4 Effective Interview Questions To Ask Remote Web Developers

Web developers have never been as needed as they are today. They can make everything from attractive information sites to complex web applications. A specific advantage of web development is that it can be done remotely.

In the tech sector specifically, remote work is becoming a more prominent choice as it lowers the cost of operation and can provide a better sense of happiness within the individual employees.

Recent studies have shown that productivity increases when the number of working options increases in kind. Hiring remotely, however, comes with certain aspects that must be considered.

In this article, we will highlight some important questions that specifically target remote developers. Working remotely is a unique way to perform job duties and, as such, remote web developers require unique interview questions.

Here are 4 effective questions to ask remote web developers before you hire:

1. Why do you prefer to work remotely?

This question is important to ask because you want to ascertain the developers reasoning and motivation for working remotely. Are they working remotely because they enjoy the freedom of working from home?

Do they enjoy the flexibility of freelancing their web development skills? Do their answers fall in line with your company message and management style or are they fundamentally at odds?

This is important to ask early on in the interview process even though web development is a technical role because communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills are integral for completing projects. Especially in remote environments where the culture will have to be implied rather than explicitly communicated every day like in office environments.

2. Are you available to come to the office?

Remote web development can be a difficult task to complete and may require some additional work in addition to their independent projects. This is why it is important to fully understand whether you are going to require some in office availability.

Some employees flourish when working on their own. Others need to be supplemented with physical interaction. It is up to you to determine which type of employees would best fit inside of your organizational schema.

3. Do you have experience using code repositories like GitHub to collaborate remotely?

This will distinguish whether or not they have experience with combining code remotely. Structuring projects and timing them can be difficult when you cannot speak with them physically.

That is why it is crucial that the potential web developer employees have at least a moderate amount of experience with code repositories and project work. Without the skill of combining code online remote work might be incredibly challenging.

4. Have you ever completed a web development project entirely from home?

Obviously, the remote experience is absolutely necessary for candidates. Even if they have worked in a work environment that allowed them to work from home some of the time, it’s not the same as completing their duties virtually for the entire development project.

Web development can be done completely from home. With a few cloud collaboration tools and business communication applications, a web developer can complete any and every duty. However, you need to ascertain if they have experience managing themselves as remote web developers.

Conclusion

Hiring a remote web developer comes with certain considerations that must be made in order to account for the differences in working conditions that remote work provides.

Remember to ask important cultural questions in addition to technical ones. While web developers do have many technical responsibilities, they won’t be able to fill their role to the best of their ability if they don’t align with your company culture.

In all instances it is important to ascertain their skill level, but, more importantly, their self-discipline must be a primary focus due to the nature of telecommuting work. If they do not have the temperament or self-control then telecommute work may be a step too far.

When hiring always consider the aspects of your company culture that are non-negotiable and look for those qualities at the outset. This is ultimately a question about their willingness to adapt and work in your environment. Hiring remote employees can save a lot of costs and, when done correctly, can provide you with a passionate team that is incredibly flexible and happy.