Interviewing full-stack developers comes with its own host of risks and wrong turns. The interview is such an integral part of the process, but it is frequently overlooked by hiring managers.

Skipping the Recommendations

In traditional hiring situations, it’s a given that you’re going to follow up on recommendations. However, sometimes we are tempted to skip this step when quickly onboarding freelance developers.

It is as important to vet freelance candidates as it is to vet full-time hires. Failing to do so can result in disastrous damage to important projects.

If you’re hiring a full-stack developer without utilizing a professional tech-matching service, then you’ll need to make sure to fully vet candidates and follow up with their recommendations.

Not Meeting Face to Face (or Camera to Camera)

These days, hiring a freelancer can be done with a few text exchanges. You can look at their freelancer’s profile, scan their bio, resumé and recent client ratings. You can exchange information and even ask interview questions via email.

While technology has made hiring exceptionally convenient, you should still stick to some traditions, such as the face-to-face interview.

Be sure to host a video call, set up a meeting if they are local or boot up Google Hangouts if they’re not. Find a way you can both get a feel for each other and get a bit of face time.

Failing to Ask About Their Past Freelance Projects

Asking your candidate about their past freelance projects will give you a good idea of how they work and how much they enjoy working freelance.

If the candidate does not speak highly of their past projects or team, then that may signal that they won’t be the most compatible or appreciative candidate. However, if they speak about how they worked on time and produced a great product with little in the way of interruptions, then that will most likely be the freelancer you need for your company.

Freelance full-stack developers, just like full-time developers, still need to have a personality that fits well within the team even if they do not interact physically. Asking about their projects will give you the best indicator of how they will work with your company.

Paying too Little Attention to the Portfolio

The portfolio is arguably the most important aspect of an interview. While chatting up a storm, rifling through a resumé and following up on recommendations can help you get a feel for a freelance full-stack developer, they don’t tell the whole story.

The portfolio will show you, quickly and viscerally, how talented a full-stack developer really is. It can act as a major talking point during the interview. In addition, it can showcase the presentation skills of the full-stack developer candidate and which skills the candidate believes are best.

Ask questions based on their portfolio:

How much time did you spend on these projects?
What did you learn completing these projects?
What was your role on the development team for these projects?

Conclusion

If you want to hire a freelance full-stack developer, then you’ll need to know how to avoid common interviewer mistakes. These mistakes can be extremely detrimental to the interview process, leading you to make inaccurate assumptions and assessments.

With freelance full-stack developers, it’s important to remember to follow up on recommendations, just as you would for a full-time hire. Remember it’s also essential to get the face-to-face time—whether it be in person or via videoconferencing.

Be sure to inquire about past freelance projects and pay great attention to their portfolio. The portfolio can act as a barometer and an excellent talking point.

With these tips, you should be able to avoid the top four most common interviewer mistakes. By inquiring about their past projects, portfolio, recommendations and meeting up with them via video call, you should be able to accurately assess the top full-stack developer candidates.

— Josh Althauser