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Ask HN: how in the heck do you find iOS Developers?

7 points by ereckers ↗ HN
I'm a general web developer and a buddy of mine asked me the other day if I could refer an IOS dev. Then I realized I don't know one App developer. Do they actually exist?

The friend is pretty well up there at a sophisticated recruiting firm so I'm assuming he has a budget, so the question would be: where would one find an App dev starting with no contacts?

I'm thinking, post in the HN Jobs thread, backtrace authors of similar Apps... Actually after that I'm out of ideas.

9 comments

[ 0.21 ms ] story [ 28.0 ms ] thread
wallflower
There are many ways. None of them involve a short-time commitment. They all involve building a loose relationship over time.

Approach 0) Spam everyone on LinkedIn. Bad.

Approach 1) Go to a Hackathon. Maybe even participate (marketing/consumer research/design/code - if you can). Sponsor really good pizza OR really good coffee (not crap DD). Talk to developers. Find out what kinds of apps they like to work on. Follow-up.

Approach 2) Throw your own mini conference. Can be anything from a panel. Make it valuable to the attendees. Ask for emails but don't spam the attendees. Ask them what kind of gigs/jobs they are looking for - tell them you'll keep an eye out.

Approach 3) Since your friend works at a recruiting firm, have them hold a developer-only mixer, bring in someone who can give a bunch of tech talks. Give away a door prize of an iPad or a Raspberry Pi.

Approach 4) Lots of developers would like to encourage younger developers. But they don't know how. Take the lead and sponsor and organize a hackathon with a local school (just one). Background checks aside (they may be necessary - for working with minors), the recruiting firm gets good press, the developers get good press, non-direct coding resume bullets.

Approach 5) Build an app for a deserving non-profit who has a mission you believe in with college CS/design students who may want to get an app on their resume. Building the right team may be difficult.

ereckers
Thank you so much. If you're the same wallflower that ripens the events, just wanted to say thanks for that too.
tagabek
As an iOS Freelance Developer myself - Meetups. Through Meetup.com, I am connected with about 100 developers, many of which I would (and have) recommend in a heartbeat. I have also had many people that are looking for an iOS Developer contact me through Meetup.com . If you go this route, you can generally post in the comments section about who you are and what you're looking for.

If you're looking to cast a wide net that will earn you MANY responses, post a message to Google+ Communities and LinkedIn groups. The downside is that you will probably have to sift through many emails until you find a potential right fit.

Here are some useful places:

iOS Meetup Groups in San Francisco

http://www.meetup.com/find/?keywords=ios&radius=25&userFreef...

iOS Developers across the globe

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/11202662879070871797...

Subreddit dedicated to posting available work

http://www.reddit.com/r/forhire

ereckers
Awesome. I've met a few people in my own line of work through local Meetups. Can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks a ton.
lorenzopicoli
As wallflower pointed out there are plenty of ways. If I needed to find someone I would ask here (HN) as you said on a job offer. Anyway, I'm a developer and I'm looking to do apps to create a more concrete resume and experience, if you need more information I have a thread here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6077474

By the way, don't use approach 0 (spam everyone on LinkedIn) it's horrible.

ereckers
Thank you lorenzo for the reply. Be sure to ping me when you complete your App. I'll probably be in the market for an app of some time in about 3 months.
lorenzopicoli
Sure! If you need anything just send me an email and I'll be glad to help :D