Hiring a developer is easier said than done. You post a job, get a bunch of resumes, and hope the right person stands out. But sometimes, the ones who look great on paper don’t pan out once they are handed the job. You line up interviews that might feel promising, but nothing clicks.
If you’ve been hired before, you’ve seen it. Bringing in the wrong person slows everything down. It adds stress to your team and makes future hires more complicated. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first dev or your fifteenth; teams tend to stumble over the same hiring mistakes.
Let’s talk about the big 3, and how to avoid them.
1. Putting Too Much Weight on Technical Skills
Sure, coding skills matter; they’re the starting point. But if that’s all you’re focused on, you’re missing a lot. A good developer doesn’t just write code and check out. They stay involved. They help fix problems, ask questions, and make sure the work is held up. They jump in when things are unclear. They speak up when something’s off. They help teammates make sense of weird edge cases or half-baked requirements. That’s the kind of developer you want.
If your interviews only measure whether someone can reverse a linked list, you’re going to miss the people who can move the project forward.
A better approach? Ask what they’ve done when a teammate misunderstood something. Or when priorities change halfway through a sprint. Look for people who’ve worked through messy situations and kept moving. That tells you more than any test.
2. Writing Job Descriptions That Chase People Away
Too many job posts read like someone copied and pasted from five other companies. Long lists of tools, vague descriptions, unrealistic expectations. It’s no wonder good candidates scroll past.
If your post asks for 10 years of experience in a framework that’s only been around for six, people notice, and not in a good way. It makes it look like you don’t know what you need.
You want to cut the fluff. Get real about what the person will do. What are they building? What’s the team like? What’s the tech stack today, not your wish list?
You don’t need to write an essay but give people a clear sense of what they’re walking into. If the work is interesting and the expectations are fair, the right people will come knocking.
3. Moving Too Slowly
Even when you find the right candidate, it can fall apart if you wait too long. This happens all the time. Everyone agrees on someone, then the offer takes a week, or more, to get out the door. And just like that, they’re gone.
We’ve also seen teams drag out the process with four or five rounds of interviews, looping in more people than needed. By the end, nobody remembers what was said in round two, and the candidate’s already taken another offer.
Developers notice stuff. If your hiring process feels messy or slow, they’ll assume that’s how everything works at your company, and they’ll move on.
Here’s what helps:
- Set expectations early- Let candidates know what to expect and how many steps are involved.
- Keep it simple- Two rounds are usually enough—one for technical ability, one for team fit.
- Make sure the right people are looped in- Everyone should know who’s making the call, so things don’t get stuck.
- Keep candidates in the loop- Even if you’re still deciding, a quick note shows you respect their time.
This all comes back to respect. Show candidates you’re serious, and they’ll stick around longer.
A Few Other Things That Can Hurt Your Search
Those three are the big ones. But here are a few extra landmines that trip up a lot of companies:
- Hiring for “potential,” then expecting someone to hit the ground running- If you’re willing to train, great. But don’t bring in someone junior and get mad when they ask questions.
- Leaving the job too vague- People want to know what they’re walking into. If it’s not clear, they’ll either make bad assumptions or skip it altogether.
- Relying on one person to move things forward- If your whole process hits pause every time one leader’s out, something needs to change.
None of these are hard to fix. But if you don’t fix them, you’ll keep losing good people.
Final Thought
Hiring developers isn’t about being perfect. It’s about getting the basics right. Be clear. Move quick. Treat people with respect. If your team’s struggling to hire, it might not be because good developers aren’t out there. It might be because your process is getting in the way. The good news? You can fix that. Tweak a few things. Cut what’s slowing you down. Make sure your job post makes sense. Keep your interview process tight. You don’t need to make it fancy. You just need to make it work.