How can an employer recognize how good and talented a programmer will be? This is not as simple a matter as it seems. A description of work experience in a CV may not always reveal the whole truth about a programmer.
On the one hand, knowledge can be deceptive and exist only on paper rather than in reality. On the other hand, a good programmer is not always able to indicate clearly and in detail what, how, and why they are so good in their CV. Those in search of tech jobs by Lensa might also find this post useful since it will help them show their value for a company they would like to cooperate with.
Some qualities will help determine a real professional from thousands of CVs.
#1. Passion
Good programmers are always passionate about programming. A top IT specialist will program even for free – just for the experience. They will be talking about some technical problems that they have encountered during development and how they have solved them, believing that it is really important and interesting.
Some people see this as a certain social complex. However, if you want to recognize a good coder, this passion for discussing programming, even at the expense of other communication skills, is a good indicator of a top specialist. If you have found a person who can discuss the technology for half an hour non-stop, you are lucky. In today’s world, programmers are the backbone of every SaaS, making their skills sought after. But the problem lies in the difficulties of finding top talent where passion collides with expertise.
#2. Self-education and interest in learning new things
Programming does not stand still, even for a second, and to remain up-to-date, IT specialists must always be on the move. A year passes without new technologies that would change old standards, introduce new ones, and generally turn half of the development universe upside down. This, of course, does not mean that all good programmers necessarily grab onto everything new and are always on the cutting edge of progress. However, a real pro will be well aware of contemporary innovations and know when it is necessary to acquire new knowledge and skills.
#3. Intelligence
Some people believe that the lack of tact in communication is direct evidence of a person’s lack of education and low intellectual development. However, the mental abilities of a person have many manifestations, and emotional-verbal is only one of them. Good programmers, even if not socially active, can show their intelligence in other ways. And it is the task of a recruiter to help a candidate show how smart and educated they are in an ever-evolving field where technology changes rapidly.
#4. Hidden experience
Any good programmer’s CV is just the tip of the iceberg, and most of it is hidden. Something seems not entirely appropriate, something does not correspond to the profile of the vacancy, but at the same time, it is a wonderful achievement and confirmation of the professionalism and dedication of a person as a programmer.
A good question to ask during an interview is, “Could you tell me something about your project, especially if it is not related to your work profile – something that you have spent your free time on and that I cannot find in your CV?” If a person cannot answer this, then he/she is most likely not the best programmer. A specialist with the most exhaustive resume must have a few projects left behind the scenes.
#5. Formality of qualification
This is exactly the moment when the official qualification of a programmer is not an indicator of quality. A good programmer may or may not have specialized education. Various certificates may or may not indicate a high level of the specialist.
They are meant to be accessible and desirable to all programmers, but nothing more. All they mean is that a person has a certain set of knowledge. It’s a guarantee for big company employers that this person knows Java and has official proof of it without having to do any interviews.
If you’re hiring a programmer for a startup or building a pro team to solve critical enterprise-level problems, you should not pay too much attention to the formal qualifications of a programmer. It will not tell you anything about how good this or that specialist is. In the same way, you need to ignore the age indicator – a programmer can be good and progressive both at 18 and at 40.
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