# How to Screen Developers on GitHub Before the Interview

> How to screen developers on GitHub in minutes: which signals matter, which to ignore, and a repeatable checklist before you book a call.

- Canonical: https://www.realgreatdevs.com/guides/how-to-screen-developers-on-github
- Target query: how to screen developers on github
- Funnel: middle
- Published: 2026-08-06
- Tags: screening, github, technical recruiting

Screening on GitHub is not about becoming an engineer. It is about not wasting interviews on profiles that fall apart when you open a repository.

This is a recruiter-ready checklist you can run in two to five minutes per candidate.

## Set the bar to the population

Across large skill groups in our index, the median developer has about **24 public repos, 42 contributions in the last year, and 8 followers**. Daily-green graphs are not the norm.

If you reject everyone below "active every day," you are filtering for open-source lifestyle, not competence. Calibrate with the [GitHub sourcing guide](/guides/github-sourcing-guide) baselines.

## The five-minute screen

### 1. Recency (30 seconds)

Sort repositories by recently pushed. Look for activity in the last 6–12 months.

**Pass:** ongoing work in the stack you care about.
**Fail:** last meaningful push three years ago, unless the role is management-only.

### 2. Substance over count (60 seconds)

Ignore raw repo totals. Open the largest non-fork project with a real README.

**Pass:** describes what the project does and why; has structure.
**Fail:** dozens of empty tutorial repos named `my-first-react-app`.

### 3. Commit hygiene (60 seconds)

Skim recent commits on that project.

**Pass:** messages that explain intent; steady cadence.
**Fail:** 200 commits titled `update` on one weekend, then silence.

### 4. Code smell without being an expert (60 seconds)

Open two source files.

You are not grading algorithms. Check:

- Are names readable?
- Is there any test directory or CI config?
- Does it look copied wholesale from a course?

**Pass:** organised, intentional.
**Fail:** single 2,000-line file with no structure, or obvious homework dumps only.

### 5. Collaboration signal (60 seconds)

Click Issues or Pull requests they filed on *other* people's projects.

**Pass:** clear bug reports, constructive review comments.
**Fail:** only drive-by "thanks" comments, or hostile threads — note and probe in interview rather than auto-rejecting.

This fifth step is the one most screeners skip and the most predictive of how someone behaves on a team.

## What to ignore

**Follower count across languages.** C and Bash communities show higher medians than JavaScript. It is network shape, not talent.

**Stars on a viral toy.** Popularity ≠ production quality.

**Green squares alone.** Private monorepo workers look "inactive" and may be excellent.

**Long language lists.** Fourteen languages usually means tutorials. Prefer depth in the two you need.

## A simple scorecard

| Signal | Weight | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Recency in target stack | High | Last 12 months |
| One substantial repo | High | README + structure |
| Commit quality | Medium | Intent, not spam |
| Tests / CI present | Medium | Especially for senior IC |
| External PRs / issues | Medium | Collaboration proxy |
| Followers / stars | Low | Context only |

Decide "advance / hold / reject" from this table before you write the email. Do not invent new criteria mid-pipeline.

## After the screen

**Advance:** send a short, specific note naming the repo you liked — [email templates](/guides/how-to-email-developers).

**Hold:** good overall, wrong stack depth — keep for a different role.

**Reject:** no need to message. Spend the time on the next profile.

## When GitHub screening is the wrong tool

- Role is primarily people management with little coding expected.
- Candidate works in a regulated environment that forbids public code.
- You already have a strong work trial ahead; then screen lightly and let the trial decide.

Otherwise, five minutes here saves fifty minutes in a wasted interview. Pair with [Boolean search](/guides/boolean-search-for-recruiters) to build the list, then this checklist to cut it.