How to hire an actually great programmer
Short answer
Hire me ;)
Long Answer
Hire someone with:
- Responsibility
We programmers work with very intangible information most of the time. Information that is detached from the physical and factual world. This might give some of us a sense that our actions or lack of actions have no real consequences.
It might have been true (for some software) 20 or 30 years ago, where some software wouldn't immediately affect the lives of people. But nowadays even a small window of failure can make people's life a lot worse. There are healthcare systems, payment methods, government services, all relying on software in order to work effectively. And those softwares might rely on very mundane stuff in the current programming world, like a chatbot or a spot reservation system.
Programmers should understand this: a simple change can cause a big impact. And even the mundane features must be developed and tested carefully.
- Sense of ownership
I have seen many tech people, not just programmers, get very angry at mainstream software not working. While I get them, I've also seen most of them miss the same details in software they were building.
One must realize that a successful digital product is in their own self interest if they're helping to build it. Abilities of understanding the business or being concerned about end users troubles aren't a plus anymore: they're a must.
- Confidence
It is important to show confidence. Our abilities don't just stand out on their own. We must show them, talk about them. For instance, when I finish something that was hard to do and involved many decisions, I make a video explaining my decisions to the team. Not to brag or anything like that, but to share the knowledge and also expose my decisions to criticism.
That last bit is the most important: a programmer should have the confidence to expose their work to feedback from colleagues. Compliments will always be welcome and improvement suggestions should be seen as a good thing. This should be obvious but I'm not implying anyone should take any garbage from people reviewing their work. If people are not mature enough for giving constructive suggestions, I understand avoiding the exposition, but also it should be time to move.
- Commitment
I have seen a number of programmers agree with a team decision in one moment, and do exactly the opposite right after that agreement. When working in teams, we must always communicate very well when we, for some reason, need to go in another direction than the team agreement.
Otherwise trust fades and that is very bad for a team. Trust is necessary for a team to remain united. A lot of a programmers work is outside of the technical bias, and being able to hold one's end of an agreement doesn't require advanced knowledge or seniority.
Notice that, like in my previous post about tech leads, technicalities are not the main theme. Each day, technology is making a bigger impact in the world, and we should acknowledge our responsibilities on that matter.
Also, I'm really looking for job opportunities! If you know something, please let me know ;)
My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luizguerra/
