A key part of using technical evaluation to screen candidates for developer roles is conducting a thorough analysis of their portfolios, specifically to assess coding proficiency. You can get a good overview of a developer’s strengths and weaknesses from a thorough coding assessment, but you may not know exactly where to begin or what to look for. 

If you follow Techtrust’s streamlined process, you’ll start by using portfolios to assess coding skills. When you’re evaluating the projects in a portfolio, you can find some key elements that will help you select the top technical talent and match them with the most suitable role.     

Proficiency in programming languages

If you’re recruiting for a specific role or project, you should have already studied the project description to determine which technical skills are required. The developer’s portfolio should demonstrate their experience and level of proficiency in each programming language they’ve used in past projects. 

The most in-demand programming languages in 2024 include JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, C#, Rust, and Lua. Most experienced developers will have worked on various types of projects that showcase their expertise in more than one programming language.      

Additional technical skills

In addition to coding, the developer should have some experience using other tools within a project’s technical stack, such as:

• Database management: The most common database systems that a developer should be familiar with are MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB.
• Frameworks and libraries: On past projects, they may have experience working with NodeJS, Angular, React, Django, or others. 

Clean code

The purpose of a portfolio is for a developer to showcase their best work, so every developer should ensure that their code is both efficient and readable. The coding should be clear and consistent, and simplified as much as possible to demonstrate that they have the professionalism and awareness that the code will be shared—it should be easily understood by other members of their team as well as potential employers and future colleagues. 

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Documentation and project depth

Aside from the code itself, you can assess the developer’s communication and design skills by reviewing their documentation for each project. They should outline the goals of each project clearly, and include a statement that shares the complete story of the project and defines the developer’s role in the process. The presentation of the documentation should include visuals and snippets of code that demonstrate the developer’s scope of understanding and deep connection with their work.  

Problem-solving and other “soft” skills

Well-documented projects will also highlight the developer’s ability to solve complex problems within the code and debug any issues that challenge the proper execution of the project. Developers should share their overall approach and the steps they took to overcome technical challenges; this also demonstrates how well they performed under pressure. 

Problem-solving skills, an ability to adapt to change, the ability to work with others in a team environment, and other soft skills can be just as important as technical skills like coding in various languages. If you take all these attributes into consideration as you’re evaluating developer portfolios, you’ll have no trouble finding the most well-rounded candidates for every role you need to fill.

The bottom line

The portfolio is a crucial part of a developer’s hiring package, and it takes a keen eye and experience to be able to quickly sift through the information the portfolio contains to determine which candidates best suit your needs. But if you’re already implementing tactics like these and still struggle to hire the quality technical talent you need, consider working with a technical staffing agency like Techtrust who specialize in helping you hire the niche talent you need to launch your next product feature.  We help you identify all the must-have technical requirements for your open roles then find you the perfect match.