When it comes to hiring a HubSpot CMS developer partner agency for a development project, it is important to hire an experienced professional that is going to create a beautiful, functional website, application or module they are willing to support.

You might be wondering - where the best HubSpot CMS developers are hiding?
You might be wondering - how can you make sure you’re working with the best developer?

As HubSpot CMS developers, we have been working within HubSpot CMS since shortly after launch and we have compiled a list of questions that you can ask during the vetting process to ensure that you end up with the best developer to suit your individual business needs.

Here are 6 preliminary questions you will want to ask your HubSpot developer during the interview process to qualify them for the job:

Who will the architect be in this project?

In many agencies, there can be a large disconnect between the sales rep and the development team. This can mean big issues when it comes to scoping and developing new projects on a client’s behalf. If you are not interfacing with the development team, you will want to take time to understand who is architecting your project and how the salesperson or account manager will be interacting with the rest of the team to ensure that your brand and project vision are communicated seamlessly to them.

You do not want to be playing a game of telephone between a sales rep, account manager, project manager and developer unless they have a really comprehensive, seamless project flow.

Will we get to meet the project architect during the kickoff meeting?

This is one of the most critical aspects of project planning. You need to get to know the person who will be architecting your website and ideally that means meeting with them prior to the start of the project.

If you are unable to meet with them, an extremely detailed plan must be in place to give the architect information about your brand mission, services, vision for the website or project, the buyer journey and goals of the project. Meeting with the lead designer or developer in charge of your project is a critical aspect to ensure that you are getting what you ask for.

Can you provide some examples of work you've completed in HubSpot CMS?

Any experienced developer will have a considerable amount of projects to share with you.

They will be able to provide a list of the projects they have completed and run down the complexities of the design and how they implemented the projects.

They will be able to explain how the back end works for the users that will be updating the website and give examples of how they made it easy for the marketer to implement the design elements on the back end.

Tell us about the challenges you've encountered with these projects in HubSpot; how did you overcome them? 

Good developers put out quality projects. Great developers complete projects that other developers say cannot be done. There are always challenges when it comes to implementing designs, bridging integrations and adding features in HubSpot CMS, but the key in vetting the developer for your next project is understanding how they overcame the challenges they were faced with in the development process.

Great developers love a challenge and they are usually willing to brag about how they used their brain and coding skills to overcome them. Ask the question to get to know how your developers think and approach complex problems. While not all developers will have case studies at their disposal if you are working with them directly, a qualified agency will have an arsenal of case studies and white papers to showcase their skills.

Have you worked with businesses like ours before?

Industry experience, while helpful, is not the most important thing when it comes to hiring a HubSpot CMS developer, but it does help. Knowing that a developer understands the intricacies of your industry or business can be beneficial, especially if there are regulations and legal requirements associated with your business.

It never hurts to ask if a developer has experience working with other businesses of your type. They may be able to give you more valuable feedback when it comes to what works and doesn’t work relating to the project that you are discussing.

Are you modifying a theme you worked with before, is this a template or are you working from scratch? 

A custom website is very expensive. Customizing templates or themes can be a great way for your developer to keep your costs down. You will want to know what is happening, though and they should not oversell what they are doing.

If they are modifying a template or theme, you will want to ask follow up questions about website bloat. Coding on top of an existing website theme design can bog down your website - an experienced developer will be aware of potential problems and let you know how they intend to handle them in advance.

How will the design process work?

Your design is critical to the success of your HubSpot CMS project. It should balance aesthetics and function. Analysis should be done to determine how it compliments the journey your buyers are on when they find your website.

Your developer or agency should have a comprehensive process for how to handle design and it should include a lot of feedback from you. You will want to deliver your branded fonts, colors, style guidelines and information about your products and services. If you have notalready done so, your agency may engage in the development of your buyer personas to help you understand the buyer journey and how it fits into your offerings and goals.

While each agency’s design process is different, any process that does not involve getting all of this information prior to establishing a design - isn’t worth vetting, in our opinion.

These are just a few of the questions you should lead with when vetting a HubSpot CMS agency or development partner. You are likely investing thousands of dollars into this project in the hopes that it will yield leads, greater revenue, or better efficiency among your employees - asking the right questions during the interview process is critical to your success.

Got any to add to the list? Drop them in the comments and be sure to check out Part 2 for more HubSpot CMS developer interview questions to ask.