Job Experience When you have to choose between two candidates, one with experience and one without, it is obviously prudent to opt for the former, especially if you are on a shoestring budget and have no time to train new employees. Experience can be a differentiating factor to consider when you are hiring contract engineers. If the candidates have a proven track record in similar jobs, they’ll probably be able to replicate that success at your company, too. But experience is not the sole criterion. While you make sure to consider experience, don’t prioritize it over all the other factors. Hard Skills Hard skills reflect the skills acquired by the applicant either at their educational institution or at past jobs. They are measurable and easy-to-define skills that will enable you to judge the applicant. It’s hard to overlook them since they are indispensable to the job that they are being hired for.In the absence of the right skills, special training has to be arranged for the candidate. For instance, you may need to teach the applicant a specific software language, framework, or tool, which is usually not worth the investment with a short-term contractor. Soft Skills Soft skills reflect the personality of the candidate. Though hard to measure, they are often reflective of the applicant’s behavior. Soft skills are less critical when hiring a contract employee than when hiring a full-time employee. However, they become more important depending on the urgency of the development project. An employee with poor soft skills will have a much more negative effect on the team’s productivity during crunch time than they will have on a build with a longer timeline. Potential An experienced interviewer often spots candidates who may not have adequate experience, but possess good educational credibility and potential. For such promising candidates, sometimes it pays to take a chance by hiring them as they might grow into top performers. 21