September 22, 2015 at 7:57 am
lshanahan (9/15/2015)
You're asking the wrong question.The question of "What makes a good developer" is highly dependent upon your industry, your work environment, methodologies and a hundred or more other factors, to say nothing of the exact position you're hiring for. No single answer will suffice.
A better question as some have alluded to is "What makes a good employee for my company or team?" To be sure there's a certain skill set and/or education level you're looking for, but as just about everyone who has done hiring knows, that's just the beginning. I was initially hired to do desktop support. My boss chose me because I was the only one who mentioned I would try to go to a person's desk or remote in to actually see what was happening before trying to fix it. Since then I've pushed myself to learn nearly everything else. They actually like me. 😀
As far as skills go, I'd much rather hire someone who may not necessarily have the sharpest skills but is willing to listen and learn rather than the "expert" who just doesn't fit well into my team or company.
I agree with the point of view here. All of this is highly subjective based on Industry, domain, work culture and expertise.
A person may very well be Mark Zukerberg of their field but if he/she is not a right fit for your work culture then it is all a wasted effort.
Now, how to determine the right fit? We do it by identifying key traits that we have observed to work well for our projects and delivery models. Developers who show these traits or at least show the potential to acquire these traits are most sought after.
September 22, 2015 at 8:33 am
I don't think you can rank IT developers on a single bell curve the same way you could an assembly line operator. It's more like ranking actors or chefs, where someone with an award winning performance in one role can totally flop when cast in a different role. So, which developer is the best fit relative to other developers depends on the context of the job. For example, some developers can code very fast and hold up well under pressure, while other developers are detail oriented. Some developers are part system engineer, while other developers are part business analyst. Some developers you want leading the team on a new project, while other developers are a one man show.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
November 17, 2015 at 7:09 am
I have never been asked by management to find a "good developer". I have been asked to find a replacement for X or someone who can do Y's job or even someone who can eventually perform role Z.
For anyone to achieve any of these there must always be a cultural fit both within the team and within the company/institution. Someone with potential but needs technical skills improving always outweighs someone who is technically adequate but would not fit in.
As for judging technical skills i prefer to warm up the interviewee with a few simple (ish) technical questions that anyone can guess that they are going to be asked and should be able to answer if they are a professional developer e.g. what is polymorphism (for a .NET developer role). Then I like to ask a few probing questions in order to determine the breadth and depth of knowledge. Finally I prefer to ask tricky open ended questions and give the interviewee plenty of time to cause themselves issues. It shouldn't phase them and it encourages those without understanding to fill the gaps in their knowledge with inappropriate and often wrong statements.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
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