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Ask HN: What qualities do you look for in a junior developer?

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Ask HN: What qualities do you look for in a junior developer?

#1

Post by kgraves »

I am currently hiring developers for a junior position again for my startup.

I say "again", because the first time round we had so many applicants (400+) that it was a tough challenge discerning the best candidates from the pool and had allocated 10 interviews a day. The interviews were so bad that I ultimately rejected all of the applicants. I also withdrew the position because it was wasting my time.

Preferably, I would like to hire senior developers instead, but they are too expensive for my budget.

I slogged it out for another 4 months and I'm giving it another go on hiring juniors. But would not like to make the same mistake.

Re: Ask HN: What qualities do you look for in a junior developer?

#2

Post by Paul_S »

Why waste time, buy a service like codility and only interview the best couple ones. I don't work for any of those online code tests btw, but they're pretty good for sorting applicants and cheaper than your own time.

Junior developers need to have high IQ and ability to code, everything else you will need to teach them anyway. Keep in mind that if you don't have time to teach them they will not be cheaper than seniors, unless all you need is bums on seats to fool investors or something nefarious like that.

Re: Ask HN: What qualities do you look for in a junior developer?

#3

Post by baku-fr »

Don't forget that junior developers... are junior. They might not be the best devs in the world yet, but I'm pretty sure they can fit in any mold if you give them the right resources.

In your case, I'd say someone passionate enough to provide good value for the team. Just make sure you don't scare them away by making them feel they might "waste your time" ;-)

Re: Ask HN: What qualities do you look for in a junior developer?

#4

Post by hluska »

The interviews were so bad that I ultimately rejected all of the applicants. I also withdrew the position because it was wasting my time.

Maybe you shouldn't hire juniors? Junior devs are an investment and we owe them respect and genuine mentorship. By definition, they will 'waste your time'.

And frankly, if you can't afford seniors, your company's mentorship opportunities will be weak enough that the smart play for truly capable, career minded juniors would be to work elsewhere.

Re: Ask HN: What qualities do you look for in a junior developer?

#5

Post by askz »

* Curiosity

* Take initiatives

* Knows how to learn new things, +/- fast (and loves it)

* Knows when its the wrong way (even if its too late) and turn back

From my little experience, you don't have to do big technical challenges to detect those. But again I have very little experience in the business (5 interns and 1 junior hires) Social habilities are important too, but don't get fooled by those who talk too much

Good luck !

EDIT: formatting

Re: Ask HN: What qualities do you look for in a junior developer?

#6

Post by rubyn00bie »

I've been in this exact situation and had some real success (and failure)... I think hiring a junior developer who will be great and good for your organization comes down to one thing: how much passion do they have for programming?

If they don't do it on their own, and don't seem interested in programming for their own benefit outside of the job, then don't hire them.

People who are new but enthusiastic and spend a lot of time learning on their own are who you want.

Subsequently, hiring too many junior developers can be a hinderance because there aren't enough people to coach and guide them. It adds technical debt to your organization and makes for a shitty experience for the junior dev. They need help and they need people who have the time to help them. It's easy for junior devs to feel inadequate and suffer in silence.

Finally, ask yourself why don't have the funds to hire a more experienced engineer. It may be a sign of an unhealthy organization or goals which are way too big. I say this from experience and the pain I felt as a result of not listening to my gut and pushing back ferociously. You think firing someone "sucks," try laying off a room of people you know, who you care about, and who have been good to you and your organization... bad goal setting will cause it.

Re: Ask HN: What qualities do you look for in a junior developer?

#7

Post by maxehmookau »

When hiring juniors hunger to learn should far outweigh qualifications and raw knowledge in a particular technology imo.

That said, I think there may be a deeper issue here. You want to hire seniors which suggests that your startup _needs_ seniors and the experience that they bring. But you're hiring juniors.

You're going to end up disappointed as you need senior developers at this point.

They're going to end up disappointed as they require senior developers in the team to learn from and grow.

(Perhaps unrelated, I think if you've interviewed 400 people and haven't found someone "good enough", the issue may not be with the candidates...)

Re: Ask HN: What qualities do you look for in a junior developer?

#9

Post by aerovistae »

Paul_S wrote: post #2

Why waste time, buy a service like codility and only interview the best couple ones. I don't work for any of those online code tests btw, but they're pretty good for sorting applicants and cheaper than your own time. Junior developers need to have high IQ and ability to code, everything else you will need to teach them anyway. Keep in mind that if you don't have time to teach them they will not be cheaper than senior…

"High IQ"? Gee, what'd you get on the SAT?
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