Often, companies seek to hire junior developers because they usually demand lower salaries compared to their senior counterparts. However, this should not always be the sole rationale behind hiring them. 

Companies should prioritise their new perspectives and their hunger to learn and prove themselves when hiring fresh talents. They can be trained in the specialised technologies of an organisation and prove to be great assets for the company’s growth. 

Are you keen on investing in the right talent? In this article, we explore the criteria, qualifications, and skills essential to consider when seeking to hire junior developers.

Guide to Hiring Talented Junior Developers

Junior developers are the future of the software industry. Investment in the right candidate can shape the future of your company and its software development culture. 

Here are some tips to follow when hiring a junior developer:

1. Review developer’s portfolio: To evaluate a software developer’s coding abilities, it is essential to look through their portfolio. It displays their accomplishments, showcasing their experience and strengths. Diverse projects with detailed descriptions, source code, and working demos are all part of a solid portfolio.
2. Ensure that you test their coding skills: Having a junior developer who can quickly implement modifications and has a solid basis in coding and development is essential. It is ineffective to have doubts about the skills of your development staff. It’s best to identify a certain software stack and adjust your questions appropriately.
3. Give them a coding challenge: Coding challenges test a developer’s logical reasoning, creativity, and technical skills by having them use code to solve problems. Effective challenges are role-relevant, time-limited, with clear instructions and evaluation criteria. These challenges can reveal a junior developer’s critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, as well as their error-handling skills. Moreover, they can demonstrate the ability to maintain code clean and ensure code scalability in terms of time and memory.
4. Pair Programming: Another way to evaluate coding skills of developers is through pair programming, which is a technique where two engineers work together on a piece of code. It makes it possible to evaluate their coding skills, testing, debugging, tool use, cooperation, and communication in real time. Clear goals, mutual respect, balance, and productivity are all indicators of a good session.
5. Conduct Behavioural Interviews: Behavioural interviews offer a comprehensive evaluation of a junior developer’s coding skills. You can learn about someone’s abilities, motives, and flexibility by looking into their prior experiences and behaviours. These interviews, which are organised and directed by the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique, show how applicants function in different situations.
6. Ask technical questions: Make sure you ask a wide range of theoretical technical questions throughout the interview to gain a better understanding of the candidate’s comprehension. It is imperative to confirm that the developer has the necessary experience and is acquainted with the workings of your business. As such, make sure you communicate your expectations to the candidate under review as well as to yourself.
7. Utilise Trustworthy Platforms like Linkedin: It is best to use specialised platforms like LinkedIn. It provides more flexible and efficient job posting procedures, which increases the possibility of hiring top developers. Moreover, while Upwork and Freelancer.com offer large databases of qualified experts with a range of specialisations and experience levels, Fiverr gives preference to individual freelancers offering specific services. If you are looking for a highly specialised web developer, Fiverr might be a better option.
8. Don’t be gender biassed: Do not doubt the potential of a candidate because of their gender when hiring young talent. Today, women software developers are as productives and skilled as men. According to a few studies, having a mix of both genders in tech teams drives more creativity and innovation.

Will AI Replace Developers?

There is no doubt that the field of coding has seen a radical transformation thanks to recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI), bringing about previously unimaginable levels of automation and efficiency.

However, despite all these advancements, AI is not going to replace developers in the future. This is because AI cannot replicate the human aspect of software development: the capacity for understanding, innovation and adapting. 

Therefore, while AI will undoubtedly continue to influence software development, it will not replace developers. Instead, development teams can leverage AI to enhance their productivity and innovation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, hiring junior developers is a long term investment. Instead of seeing them as a cost-effective alternative to experienced developers, invest in their potential to become the future stars of your company. 

Of course, they shall be hired after they have undergone the interview process and assessment of their skills and abilities. 

Once they hone their skills and gain relevant experience, reward them with significant raises and greater opportunities to ensure the retention of these talented developers.