A Guide On How To Hire Back End Developers

 

Tech has always been around, but sometime in 2015, it peaked. Young people worldwide were considering careers in tech and exploring different careers in tech. One of the popular careers that most people go for is back end development.

Today, you could say the tech market is a bit saturated with so many people possessing tech skills trying to break into the market and get jobs. The recent layoffs spreading through the tech industry like wildfire have also contributed to the number of available skilled back end developers in the market, all looking for a job. 

This situation puts both employers and future employees in a testy situation. How do you hire back end developers that will be the best fit for your company from the pool of skilled back end developers? 

It’s okay if you don’t know because we do, and we’ll tell you how. But first, let’s look at the top back end developers’ skills.

Skills Needed To Be A Back End Developer 

Some of the foundational skills to have as a back end developer include the following: 

1. Knowledge of Data Structures and Algorithms;

2. Python;

3. Java;

4. HTML, JavaScript, and CSS;

5. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

How to Hire Back End Developers 

So, you need to hire back end developers, and you want one that’s great at their job and will be a great fit with your team. How do you go about it? 

We’ve outlined a guide to help you, from job ads to sending that offer letter.

Make a List of What You’re Looking For In A Back End Developer 

Hiring the right back end developer for your company begins with a note or document that outlines what you’re looking for. There are many skills and programming languages that back end developers are good at, but your business might need a developer who is stronger with JavaScript than python or CSS. So, make a list of the skills your business needs.  

To make this list easier and help you prioritise the important things, break it down into sections. These sections could be general skills, skills compulsory to have, people skills, and any other category that applies to your company. 

When your list is complete, the next step is to organise these ‘needs’ into a job requirement for a job ad.

Put Out A Job Ad

Now, things are getting interesting. When your requirements are ready, the next step is to draft a job ad. Writing a job description is one of the most important steps in hiring a back end developer. You need to be clear about what candidate you’re looking for to get quality applicants. More than that, your job description is also the first impression future employees have of your company. So, you need to put your good leg forward. 

Job ads are broken down into categories that break the information down and help applicants assess the information. It also helps the job poster outline what they’re looking for better. Here are the core categories to include: 

■ About the Company; 

■ Job Description;

■ Roles and Responsibilities;

■ Requirements; 

■ Skills; 

■ Pay and Benefits. 

The Pay and Benefits category isn’t mandatory unless you’re in states where you’re required to declare it. When writing a job ad, you must be clear about the job description, roles, requirements, and responsibilities. 

Next up is where to place your ads. This could be LinkedIn, your website, developer communities or job Boards like Indeed. You can also use the curated marketplace of the best pre-vetted developers like Deazy to ensure your project’s success.

Look At Applicant’s Portfolio 

Your job ads have started getting responses at this stage, and now you’re at the assessing stage. One of the things to look out for during this assessment stage is a portfolio. No matter how new or experienced, any back end developer worth their salt has a portfolio. It’s so crucial that having a portfolio should be a deciding factor. 

An applicant’s portfolio further highlights their skills, what languages they’re best at, and what kind of work they’ve done before. It also gives you a fair idea of how to proceed in an interview with them. 

When accessing their portfolios, look for tools they’ve used, the libraries they’ve accessed, and what projects were completed and which weren’t. Note some of their exceptional work in case you might want to question them about it. 

Another resource to look at in addition to the applicant’s portfolio is their GitHub account. You can find their collaborations and contributions to open-source projects.

Give a Coding Assessment and Interview

Half the work is done when you’ve shortlisted candidates who have what your company is looking for in a back end developer. What’s left is making shortlists until you end up with one candidate on the list. 

Whittling down the list begins with a coding assessment. Using coding test assessments are the easiest way to shortlist candidates from a long list. You can use software that uses tests to assess applicants and pass candidates who made a specific cut-off. 

Candidates who pass this test can move on to the last stage of the assessment – the coding interview. This coding interview is just a way to know your candidate’s technical skills. Some questions to ask are: 

■ Ask candidates about their problem-solving skills; 

■ Discuss time management; 

■ Ask the candidate for their technical skills. 

Have your questions outlined for this interview but also be ready to ask leading questions following up on a candidate’s response.

Check That Your Cultures Align 

Great developer or not, one thing that ensures that you’d have a great working relationship is company culture. Each company has a culture that every employee adopts. If an employee doesn’t fit in with this ‘vibe’, it wouldn’t matter how good they are at their job, everyone would be unhappy. 

If your team works in close-knit groups with frequent meetings and ‘work’ together, your hire has to be comfortable working in small close teams. These seemingly small details can throw off the ‘chemistry’ of the team, so it’s crucial they fit in.

Discuss Deadlines and Feedback 

You’re almost at the end of the road. But before you send out that offer letter to the newest team member, you need to discuss expectations. The role of a back end developer may include deadlines and feedback. Every role has this, but some people don’t handle deadlines and feedback properly, so it’s crucial you get that out of the way early. 

Ask questions about how they have handled tight deadlines and fallen behind them in past roles. Find out how they’ve handled negative feedback. Their responses will help you place them based on these two considerations.

Talk About Pay and Benefits 

If you’re at this stage with a potential employee, you’re sure this candidate will fill the role perfectly. What’s left is to figure out the pay and the benefits. You may discuss pay with the candidate. But before you do, do a little research on what the average back end developer is worth. Then, offer something within the ballpark range of that. Also, be open to negotiating with the candidate who may want to ask for more pay or benefits.

Send An Offer Letter 

Yay! Congratulations, you made it down the guide, and if you followed all the steps, you have a candidate ready to receive an offer letter. If you haven’t gotten it yet, talking to HR and sending an official offer letter is the last step.

Summary

Getting good talent in your company is hard, especially for a highly coveted role such as that of a back end developer. Our above guide helps hiring managers, recruiters, and business owners hire back end developers. 

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