractor platforms, scouring through profiles to find the perfect fit. As I evaluated candidates, I not only looked for a match in skills and experience but also considered their educational background
Interviewing the right talents
To assess the candidates’ skills and suitability for my project, I conducted thorough interviews.
I prepared a list of technical questions and scenarios specific to my product idea. These interviews allowed me to gauge the candidates’ problem-solving abilities, technical expertise, and their understanding of the project requirements.
It was crucial to find a developer who not only possessed the necessary skills but also demonstrated a passion for the project.
In addition to conducting interviews and code exercises, I placed significant emphasis on reviewing the candidates’ portfolios and past projects. This step held great importance for me as I wasn’t just searching for a developer, but also an architect capable of establishing a strong code foundation for my project.
My goal was to find someone who possessed a holistic understanding of the project’s architecture, had the ability to make informed decisions about the technology stack, and could create a scalable and maintainable codebase.
Evaluating skills with code challenges
I launched an exercise to test their skills and see how they handled a specific task.
Out of the participants, only two developers truly excelled, demonstrating exceptional technical competence and critical thinking abilities.
I chose the developer who showcased not only outstanding technical skills but also a strong alignment with the project’s values and long-term objectives.
Ready to hire!
After selecting the top developer, I proceeded to hire them for the project. To ensure a safeguard and maintain consistency in the codebase, I provided them with additional milestones to work on.
I empowered the developer to take ownership of their work and build arguments for why the codebase they were creating was the right approach, highlighting its scalability potential.
Additionally, I provided clear product guidance and vision, allowing the developer to align their work with the project’s objectives.
This technique formed the foundation of my hiring approach, enabling me to bring on board additional developers who could support the lead developer’s foundational work.
As the team grew, each developer took ownership of their respective code, collectively contributing towards the shared product goal.
Conclusion
- Scaling a team with contractor engineers or full-time designers required careful planning, talent selection, and a collaborative culture.
- Drawing from my past experience in hiring designers, I successfully built a team that consistently delivered exceptional work, but hiring engineers required thorough research and consideration of specific technologies to be used.
- Prioritizing developers who understood the project’s vision and demonstrated exceptional communication skills proved to be a success factor in making it a reality. Their ability to grasp the requirements and effectively communicate played a crucial role in achieving positive outcomes.
