In order of priority, what we look for when making an engineering hire is:
This can be of various kinds. Some engineers are amazing with the front end, some can architect complex infrastructure, some can orchestrate complex migrations. We’re agnostic. We’re looking for someone who feels comfortable unpacking a problem, and search for meaningful ways to solve it.
We look for engineers who care a lot about being great engineers. About learning, and improving and discovering best practices (both with respect to code, but also in regards to collaboration).
Obviously we want engineers that can write good code. At Qwilr, we think good code comes from clear communication. That means striving for clarity of expression at all levels: from the names of variables, to functions and classes, to the design of object APIs, to how their modules fit together, to how entire systems are architected. We care a lot about how engineers express themselves in language.
Notice this is the last on our list. It is a distant last. We believe someone with raw intellectual horsepower, paired with a drive to learn and improve, will pick up whatever new ideas, technologies or systems are needed given some time and guidance. Some of our best engineering hires have come from unusual or esoteric parts of computer science.