Hiring an eLearning developer isn’t just about finding someone who knows Articulate Storyline or Rise 360. The best developers combine technical expertise, instructional design principles, communication skills, and project management experience to create engaging learning experiences that support business goals. This guide walks through the most important factors to evaluate before hiring an eLearning developer, whether you’re bringing on a contractor, working through a staffing partner, or expanding your internal team.
Quick Hiring Checklist
Before interviewing an eLearning developer, use this checklist to evaluate the qualities that most often determine project success.
- Relevant project experience
- Portfolio quality
- Authoring tool expertise
- Instructional design knowledge
- Project management skills
- Communication and collaboration
- Cultural fit
- Revision process
- References
Below, we’ll explore each of these considerations in more detail.
1. Relevant Experience
Look for eLearning developers with experience creating projects similar to your own. While years of experience can be helpful, the type of work they’ve completed is often a better predictor of success. A developer who has built courses for your industry, audience, or learning objectives will likely ramp up more quickly and require less direction.
Consider whether the developer has experience with projects similar in complexity. For example, creating a simple compliance course is very different from building a software simulation with branching scenarios, custom interactions, or system integrations. Ask candidates to describe projects that closely resemble yours and the role they played in delivering them.
Finally, look beyond the finished product. Ask about the challenges they encountered, how they collaborated with subject matter experts and stakeholders, and what they learned from the project. Their answers can provide valuable insight into how they’ll approach your engagement.
2. Portfolio Review
Always insist on examining a portfolio of samples. This will give you a sense of their style, creativity, and adaptability. Look for diversity in their work to gauge how well they can handle different types of content and learning environments. If you are looking for courses with a specific style, be sure to specify what you’d like to see before the interview.
If you work with a company like TrainingPros, we will review each consultant’s portfolio for you and only provide consultants with samples that match your requirements – saving you hours of portfolio review and interview time.
3. Technical Skills
Make sure the eLearning developer has strong proficiency with the tools required for your project. When reviewing portfolio samples, ask questions about the technologies used and the developer’s specific role in creating the work. This helps you verify their technical expertise and determine whether their experience aligns with your project’s requirements.
It’s also important to remember that technical skills are only part of the equation. Many eLearning developers develop expertise in specific types of learning projects, industries, or technologies. The closer their experience matches your project, the faster they’ll be able to contribute and the fewer surprises you’ll encounter during development.
For example, if you are looking at a sample in Storyline with Vyond animation, ask specific questions such as, “Can you describe how you created this animated roleplay?” or “What was your process for inserting the Vyond animation into this course?”
Match the Developer's Experience to Your Project
|
If your project involves...
|
Look for a developer with experience in...
|
|---|---|
Software simulations |
Articulate Storyline, screen recordings, branching scenarios |
Compliance training |
Regulated industries and scenario-based learning |
Employee onboarding |
Interactive learning paths and blended learning |
Sales or product training |
Product knowledge, simulations, and knowledge checks |
Customer education |
External audiences, branding, and responsive design |
Accessibility requirements |
WCAG compliance, screen reader testing, keyboard navigation |
LMS deployment |
WCAG compliance, screen reader testing, keyboard navigation |
4. Instructional Design Knowledge
Determine if the developer will receive a finished storyboard or if you expect them to contribute to the instructional design. If it’s the latter, ask basic questions about their understanding of instructional design principles for eLearning. Their answers will give insight into their ability to create effective learning experiences.
Questions might include, “How do you handle a situation where a SME provides too much content, and you need to scale it back?” or “Can you walk me through how you would create an eLearning course without a storyboard?”
If you are working with a company such as TrainingPros to find your eLearning Developer, the relationship manager will make sure they understand whether or not the consultant needs to understand instructional design and they will bring candidates who can do both design and development.
5. Project Management Abilities
Strong project management skills help keep eLearning projects on schedule and reduce surprises along the way. Whether you’re hiring a contract eLearning developer or adding someone to your internal team, look for candidates who can manage deadlines, communicate proactively, and coordinate effectively with stakeholders.
Ask candidates how they organize their work, track project milestones, and handle competing priorities. Experienced eLearning developers should be able to explain how they manage reviews, incorporate feedback, identify potential risks early, and keep projects moving toward completion.
Consider asking questions such as:
- How do you prioritize multiple projects with competing deadlines?
- How do you communicate project status to clients or stakeholders?
- Tell me about a project that fell behind schedule. What happened, and how did you get it back on track?
- What project management or collaboration tools do you typically use?
6. Communication Skills
Strong communication skills are essential when working with an eLearning developer. During the hiring process, look for candidates who communicate clearly, ask thoughtful questions, and demonstrate that they understand your goals and requirements. They should be able to explain technical concepts in a way that’s easy for non-technical stakeholders to understand.
The interview itself can tell you a great deal about a candidate’s communication style. Do they listen carefully before answering? Do they ask clarifying questions? Can they explain their design decisions and development process in a clear, organized way? These are all indicators of how they’ll collaborate with your team.
7. Cultural Fit
Technical skills are important, but they’re only part of a successful engagement. An eLearning developer who works well with your team can often contribute more quickly and help projects run more smoothly. Consider whether the candidate’s communication style, work preferences, and approach to collaboration align with your organization’s culture.
During the interview, ask how they’ve worked with instructional designers, subject matter experts, graphic designers, project managers, and other stakeholders. Their answers can help you determine whether they’ll be a good fit for your team and your way of working.
8. Feedback and Revisions
Every eLearning project goes through revisions, so it’s important to understand how a candidate approaches feedback before you hire them. Look for developers who view feedback as part of the collaborative process rather than as criticism.
Ask candidates how they gather feedback, resolve conflicting stakeholder requests, and prioritize revision requests. You should also discuss review cycles, approval processes, and expectations early to help avoid misunderstandings once the project begins.
9. References
References provide valuable insight that isn’t always visible in a portfolio or interview. Previous clients can tell you whether the developer met deadlines, communicated effectively, accepted feedback professionally, and consistently delivered high-quality work.
When checking references, ask specific questions rather than simply confirming employment. For example:
- Would you hire this developer again?
- How well did they communicate throughout the project?
- Did they consistently meet deadlines?
- How did they respond to feedback or changing requirements?
If you work with an experienced staffing partner such as TrainingPros, much of this due diligence has already been completed. Our relationship managers interview candidates, verify references, and develop long-term relationships with our consultants, giving clients greater confidence that they’re selecting experienced professionals who have demonstrated success on previous engagements.
Common Mistakes When Hiring eLearning Developers
Even experienced learning leaders can run into problems when hiring an eLearning developer. Avoiding these common mistakes can save time, reduce revisions, and improve the quality of your finished course.
Hiring Based Only on Authoring Tool Expertise
Knowing Articulate Storyline or Rise 360 is important, but it doesn’t guarantee someone can build an effective learning experience. Look for developers who can demonstrate sound instructional design practices, creativity, and problem-solving—not just technical proficiency.
Skipping the Portfolio Review
A resume tells you where someone has worked. A portfolio shows what they can actually produce. Ask candidates to walk you through several projects, explain their role, and discuss the challenges they solved.
Assuming Every eLearning Developer Is Also an Instructional Designer
Some eLearning developers build courses from detailed storyboards, while others also analyze learning needs, write content, and design instructional strategies. Make sure the candidate’s skills align with the work you need completed.
Failing to Define the Project Scope
Before hiring, clearly define your audience, learning objectives, deliverables, timeline, review process, and required authoring tools. Clear expectations help prevent misunderstandings and change requests later.
Not Discussing the Review and Revision Process
Ask how revisions will be handled before the project begins. Agreeing on the number of review cycles, approval process, and communication expectations helps keep projects on schedule.
Overlooking Accessibility Requirements
If your organization requires accessible learning, verify that candidates have experience designing courses that support accessibility standards such as WCAG. Accessibility is much easier to build into a course from the beginning than to retrofit later.
Choosing the Lowest Rate Instead of the Best Fit
The lowest hourly rate doesn’t always result in the lowest project cost. An experienced eLearning developer who understands your industry and requires less oversight may complete the work faster, produce higher-quality deliverables, and reduce the need for revisions. Focus on overall value and project fit rather than hourly rate alone.
Conclusion
Hiring the right eLearning developer isn’t about finding the person with the most software certifications. It’s about finding someone whose technical skills, communication style, instructional design knowledge, and project experience align with your organization’s goals. Taking time to evaluate these areas upfront can reduce project risk and improve the quality of your learning solutions.
Next Read
9 Things to Consider When Hiring eLearning Developers
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Frequently Asked Questions About
Hiring an eLearning Developer
What should I look for when hiring an eLearning developer?
Focus on relevant experience, technical skills, portfolio quality, communication, instructional design knowledge, project management abilities, and references.
How much experience should an eLearning developer have?
Rather than focusing only on years of experience, evaluate whether they’ve completed projects similar to yours and can demonstrate measurable results through their portfolio.
How do I evaluate an eLearning developer's portfolio?
Look for work that resembles your project in complexity, audience, and design style. Ask the developer to explain their role, the tools they used, and the business problem the training was designed to solve.
What are the most important things to consider when hiring an eLearning developer?
When hiring an eLearning developer, evaluate more than technical skills alone. Look for relevant project experience, a strong portfolio, proficiency with the authoring tools your project requires, instructional design knowledge, project management and communication skills, cultural fit, responsiveness to feedback, and positive client references. The best eLearning developers combine technical expertise with the ability to collaborate effectively and deliver engaging learning experiences that support your business goals.
