How to Hire Dedicated Drupal Developers in the USA?

Drupal is an online content management system that is open-source and free to use.

Drupal, which is written in PHP, is a well-known web development solution in the technological world. The platform is used as a backend framework for personal blog, corporate, political, and government websites by at least 2.3 percent of websites worldwide.

Drupal has a large developer community with over 1.39 million members, including newcomers and seasoned professionals. Experts can quickly provide answers or feedback to any of your questions.

Now, how can u hire Drupal developers?

Step 1: Make sure you know exactly what you need

To avoid a lot of frustration, first make sure the job title, role, and job description are crystal clear. From there, make sure you define your project requirements as in-depth as possible. This is not a time for “guesswork.” Be as open and transparent as possible. Need someone that has niche government Drupal experience with a bit of Drupal Commerce and migration expertise? Say so. Need someone that has only created custom modules and specializes in the pet industry? Say so.

Step 2: Decide the best place to post your Drupal Developer opening

There are numerous agencies and portals claiming to have the best Drupal resources waiting to be hired. With so many of these agencies, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially when you’re a non-technical person. The below are what we’ve found to be the best use of your time when trying to find a Drupal Developer (in order of importance, of course).

Your website: We’ve noticed that job pages consistently get a lot of traffic. When people go to a website, we’ve noticed that they’ll look at the “About Us” section and then the “Careers” page. Thus, it’s super important to have these as accurate and updated as possible for future work needed.
Word of mouth: WoM is still one of our primary tools for finding Drupal Talent. If you ask a world-class doughnut cook where to find good doughnuts, they’ll tell you. The same is true when searching for world-class Drupal Developers. (PS — We love doughnuts).
Drupal.org: Drupal Jobs on Drupal.org is one of the best resources for finding talent. You’ll find Drupal newbies to Drupal Experts. The downside is that you will have to pay to have your job listed or search resumes.
Job portals: Think Indeed, Monster, Simply Hired, and LinkedIn. If you Google, “Drupal Developer Jobs” all of these sites are in the top 10.
Freelancing Sites: Some common sites out there are Freelancer, Elance, ODesk, and, yes, Craigslist. We’ve heard mixed reviews for these sites, so make sure you have a specific need in mind when you talk to the candidate.
Hiring an agency (Like us!): We really like this option, well, because we really love our Drupal Developers making your business needs happen. This is a really great option if you don’t want to manage the hiring/overhead/management of a Drupal Team.
Social Media: We’ve found jobs and talent just by responding to a mutual friend’s Facebook post. Keep an eye out for friends of friends who mention that they are looking for a Drupal job or that they have Drupal experience.
A short comment about Drupal.org: It has its merits. Developer profiles on Drupal.org may be used to show their activity, donations, forum/discussion involvement, and more.

➡ Those looking for work may also include:

Roles that were effective
Number/type of questions/answers made on profiles
List of projects completed
Levels of creativity, enthusiasm, and passion for Drupal — refers to the levels of innovation, enthusiasm, and passion for Drupal.
Documentation skills — a critical factor to be considered as an asset
Identifying Information

Step 3: Look at their social media footprint

We constantly advocate performing some social media sleuthing. LinkedIn is our go-to resource for this. A well-written LinkedIn profile can reveal a lot about a developer.

➡ Here are some of the most important things to look for:

Project experience/time between projects: Consider the number of projects, project duration, and project depth. Below is further information on this. Freelancers and/or employees of an organization are two categories of developers. The duration of each project or organization for which they have worked demonstrates their ability to be consistent. It’s a red flag if a developer has a new project every week.
Examine the summary section: the more accurate and concise it is, the more effectively the Developer can explain. A brief and targeted summary can also show how succinct he or she is — If they’re precise in their summary, their code is likely to be similarly so.
Links: The number of connections demonstrates the collaborative personality attribute. The number of links to the Drupal Community can show how active you are in the community and how enthusiastic you are about Drupal. A true Drupal-ion is actively involved in the community, offering information, volunteering, and so on.
Recommendations: This area includes feedback from previous clients, which serves as a clear indication of the Developer’s competence and professionalism. The credibility of the Developer is enhanced by the clients’ and associates’ opinions.
Groups and Discussions: The Developer’s participation in Groups demonstrates how serious and active he or she is in the Drupal Community.

Step 4: Start shortlisting the candidates

You’ve chosen what you need, how you’ll fill certain job criteria, and where you’ll look for talent. So, what’s next? It’s time to cross persons and organizations from your list. Here’s how it’s done:

Check for the “words”: It’s critical to read the resume and decipher the messages. The CV should mirror your needs, as you’ve previously been quite precise in your Statement of Work or online posting. Look over the resume for words like “drupal versions familiar with,” “modules worked on,” “front-end/back-end specialist,” “industry,” and so on that fit the technical requirements of your project.
Take into account the candidate’s level of experience: The number of years of experience alone isn’t enough to make a decision. Check to check if the Drupal Developer has experience with previous Drupal versions, such as D4, D5, or D6. The more versions the Developer has worked with, the better they will understand Drupal’s complexity and how to work around them. Also, remember that not all good Developers have a lot of experience. After all, everyone started from the beginning and has progressed. They are what they are because of their zeal and tenacious refusal to give up.
Create situations for them: This is another way to assess the Developer’s level of analysis, judgment, presence of mind, normal turnaround time, and knowledge. Ask the candidate to describe how he or she would handle a circumstance that is sufficiently difficult to handle. To make it more exact, keep it more targeted so that evaluating the reaction becomes easy. Instead of broad notions, give them particular scenarios.
Examine community involvement: If a developer professes to be an expert but is inactive in the Drupal community, this could be a red flag. As previously stated, make sure to check out their profile in the Drupal Community. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. There are some people who aren’t usually active on forums or in communities, but who may be fantastic Drupal developers. Technical advice: Go with your instincts on this one.

Step 5: Evaluate their technical expertise

Asking them to evaluate some of their existing code or conduct some ad hoc coding for you is a simple and straightforward way. This allows you to assess their judgment, accuracy of expertise, coding speed, and quality. If they have any experience with Drupal 8, that will be a plus, as Drupal 8 is the most popular version of the Drupal CMS. Get the developer’s GitHub id so you can look at their code, as well as their Drupal.org profile page to see what they’ve done.

If you’re hiring an agency, make sure you get some recommendations to speak with. Then, request a list of any current changes, Drupal facts, or news from the Developer/agency. If they just stare at you blankly, say your goodbyes.

Step 6: Examine how they communicate.

A Developer may have all of the skills you require, but he or she is unable to describe what he or she ate for dinner the night before. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you don’t know how to share it, you’re not going to be very effective. Make sure their communication style fits your company’s culture/goals, and let the developer/agency know right away. Your project’s smooth and on-time delivery will be ensured by effective communication. A strong communicator is a valuable asset.

Step 7: Determine which option is the most cost-effective.

After you’ve spoken with a few applicants and (hopefully) a Drupal Development Agency or two, take a step back and examine all of the figures. They’re all like that. Sure, the firm charged you $60,000 for the entire job, but you’ll save money on HR, insurance, overhead, and much more. Best case scenario: you collaborate with a fantastic agency and build a long-term relationship. Worst-case scenario: The agency is flat-out bad and fails to deliver (as we’ve seen from several competitors). It’s fantastic if you decide to hire an internal Drupal developer. However, keep in mind that an excellent Developer will cost you money (you get what you pay for in this case).

Step 8: Understand If They Are Your Right Development Partner

Over a thousand Drupal development companies and freelancers exist, each with its unique methodology and culture. Some of these may work for you while others may not. Many of our clients have expressed dissatisfaction with development businesses that are difficult to contact once they have agreed to take on a project. They’re also not very forthcoming about the situation and never follow through on their promises. These important choice cues will assist you in locating effective developers who keep you informed at all times.

A dedicated project manager to talk about the status and any issues that arise.
A website where users can report serious concerns and bugs.
A dedicated developer to address urgent issues.
Dedicated staff to oversee the project from start to finish.

Step 9: Trust your instincts

This is the most non-technical suggestion we’ve ever made. But that’s fine with us. There’s a reason you’re in charge of hiring Drupal talent at your firm. Take it in stride. If things don’t add up after looking at all the facts, don’t be afraid to start over. The excellent fit is far superior to the “merely adequate” fit. That concludes our step-by-step guide to finding a superb Drupal Developer.

Do you have any additional ideas? Please post them in the comments section below. Are you looking for a Drupal Developer to hire? We’ve got them! We’d be delighted to chat more about your project with you.