When hiring a remote developer, it’s important to thoroughly evaluate their skills and experience to ensure that they are a good fit for the job and your team. Here are some steps you can take to evaluate a remote developer’s skills before hiring:

1. Review the developer’s portfolio: Look at the developer’s portfolio of past projects, and take note of the technologies they have used, the types of projects they have worked on, and the quality of their work.
2. Check their online presence: Look at the developer’s online presence, including their LinkedIn profile and other social media profiles, to see their professional background and experience. Also, check for any open-source contributions and any personal projects they may have.
3. Conduct a technical interview: Ask the developer to complete a technical test or conduct a technical interview, during which you can assess their knowledge and understanding of specific technologies and programming languages.
4. Ask for references: Ask the developer to provide references from past clients or employers, and reach out to them to get a sense of the developer’s work ethic, communication skills, and ability to work in a remote setting.
5. Test the developer’s communication skills: Test the developer’s communication skills by setting up a call or meeting to discuss the project and their qualifications. This will give you an idea of how well they can communicate and work in a remote environment.
6. Check their time management skills: Remote developers need to be self-motivated and able to manage their time effectively. Ask the developer about their experience working remotely and how they manage their time and tasks.
7. Assess their problem-solving skills: Assessing the developer’s problem-solving skills is essential, as remote developers need to be able to work independently and come up with solutions to problems on their own.

By following these steps, you can get a good sense of the developer’s skills and experience and whether they would be a good fit for your team and project. Additionally, you can use tools like code review platforms and have them participate in pair programming sessions to have a better understanding of their skills.