App Empire: Make Money, Have a Life, and Let Technology Work for You

Finding and Selecting Programmers: A Checklist from Chad Mureta, Author of App Empire

How do you look for, and hire, programmers to build your app? You'll have to use various sources (Google, oDesk, Freelancer, app conferences, word of mouth, etc.) and assess multiple candidates until you find several you are comfortable with. Here is my questions checklist for the job interview:

• How long have you been developing apps?
• How many apps have you worked on?
• Can I see the apps that you've worked on?
• What is your website?
• Can you share references from past app projects?
• How soon can you start?
• How long will it take to get a quote? Is it a flat-fee quote?
• What time do you usually work? What are your hours? (factor in any time difference)
• What's frustrating for you when working with clients?
• Are you working with a team? What are their skills?
• Can you create graphics, or do you have somebody who can?
• Can I see examples of the graphic work?
• What's your payment schedule?
• Can you create milestones tied to payments?

During the conversation, pay attention to how well they were able to explain themselves. Were they articulate? Did they use too much techo babble? Did they seem confident with their answers? If you have any issues or worries, you may want to move on to someone else. If you feel comfortable with them, you'll want to move to the next step. Thank them for their time and mention you'll be following up with an NDA agreement if you decide to move forward. You must protect your ideas, source code, and any other intellectual property.