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Hiring a mobile apps software engineer: what to look for
One of my former managers called me last night. “Steve” worked for me several years ago. Three months ago, “Steve” was actively recruiting 2 mobile apps engineers to support both iPhone and Android platforms. The search has been very difficult due to a shortage of qualified engineers.
“Steve” still had many resumes from great engineers who had limited experience developing mobile applications. Could the right candidate be among these engineers? I shared with “Steve” several suggestions to help identify the right talent. There months later, “Steve” happily extended offers to 2 engineers. Both turned out to be fantastic members of the team.
What should a hiring manager look for in a software engineer who will develop mobile applications? Believe it or not, the number one item is not whether the engineer knows Objective C or Java.
#1: Does the software engineer understand the five dimensions of mobile design context: location, locomotion, immediacy, intimacy, and device? (source: Forrester Research)
Location: mobile users can use their devices wherever they are
Locomotion: mobile users can use their device while on the go: in the car, running, walking.
Immediacy: mobile users can user their device at a moment’s notice
Intimacy: mobile users can use their device for different purposes. Device use can vary from a digital appendage to an occasionally used device for a specific personal or work task.
Device: mobile devices vary greatly in form factor and capabilities
#2: Does the candidate show a deep appreciation for solving problems that may arise while the software is operating in a mobile environment?
– What if the network is not available or signal is lost every 2-3 minutes?
– Are there any functional scenarios sensitive to latency issues?
– Security? Authentication?
– Diagnostic capabilities?
#3: Can the candidate select (and defend) a solution approach while considering three implementation paths? What implementation path might be a better option for a given set of functional requirements?
– Native
– HTML5
– Hybrid: where HTML5 is rendered inside the native application
#4: Can the candidate describe, design, and implement a testing framework for the mobile application?
#5: Can the candidate give examples of mobile applications which can serve as an example of user interface “done right”? Why?
Then – and only then – it’s helpful to learn about specific technical skills and experience: Objective C, Cocoa Touch, HTML5, SQLite (for Android) …
The next fantastic mobile engineering hire is only a few questions away.
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