When you’re ready to hire Python developers, it’s important to know what you’re getting into, especially if this is your first time hiring someone with this kind of experience or skill set. If you can anticipate some of the things that this person will need to be able to do, as well as how they will approach various problems, then you’ll be much better prepared when that time comes. Here are five questions to ask yourself when hiring a Python developer.
1) How long have you been programming in Python?
A common misconception is that languages are one-size-fits-all, which simply isn’t true. A Python developer with more experience may be able to write cleaner code, use more sophisticated data structures, and approach problems from different angles. That’s why you should ask about how long someone has been programming in Python – it helps you gauge their experience level so you can hire a Python developer who will best fit your company’s needs. For example, two developers might have roughly similar skillsets when asked what they’re proficient at using – but one might have three years of hands-on experience using it whereas another could have ten. Sure, asking if candidates are Python developers will help you weed out applicants without any knowledge of coding whatsoever – but make sure you dig deeper if there’s not an obvious skill gap. One bad hire could put your business in jeopardy; make sure it doesn’t happen by hiring a Python developer whose skills complement yours!
2) Do you have experience with web applications?
This is one of those interview questions that’s designed to assess how passionate you are about web development. The interviewer wants to hear whether you have experience building applications from scratch. Web developers who don’t have experience building applications won’t be as valuable in an interview as those who do. Those with experience will discuss their favorite framework or language and describe their most complex application. They’ll talk about what kind of traffic it got, whether they had any scaling issues, and why certain design decisions were made. Answering yes to do you have experience with web applications? means your next question should be: What kind?
3) How do you prioritize tasks?
A good developer knows how to prioritize tasks and doesn’t just complete them as they come. The best developers can multitask and adjust their workflow depending on what comes up. If you’re not sure if you’re hiring someone capable of adapting, ask about a time when they were faced with many tasks at once and how they prioritized their work. Make sure your candidates aren’t just completing tasks but that they can put those tasks in perspective—both with themselves and within your company.
4) What are your biggest frustrations as a programmer?
The first step in hiring any developer is understanding what they’re like on a day-to-day basis. If you’re hiring your first python programmer, you want someone who is patient, organized and able to handle feedback. By asking your interviewee about their biggest frustrations as a programmer, you can gauge how well they’ll fit into your team. What are your strengths?: The next question in our list of five questions to ask when hiring python developers is also very direct.
5) What other programming languages do you know?
Other programming languages you might want your developer to know about include HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript. Find out if they’re familiar with these languages and if not, what their experience level is in learning new programming languages. Asking about other programming languages also gets them thinking on how they can transfer some of their skills from one language to another.
How many hours per week are you able to work on my project?: If someone is salaried, it doesn’t mean that he or she will only work 40 hours per week, though; so make sure you clarify how many hours per week you get for that salary dollar.
