How to Vet Engineers Before Making an Offer

Step 1: Async Technical Assessment

Before any live interview, send a 2–3 hour take-home problem. This is not a LeetCode problem. it is a simplified version of a real challenge from your codebase.

Evaluate: code quality, documentation, approach to trade-offs, and the questions they ask before starting.

• 2–3 hours, not 8 hours
• Use real problems, not algorithmic puzzles
• Read their code like a PR review. it tells you a lot

Step 2: Live Pair Programming

One 90-minute session where you pair on a real bug or small feature. Watch how they communicate, not just how they code.

The best engineers narrate their thinking, ask clarifying questions, and push back when something doesn't make sense.

Step 3: Reference Checks (Often Skipped, Never Should Be)

Call 2–3 former colleagues. not the ones on the candidate's list. Find references through LinkedIn.

Ask: "Would you start a company with this person?" The answer tells you everything the formal interview won't.

BeGlobal runs reference checks on every builder before they join the network. You see the results before the intro call.

• Call references outside the candidate's prepared list
• "Would you start a company with them?" is the key question
• Reference checks predict culture fit better than anything else

Step 4: The 2-Week Trial

The final filter. Pay market rate. Give real work. Set success criteria upfront.

This is non-negotiable for senior hires. A bad senior engineer who passes your interview process can set your engineering team back by 12+ months. A 2-week paid trial costs you 2 weeks. The math is obvious.

Step 5: GitHub and Portfolio Review

Look at their actual code, not what they say about it. Open-source contributions, personal projects, and commit history reveal how they think when no one is watching.