Evaluate freelance developers against the assignment with evidence, a relevant technical discussion and clear review criteria. Avoid generic interview trivia.
What evidence matches your assignment?
Ask the candidate to explain a similar change: constraints, their own contribution, tests and handover. Probe the decisions behind the result. A framework name or team case study alone does not establish that person's experience.
Ask for track record that matches your problem
A long client list proves little if none of it resembles your project. Ask for examples with similar constraints: the same kind of system, comparable traffic or data sensitivity, and a similar regulatory context. Then ask what this team did in each case, not what the whole client program achieved.
Be precise about whose experience you are buying. Some firms present the individual track record of their engineers, which is legitimate if it is stated honestly. Ask when the company was founded, which work was done under its own contracts, and whether you can speak with a past client.
How should you assess a practical task?
Use a bounded, agreed exercise with sanitized context and explicit evaluation criteria. Discuss compensation and permitted use first. Assess reasoning, communication and failure handling; do not turn an interview into undisclosed production work.
Key takeaways
- Ask the candidate to explain a similar change: constraints, their own contribution, tests and handover.
- Use a bounded, agreed exercise with sanitized context and explicit evaluation criteria.
- Meet the technical lead and learn who will write the code before you sign.
FAQ
What evidence matches your assignment?
Ask the candidate to explain a similar change: constraints, their own contribution, tests and handover. Probe the decisions behind the result. A framework name or team case study alone does not establish that person's experience.
How should you assess a practical task?
Use a bounded, agreed exercise with sanitized context and explicit evaluation criteria. Discuss compensation and permitted use first. Assess reasoning, communication and failure handling; do not turn an interview into undisclosed production work.
I am not sure exactly who I need. Can you help?
Yes. Describe the problem in your brief or on a call and we help you shape the role. If it turns out you need a project delivered instead, we can do that too.