How To Recognize 5 Toxic Software Developer Personalities

Imagine a beautiful, sunny morning. You have a nice life that is rich in family harmony and professional success.

However, (there is always one ‘however’) this day when you wake up in the morning you remember that you need to hire a software developer. Even if you aren’t a religious person, we can understand if you need our prayers.

Here are 5 different software developer personalities to avoid and how to spot them:

1. The Glamorous

Who are they?

This developer may be able to write code, if necessary, but they would rather compile a shiny PowerPoint presentation, dress up in formal business attire, and enchant you with beautiful words and promises about creating the next software miracle.

Why are they dangerous?

They could mislead you about their level of technical competence and entice you to give them the contract, wasting your time and money.

How to deal with them?

During the interview, try to stay as logical as possible and focus on facts. Ask for real evidence about their ability to develop software. Demand to see references from previous employers.

2. The Procrastinator

Who are they?

The Procrastinator loves to delay everything – from Christmas shopping to business meetings, especially completing your software development task that should have been done the previous month.

Why are they dangerous?

They may find countless excuses that sound reasonable, all of which prevent them from finishing your software. Such developers take 20 times as long to write a codebase, while great engineers can minimize this by writing 400% less code that runs 900% faster (Code Complete).

How to deal with them?

If you feel that the developer in front of you might be a procrastinator, test their ability to fulfill a task with a specific deadline and accept no excuses if they fail.

3. The Victim

Who are they?

Developers who play the Victim never accept responsibility. To spot the Victim, pay attention if they blame everything on others or even general circumstances. Will they admit their own mistakes?

Why are they dangerous?

The Victim tends to focus on obstacles and refuses to see solutions. Your project might take forever to be completed.

How to deal with them?

Try to shift their attention from a problem to a solution, since some victims are able to transform. If your attempt to show them the light fails, avoid them.

4. The Great Pretender

Who are they?

This developer looks competent and always in a hurry. If you knew exactly how they managed to get their degree, you would immediately cancel the interview with them. The Pretender believes that success is possible with just smiling and diplomacy. Who needs technical knowledge?

Why are they dangerous?

They are inefficient workers whose lack of sound knowledge may cause the Domino effect. Because of their negligence, other team members may be unable to meet goals and deadlines. The project launch may be postponed and then the whole company will be affected.

How to deal with them?

Compare their behavior with a developer who gets results. When you notice the signs, start asking concrete questions and get answers.

5. The Know-It-All

Who are they?

The Know-it-all is very easy to recognize. Be prepared to have each of your opinions or suggestions quickly denounced as incorrect or insufficiently researched.

Why are they dangerous?

The danger here is that the quality of work on your project might be affected. A Know-it-all hinders the general communication regarding a project and underestimates reasonable ideas from others.

How to deal with them?

Know-it-all developers are often offensive while communicating with you, so don’t let them put you on the defensive. If they declare that something can be done correctly only their way, ask them for details and evidence to support their thesis.

The success of more and more companies is related to software nowadays. Since a great developer can be 10 times more effective than a mediocre one, it’s worth it to invest more time and money to hire the right professional for your project.

It’s vitally important for the financial health of your business to work with excellent software professionals and teams. Here’s some evidence why:

The average tech project realizes only 56% of its expected revenue (McKinsey).
A staggering 17% of tech projects actually threaten company existence by going at least 200% over budget (Harvard Business Review).

If you’re a small business owner and you don’t want to risk your time and money, let the team of professionals at Rails Agency help you achieve your goals and support you on the way to success. Hire us!