Hiring Developers: What to Actually Look For

Whiteboard puzzles don't predict job performance. Here's what does.

Hiring developers is hard. The interview process at most companies tests the wrong things, takes too long, and still results in bad hires. After building and working with development teams for over two decades, here's what we actually look for.

Problem-solving over trivia

Don't ask candidates to implement quicksort on a whiteboard. Ask them to walk through how they'd approach a real problem from your codebase. Can they break it down? Do they ask clarifying questions? Do they consider trade-offs? These are the skills that matter in actual work.

Communication over credentials

A developer who can explain their thinking clearly, ask good questions, and admit what they don't know is more valuable than one who knows every API by heart but can't collaborate. Software is a team sport, and communication is the multiplier.

What to look for

• Can they explain a past project clearly - what they built, what went wrong, what they'd do differently?
• Do they ask questions about the problem before jumping to a solution?
• Can they read unfamiliar code and reason about it?
• Do they know the difference between "done" and "done well"?
• Are they curious? Do they learn new things because they want to, not because they have to?

Red flags

Blaming previous teams for everything. Claiming to be an expert in a technology they've used once. Unable to describe a single trade-off or mistake in their past work. Answers every question with textbook definitions instead of real experience.

Ben Arledge

CEO & CTO, CloudOwl