How to Test App Developers’ Coding Skills Before Hiring

Hiring the right developer can be challenging, but testing their coding skills before they join your team can help you find the best fit. Think of it like trying out for a sports team. You wouldn’t pick a player without seeing them in action, right? The same goes for developers. You want to see how well they code, solve problems, and think creatively. This way, you can be sure they will do a great job on your projects.

To hire the right and get the best of coding talent in testing app developers, it is necessary to include coding tests as part of the screening process. This blog will go over concrete, practical ideas on how to evaluate the competency of app developers coupled with quantitative evidence.

1.   Review Their Created Portfolios and Selection of GitHub Repositories

The previous projects done and the repositories maintained on a GitHub account contain a wealth of information about app developers. They allow third parties to peep into their coding practices, the kind of problems they solve, and the intensity of projects that they have worked on. This is a crucial step for any app development company looking to hire skilled developers.

Portfolios and GitHub repositories present scenarios that depict the practical use of app developers’ abilities. For instance, Stack Overflow recently surveyed app developers and found out that 70% of them work with GitHub; hence, it will be accurate to use GitHub as a measure of the competency level of app developers. Reviewing these repositories can reveal:

• Code Quality: Select programs in which code is clear and easy to read and contains comments and/or is well documented. This means that the mobile app developers comply with the standard measures and codes that are easy to maintain. For an app development company, this is essential.
• Project Complexity: Determine how complex the projects are. Slightly complex projects call for further comprehension of programming and better ways of solving a particular problem.
• Collaboration: Look for activities that indicate contributions to open-source projects. This demonstrates his/her capacity to work in a group/with other mobile app developers to complement bigger projects.

How to Evaluate?

• Code Quality: Be aware that code should be easily readable and must have sequential coding styles and indentation indicators and comments when possible. Automating this process is possible through tools such as CodeClimate. Code quality is definitely not only in code syntax, but it also encompasses how well the code follows design principles, error handling, and the use of modern approaches. Take out chunks of code that are very manageable and are easy to follow. Another sign is the usage of standáp and branches; moreover, the correct approach to version control also differentiates a professional app developer from an amateur.
• Project Complexity: Assess the aesthetic value of the various architectural designs. Is it possible to upgrade them individually, and is it possible to make them portable? Would they incorporate design patterns, dependency injection, the use of asynchronous programming, and so on? SOF: Complex endeavors mostly demand a careful layout of the work that can be flexible and differentiated. Search for applications that prove the potential of working on a huge amount of code, collaboration with other services, and incorporation of advanced business computing rules.
• Collaboration: Check the activity of the project in terms of the number of commits and the amount of interaction with other coders. It is also a positive (+2) if the contributor is currently involved in the development of open-source projects. It proves that the mobile app developers are capable of working in the distributed team, communicating with other participants of the project, discussing ideas, and following the rules of the community. Look for pull requests, issues, and the overall discussion on what the latter is referring to. This could, therefore, give an indication of the app developers’ interpersonal skills as well as how they could fit into a team within an app development company.

Detailed Analysis

While using repositories on GitHub and a developer’s portfolio, it makes sense to go through the particular project in detail. In order to identify different kinds of projects refer to bridges of different types to facilitate comparison of various kinds of projects. For instance, when working on a project in machine learning or data analysis, different skills from project formulation will be showcased as opposed to a web development project.

• The breadth of Experience: Try to find the element of diversity in the projects. More projects suggest that there is variety and the need not to settle for one and stick to it as other better technologies may come along. This diversity is a valuable asset for any mobile development agency.
• Depth of Knowledge: Special attention should be paid to such initiatives that are slightly more complicated in their implementation than simple replication of foreign models. Custom algorithms, optimization, and fancy solutions are indications of a better understanding of the field than the needs of the basic project.
• Innovation and Creativity: Search for the projects where that have focused on something that is different and probably requires a new strategy to solve. This can be a sign of a very proficient developer who is not merely a technician but is a developer who cares about the work that they are doing.

Tools and Resources

• CodeClimate: Automates one of the more time-consuming and critical phases of code development which is code reviewing giving information on the quality of code and how complex it is, where there are duplications, and if the code is adequately tested. This tool is highly recommended for any app development company.
• GitHub Analytics: There is actually a chance to use GitHub Insights to see if a developer actually contributes to a project, how often he/she does so, and how valuable his/her contribution is.
• Lighthouse: In the web projects fields, Lighthouse can be helpful in the assessment of overall performance of the projects developed by a particular app developer or web designer in terms of accessibility, SEO optimization and others.

With these processes and assets, you can compile a well-rounded picture of the developer’s abilities and their application in working environments, which is crucial for both an app development company and a mobile development agency.

2.  Conduct Live Coding Interviews

Live interviews are when the interviewer sees how the app developers solve problems in live time. This is important since it shows the level of thinking of the app developers. They reveal the approach to the problem, logical thinking, and programming abilities of the candidates. For a mobile development agency, this step is indispensable.

Live coding interviews mimic real-life working situations so that mobile app developers are forced to solve problems wittily. Based on the report by HackerRank, it was established that 76% of hiring managers said that live coding interviews are essential when it comes to the evaluation of the candidate. They help in:

• Assessing Problem-Solving Skills: In this case, one can witness as mobile app developers dissect issues and formulate strategies of solving them.
• Evaluating Coding Speed and Accuracy: Real-time coding shows how fast and efficient the mobile app developer is when it comes to coding.
• Understanding Thought Process: It allows you to learn how the app developer is solving the issues that are present in more complicated projects.

How to Conduct?

• Prepare Realistic Problems: The best issues to choose should be those that can be related to the tasks that are being accomplished by the working group. This will make the assessment practical and relevant in its application.
• Use Collaborative Tools: Some sites, such as CoderPad or HackerRank, allow you to see what the app developer is typing in real-time.
• Focus on the Process: Focus on how the mobile app developer solves it and not the final answer. Request them to give the details of how they code in their invention.

Detailed Steps

• Problem Selection: It is highly recommended to choose problems of the kind of work you and your team typically tackle. For instance, if the given team focuses on the web development, one might set the candidate a task such as implementation of a certain feature in a web application or bug fixing. Make sure that the problems are slightly difficult, but not impossible and that the problems address a variety of skills. This is essential for any app development company.
• Setup and Tools: Participate in collaborative coding programs that allow real-time coding for the mobile app developers. Once you can use CoderPad, HackerRank, or even a Google document, a shared one can work just as well. Ensure the two parties are okay with the tools used in the interview and shockers in case of technical hitches during the interview.
• Conducting the Interview: The response should begin with a brief introduction and should elaborate on the requirements that you expect from the candidate. While the candidate is solving the problem, one should ask the candidate to explain the thought process, ask questions related to the problem, and discuss the chosen strategy. Watch how they go about solving a problem, the source code, their demeanor during stressful conditions, and last but not least, uncertainty factors.
• Evaluation: I went through the session where you can look at the code together. Explain what is good or bad and feel how the candidate takes constructive criticism and transmute them into positivesities. This can prove to be useful for assessing the opportunity of growing together with the team as well as their compatibility.

Tips for Success

• Be Supportive: Live coding interviews are aimed at evaluating skills in applicants, and that is why it should not be very hard. Ensure the candidate is relaxed so that he or she can ask questions and explain how he or she has arrived at a particular solution to a problem.
• Stay Focused: Emphasize aspects such as how to solve a problem, the quality of the code, and how to explain what has been done. Do not spend time in correction of minor problems that fall in syntactical errors or problems that can easily be resolved.
• Follow-Up: Following the live coding session, lead the candidate with a discussion in relation to the working approach taken. Question them on what they would do differently and how they manage similar issues in the capacity they occupied before.

In particular, it is possible to obtain objective information regarding a candidate’s qualifications and his/her potential to perform live coding directly during the interview, a process vital for an app development company and a mobile development agency.

3.  Administer Take-Home Coding Assignments

Take-home assignments enable the app developers to solve a problem at their own pace, hence providing the assessor with an overall view of the skills possessed. This approach is highly recommended for a mobile development agency looking to hire top talent.

It provides the mobile app developers with the platform to demonstrate his or her capabilities to the employer distinctively but in a take-home assignment exercise instead of a face-to-face interview. Namely, as revealed by the Codility survey, which was conducted among mobile app developers and a pool of candidates, 60% of the respondents opt for take-home assignments as opposed to live coding interviews. They help in:

• Assessing Real-World Skills: Specific tools and the environment of the app developer are used; this way, the degree of experience being real is higher.
• Evaluating Code Quality: You can reimplement the code and go through it for magnifying quality and checking whether all the best practices have been followed and whether the code provided is optimized.
• Understanding Time Management: Home workouts help show the time management of the mobile app developers and how they address the bigger issues.

How to Administer?

• Design Relevant Problems: Try to make sure that the assignment is somehow related to the work of your team. This makes the assessment more practical because you get to evaluate what you will be required to do when you are on the field all alone. This step is particularly beneficial for a mobile development agency.
• Set Clear Expectations: Give detailed directions regarding the assignment; ensure that the mobile app developers understand the requirements of the task. Write down the outputs that are expected and any limitations.
• Review Thoroughly: You must examine the code for its quality, its efficiency, and whether or not it features the best practices in use. Some of the programs that can be used to automate this process include SonarQube.

Detailed Steps

• Problem Design: Ensure the assignments you give reflect the work that is done in your team. For example, if you require a web developer, you should request him/her to develop a simple web application or add a feature to an existing web application. Make sure that the problem is open enough to allow for creativity and innovation, at the same time it has to be well-defined to check the specified competencies.
• Instructions and Constraints: Be precise when explaining what is expected of you and list the restrictions in the form of time constraints, technologies to be used, and the requirements of the deliverables. Ensure that the candidate comprehends what is expected of him/her and offers any necessities that may include documents.
• Evaluation Criteria: Work out specific criteria that will or should be used to grade the assignments. More conversation and concern should be paid to at least the code quality, efficiency, style of problem-solving, and conformity to standards or other generally accepted practices, along with the degree to which the solution corresponds with the requirements. Employ software such as SonarQube or ESLint to check the standard of source code automatically.
• Feedback and Discussion: Once you are done with the explanation of the assignment, set a follow-up meeting with the candidate. Explain it and describe the difficulties they have encountered and how they solved them. Give your child feedback that seeks to help and observe how he/she reacts. This can allow you to know how they take corrections and whether they will improve on what they have been taught.

Tips for Success

• Be Realistic: It is then important that the assignment is realistic and does not need so much time. Beware, the candidates are usually considering several positions at the same time, so be direct and sparing of time.
• Provide Support: Try to offer your help if the students have difficulties understanding the material or any of the assignments. This may also reduce the chance of confusion and then guarantee that the candidate is in a position to exhibit competency.
• Focus on the Process: Do not focus on the end result but more so on how the candidate solved the problem and dealt with the other options. It is desirable that there would be visible thinking processes, such as planning, problem-solving, or ways to organize one’s initiatives in response to limitations and expectations.

4. Use Automated Coding Tests

Automated coding tests offer a solution in which the evaluation of app developers is carried out in a more reliable manner. Under certain conditions, they can be applied to reach preliminary decisions about the candidates and then proceed to more detailed examination. This is a time-efficient method for any app development company.

Computerized coding tests are useful and can be applied to a large number of app developers. Data from the DevSkiller report reveals that 82 percent of employers administer coding tests to job applicants. They help in:

• Standardizing Assessments: When using the automated tests, all the mobile app developers are given equal treatment, and that is important.
• Saving Time: They are able to easily exclude applicants who do not possess the necessary skills.
• Providing Objective Results: Employers who use automated tests do so to avoid bias on the side of the employer in the hiring process.

How to Use?

• Choose the Right Platform: HackerRank, Codility, and TestGorilla are some of the online tools that help in giving coding tests, including easy, moderate, and difficult sets of questions in different languages. These platforms are essential for both an app development company and a mobile development agency.
• Customize Tests: There is always a synergy that needs to be established between the tests and the job and this will involve making the tests correspond to the skills that are needed in the job. This means that the formulation of the assessment is valid.
• Analyze Results: As the results are generated, make sure to go through the detailed reports of these platforms. Start analyzing behavior patterns of the mobile app developers.

Detailed Steps?

• Platform Selection: Select the platform that serves the purpose of the type of assessments that you need. The program should also include such purposes as setting parameters for the tests and quizzes, creating the context for the code creation, and receiving the greatest amount of information in the reports.
• Test Customization: Make the tests fit the kind of skills that are pertinent to the job opening as well as the technologies implemented therein. Ask questions that both the general knowledge of the theory and the actual coding ability are going to be included.
• Candidate Communication: The candidate should be aware of the test: what it is, what to anticipate, how to get to it, and perhaps, what they should do before taking it. Give specific instructions as well as help if the patient has questions.
• Test Administration: It also maps the tests and tracks their progress to the next level on the right side of the timeline on the left side. And significant is the test environment to be free of acts or influence that may lead to invalidity of the test results and candidates’ abilities to be equally given an opportunity for proving their skills.
• Result Analysis: As mentioned earlier, it is recommended that the detailed report, which is available on this platform, be used as a tool. Search for tendencies in performance at the same and at different periods on the same task, frequent mistakes, or strong points of the candidates. The target of this is to make the right decision on which candidates should proceed to the next level of the competition.

Tips for Success

• Be Transparent: Nowadays, candidates know that they should prepare for a test, but they do not always understand why this is necessary and how it can help them during the hiring process. Transparency leads to eliminating anxiety levels as well as increasing the level of trust.
• Use Multiple Test Types: Intermingle the questions of different categories including multiple choices, coding exercises, and debugging tests to gain a holistic view of the potential employee.
• Follow-Up: Finally, it is recommended to give feedback to tested candidates particularly those who performed exemplary well. This can assist in keeping them focused and interested in the job and hence increase their performance level.

One of the ways through which coding tests can assist you in recruitment is that they could be automated to save time and give you a list of mobile app developers that meet the standards of the app development company and mobile development agency.

5.  Conduct Behavioral Interviews

Behavioral interviews are primarily centered on asking app developers about their experience in previous positions and what kind of approach they used, giving a glimpse into their interpersonal communication and compatibility with the app development company’s organizational culture. This is a critical step for any mobile development agency.

Coding skills matter, yet people’s soft skills are paramount. LinkedIn reported that 92 % of employers and managers relied as much on soft skills as they did on hard skills. Behavioral interviews help in:

• Assessing Communication Skills: This implies that effective communication in the course of implementing the organizational processes and activities would enhance cohesiveness in the team.
• Understanding Work Ethic: The behavioral-based questions show the employer how hard working the mobile app developers are, and how they approach matters.
• Evaluating Cultural Fit: It is important to count on the mobile app developers and his/her values to make sure that your mobile development agency and the candidate are well suited.

How to Conduct?

• Prepare Relevant Questions: Ask probing questions that will explain how the candidate has addressed issues in the past. For instance: “How do you explain your performance should a hard choice have to be made in your job?”
• Listen Actively: The interviewer must be aware of the candidate’s reply, and then he/she should ask more questions to get additional information.
• Assess Soft Skills: Search for communication skills, teamwork, and understanding of problem-solving strategies.

Detailed Steps

• Question Preparation: Come up with a set of behavioral questions that fit the required skills and characteristics of the mobile app developers. Emphasize aspects of the job that are related to the context, for instance, stress, conflict solving, and team cooperation.
• Interview Structure: Do not go away from the set questions and areas of concern since this might lead to missing vital information. It gives a format that is applied to all mobile app developers to avoid any complaint of bias or favoritism.
• Active Listening: Another thing a recruiter should look out for in an interview is the candidate’s ability to give examples and details. The changed questions should allow one to gather further information about their experience, as well as gain insight into their thinking.
• Evaluation: Evaluate the options given by the candidate regarding the set criteria that have been laid. Thus, the main search criteria can be named as the focus on the candidate’s communication skills, problem-solving approach, and organizational values. One can use a scoring system or rubric in appraisal to resist the tendency in bias.

Tips for Success

• Be Specific: Avoid making generalizations on either political or social affiliations. This assists you in getting a closer look at the sort of behavior the candidate is likely to portray on the job.
• Encourage Storytelling: Let mobile app developers tell specific episodes from their practice. This tends to be more elaborate in revealing the skills and behaviors expected of them in the workplace.
• Consider Multiple Perspectives: It is also recommended that more than one interviewer participates in the interviewing process so that you get various lengths of the candidate. This may help form a less biased view at establishing the truth of a matter as well as provide other insights that are not skewed.

It is equally important with other kinds of interviews because it helps to reveal a candidate’s soft skills, as well as his/her compatibility with the mobile development agency.

6.  Conduct Pair Programming Sessions

Some practices include two mobile app developers working together on the same code base together known as; pair programming sessions. This method is useful to deduct the candidate’s teamwork abilities, programming competencies, and tendencies to work according to instructions.

Synchronous working is another form that is well-known in the context of agile solutions. A study carried out by the University of California Berkeley shows that content can facilitate code and productivity in pair programming by between 15-20%. It helps in:

• Assessing Collaboration Skills: Thus, you can appreciate how the candidate is representing himself/herself and is able to cooperate with another mobile app developer.
• Evaluating Problem-Solving Abilities: Solving a problem as a team demonstrates the candidate’s approach to carrying out such procedures and his/her critical thinking.
• Understanding Adaptability: Sessions, where the candidate has to pair programs, demonstrate the speed of his ability to assimilate into new environments, and match the coding style of the team members.

How to Conduct?

• Choose a Relevant Task: Choose a task that may characterize your team’s activity or is typical for the kind of work that you do. This guarantees that the assessment given out is realistic and appropriate. This method is highly recommended for any mobile development agency.
• Set Clear Objectives: State your objectives for the kind of session that you want to conduct. This could be fixing a certain issue that was present or adding a new improvement needed to bring out a new change.
• Observe Interaction: It concerns how the candidate communicates to the other mobile app developer. Search for such skills as communication, collaboration, and analysis of the situations, when required.

Detailed Steps

• Task Selection: Select the activity that is closest to the nature of your team’s work on a daily basis. This could be an actual implementation of a little feature, a fix for a bug, or a code review. Make sure that the organization of the task does not make it trivial but, at the same time, doesn’t make it too complicated so as to hamper cooperation.
• Session Setup: Set the session and ensure that all participants have the necessary environment setup, code base, and other documents. Be sure that both mobile app developers are satisfied with the setup and tools that will be used.
• Observation: In this case, make sure to pay attention to the way the candidate engages and expresses themselves in front of the other mobile app developer and widely how this candidate communicates and presents themselves in the session. Like their thought process and the way they code, how they take criticism and comments on what they have done.
• Feedback and Evaluation: When the service is over, consult with the other mobile app developer about the candidate’s results and pros and cons. Assess their teamwork, the specific technical skills necessary in this type of job, and flexibility. A structured evaluation form is recommended to minimize the differences between students.

Tips for Success

• Be Supportive: Set up for cooperation in which the candidate does not mind to share his/her suggestions with others. Strongly recommend two-way and positive development communication.
• Focus on Interaction: Be aware of the manner of the communication and how the candidate reacts, comprehends, and participates in the debate. Seek signs of good reporting, coordination and collaboration, and issue-solving.
• Provide Feedback: Subsequently, this paper will discuss the feedback to be given to the candidate at the end of the session. Also, you should talk about their achievements and weaknesses and notice how they take it when you critique them. This will help in understanding their capacity to learn and hence their performance on the job.

Other activities such as coding sessions, especially pair programming, will enable you to gain some insights into how well the candidate will be able to fit in your mobile development agency and the working environment.

7. Review Technical Blog Posts or Contributions

It is possible to notice their ability to write, explain concepts, and express passion for IT during the analysis of the selected candidate’s published technical blog posts or his/her contributions to the technical forums. This can be particularly insightful for an app development company.

Active participation in creating technical documents and technical papers, as well as participation in discussions on forums such as Stack Overflow, illustrate the candidate’s aptitude to explain ideas to other people and his or her ability to write as well as contribute to the community. Another survey by Stack Overflow shows that currently, 85% of the mobile app developers drop by the site on a weekly basis, many of whom are active contributors. This helps in:

• Assessing Communication Skills: Technical writing is a formal style of writing that needs to be precise and straight to the point due to its use in documentation and with colleagues.
• Evaluating Expertise: Blog posts and contributions to a forum will tell a lot about a candidate’s knowledge, and his/her capability to explain that knowledge reasonably.
• Understanding Passion: Therefore, the frequency with which one can blog or otherwise contribute to technological communities can be used as a litmus test of one’s burning love for technology and the desire to learn.

How to Review?

• Identify Relevant Content: Go to as many blog posts and forum discussions about the technologies and skills that are important for the position. This is particularly important for an app development company.
• Evaluate Clarity and Depth: A reviewer should determine how understandable or clear the writing is as well as the extent of the given content. When using text, aim to find theories and explanations that are well described.
• Check Engagement: See what people are responding to, for instance, the comments and upvotes on their posts. Indeed, a high level of engagement usually implies that the client is valuable.

Detailed Steps

• Content Identification: Search for entries such as blog posts/articles or forum contributions that would be relevant to the skill set or technologies that should be applicable to the position. Substances should stress the candidate’s understanding and capacity to explain problems in the form of writing or research papers.
• Content Evaluation: Review and analyze the content based on the cohesiveness, detail, and factual correctness. Read for coherence, comprehensiveness, and relevance to practice. Rate the candidate on how he/she can put across ideas that may be technical to the layman in a simple manner.
• Engagement Analysis: Look at the comments and reactions of people on the posts of their pages, the number of upvotes, shares, etc. Risk implies uncertainty towards various outcomes which in this case is a positive correlation since it shows that people use EN heavily and it gets reciprocated by the community.
• Follow-Up Discussion: While the children are still with you, talk to them about their work and ask questions on the writing they have done and the ideas selected and difficulties encountered. This can shed additional light on their specialization area and their ability to communicate with clients.

Tips for Success

• Be Specific: Concentrate on aspects that are proximal to the job and related to topics and technologies that might be useful in the position. This means that all the content is drawn down to match the skills you wish to be exhibited by your employees.
• Look for Originality: Evaluate the criterion of novelty and uniqueness of the idea. In selecting the material, focus on personal points of view, creativity, and useful tips that prove the author’s concern with the topic.
• Consider the Audience: Determine the extent to which the content has been developed to meet the needs of the target population. Technical writing should be characterized by simplicity of language, brief and to-the-point approach when addressing readers.

A technical writer can tell a lot about a candidate through the assessment of the kind of work he/she produces.

Conclusion

It is advisable to test the mobile app developers’ coding ability before offering them the job to know you have hired the right person. If you assess portfolios, perform live coding interviews, give take-home assignments, use coded tests, behavioral interviews, pair programming, and tech blogs or forum entries, you will hire the right talent. These strategies provide a general idea of a developer’s experience, and this leads to hiring the right person for the job, ensuring success for your app development company and mobile development agency.