There has been a rapid drift in the recent hiring trends, and many organizations are now encouraging the concept of work from home on a long term basis.
The exciting aspect here is that while some developers are at their best when working remotely, others aren’t that organized. When such unorganized people are hired to work from remote locations, it hampers the productivity of the entire team.
While there are excellent job opportunities for remote developers, all developers are not meant for remote work. Sometimes it so happens that an exceptional developer performs worse than an average developer when connecting remotely.
As a CTO, you must hire the best resources and ensure that every resource is given an environment where they can thrive to the best of their abilities.
There are some essential questions that you should ask as a CTO to identify and channelize such talents towards landing their first job online. In today’s post, we will discuss the same. Here is a list of the nine such questions:
How do you prioritize your tasks?
As a developer, one needs to concentrate on multiple things. Knowing how one organizes their workday will help you understand their discipline level and gauge if they are fit for remote work. While this applies to any developer, it is of particular importance for remote developers.
Try to select someone who has a habit of checking emails regularly and prioritizes their active tickets over other things. Make sure that the potential candidate’s work schedule has room for taking on some additional tasks. People who have time for additional tasks will be able to step up for the team when the situation such demands.
Have you been a part of a remote team in the past?
While it is a good idea to hire someone who wants to take up a new challenge, it is always better to hire someone who has prior experience of working in a remote team. This will ensure that you do not have to invest your efforts in training a developer with the ABCs of remote work.
If a developer is new to remote work, make sure that they have done significant independent work for their previous project. If needed, seek references from their last boss or supervisor. Such a person will not wait for a go-ahead from others for every minute thing and will be able to do justice to their job as a remote developer.
What would you do if you feel that a teammate is frustrated with you?
Remote work makes the occurrence of intra-team conflict frequent. Lack of face-to-face communication is the leading cause of most such disputes. At some point, one will be frustrated with their colleagues, whereas at other times, they are at the receiving end.
Knowing how to deal with both situations is an integral part of the work-life of a remote worker. Maturity, coupled with excellent interpersonal skills, is an essential part of excelling as a remote developer.
What is your go-to workflow for ensuring quality control?
The answer to this technical question will vary depending on the technology. This question will allow you to judge the professional competency of a potential candidate. Because of the high level of independence associated with remote work, a developer needs to have a sound technical background.
At the same time, when working remotely, it is difficult for the team to reach out to a developer for bugs and discrepancies in their code. That is why a remote developer needs to be well versed in their quality control measures.
How open are you to screen-sharing?
For collaboration and knowledge transfer, this is an important question. Many developers feel that screen sharing is an intrusion of their privacy and are not open to the idea.
When someone is hired for permanent remote work, screen sharing is an essential means of establishing communication and trust among colleagues.
What is your step-by-step approach when you are stuck in a production bug?
This question will help you understand if the developer has a problem-solving aptitude and can survive the challenges of connecting remotely. While this does allow you to appreciate their technical grasp over coding, the steps they take to arrive at the solution is more important than the solution itself.
How are you currently upskilling yourself?
If you are looking for angularjs developers for hire on a remote basis, you must find out if the developer is keen on keeping up with the latest trends and if the investment that you make on them is worth the effort.
Remember that someone who is not upskilling when they are looking for a job, will not do so after being hired. The desire to strive for continuous learning is an essential quality of a good remote developer.
How do you keep yourself focused when working remotely?
Working remotely can be more stressful than collaborating with colleagues in a physical office. Here, you cannot just walk up to the next desk to have your bugs resolved. Issues such as lack of communication, irregular flow of work, and strict deadlines make matters complicated.
Lack of dedicated office infrastructure poses ergonomic challenges. Moreover, catering to domestic duties like cooking, cleaning, taking care of aged family members, and babysitting expectations are some of the other problems. As a CTO, you must ensure that the person you hire is up for the challenge.
What is your preferred working hours?
Most developers who choose to work remotely do so because of the flexibility in working hours. However, it is essential to find out if the working hours are in sync with your clients’ needs.
Moreover, as your remote developer continues to grow in your organization, they may need to train team members located in different countries. You need to ensure that your developer is prepared for the same.
A remote developer will not have the luxury of walking up to their peers when they get stuck. With these questions, you will be able to hire someone who is technically sound and emotionally ready to take up the challenge of remote work.
Last Words:
So these are the list of useful questions that you should definitely give a spin while you are recruiting remote developers for your company. I hope you have got some deep insights. If you have further queries do not forget to write below, I will be happy to help. Thanks for reading. I will be back soon with more exciting updates. Keep visiting HiTricks for more Job Tips and Join our Telegram Channel for getting the latest updates.
Nirmal Sarkar is a Biotechnologist from the city of Joy, Kolkata. He is the founder of this blog and covers a wide range of topics from Gadgets to Software to Latest Offers. You can get in touch with him via nirmal@hitricks.com
