Tips on Hiring Java Developers

For many years, Java has been among the most widely-used programming languages. Now it’s more common for Android app development. So, are you one of those who are looking for Java developers? Wondering how to hire Java developers? In our article, you’ll find useful tips on how to go through the recruiting process successfully.

Java Developers: Levels, Skills, and Responsibilities

What does a Java developer do as a project team member? It typically depends on the project goals and requirements, but below are the key responsibilities that a Java developer will have regardless of a company or position:

• Design, develop and maintain Java-based applications;
• Write well-designed and clean Java code;
• Ensure that functionality complies with specifications;
• Prepare the releases of software components;
• Transform customer requirements into specifications;
• Support continuous improvements of Java apps.

Before describing your project’s position, you may consider the common responsibilities mentioned above. In addition to Java developers’ responsibilities, you may be interested in the must-have technology stack. Here are the basic skills required for every Java developer fresher, but you need to understand that the list is not complete and will vary, depending on the project needs and levels of expertise:

• Object-Oriented Programming (OOP);
• JQuery, Ajax, JSON, CSS, HTML;
• Abstract classes and serialization;
• Java EE components: Servlets, Java Beans and Java Server Pages;
• Java Testing Tools: Selenium and TestNG;
• GitHub Version control;
• Relational Databases, SQL, and ORM technologies.

It’s also common to distinguish Java developers according to the levels of their expertise that include:

• Junior Java developers
• Middle Java developers
• Senior Java developers
• Lead Java developers

Where to Search for Professional Java Developers

There are three options to hire a Java programmer for your project:

• Hiring in-house Java developers
• Hiring remote freelancers
• Turning to an outsourcing Java development company

Below you will find the recommendations on each of the three ways with their advantages and disadvantages.

In-House Java Developers

To staff your in-house team with Java developers you can find potential candidates on such job portals and social communities as Glassdoor, Indeed, Linkedin, Careerbuilder, Monster, ZipRecruiter, and others. To match with the right talent you need to define the project requirements properly to be able to screen the applicants’ resumes. Hiring in-house specialists are perfect if you need a long-term dedication and commitment to building in-project expertise. With in-house staffing, you’ll have face-to-face communication and manage all the project’s issues. Still, the recruitment process might take longer than expected, so if you need to launch a project faster, you’d better consider other hiring options. Besides, in-house Java developers will cost you more than outsourcing as you need to pay salaries, sick leaves, bonuses, provide medical insurances, and other social benefits. Thus, in-house staffing is not a good idea for short-term projects.

Freelance Java Developers

An alternative option to hire Java developers is finding freelancers on platforms and marketplaces, including Toptal, Hired, Fiverr, Upwork, Stackoverflow, etc. Freelancers are ideal for small projects with a fixed scope of work when you need Java skills for a certain period or extend your in-house team with additional labor resources. Moreover, it’s much cheaper to hire freelancers compared to in-house staffing: you pay fixed rates for the work done. Still, it isn’t a good idea to hire freelancers for large long-term projects because there are potential risks related to less commitment to the project, low retention rates, no immediate replacement in case of sudden absence, etc.

Outsourcing to Java Development Companies

Finally, you can outsource your Java development project to a software development company. To find top companies providing Java developers you can look through listings with reviews on Clutch, TheManifest, Goodfirms, Techreviewer, 99firms, etc. Outsourcing development companies typically offer different engagement models, including dedicated teams and staff augmentation, so you can choose which one perfectly suits your project goals. Along with reduced costs, you get access to Java developers with relevant expertise and can easily start your project development as fast as you need. With outsourcing services, you not only streamline the development process but can also scale your team if necessary with no need to retain the project release.

How to Conduct an Interview

The Java marketplace is huge. So you need to be well-prepared to acquire the right talent for your project. When hiring Java developers, you’ll have to interview your potential team members. You need to conduct a one-on-one interview to identify the candidate’s hard and soft skills to properly understand if the one matches your project. Here are a couple of useful tips to hold interviews with Java developers.

Technical Questions or Identifying Expertise

To determine if the candidate has the required competencies for the project, you need to think of over technical questions to ask your candidates. It’s worth noting that by ordering outsourcing services, you may skip the interviewing process and trust it to the company’s recruiters. Still, you need to have a clear understanding of how it works. Since Java development is a broad area, each position has specific responsibilities and requirements to the technology stack. Still, below are the common recommendations that will help ask the right questions regardless of the position:

• Eliminate asking ‘’yes/no’’ questions. They imply short answers, so you won’t be able to learn more about the candidate’s experience.
• Don’t ask leading questions that will make your candidates understand the expected answer. For example, instead of asking, ‘’How do you feel about working individually on your project?’’ ask ‘’What are your working habits?’’
• Ask questions to find out if the candidate is equipped with basic technical terms. Some of the common questions to find out the Java expertise are:

1. What’s an abstraction in Java?
2. How are JDK, JRE, JVM different?
3. What are the access specifiers in Java?

Testing Soft Skills

Soft skills are as important as technical expertise. Conducting a one-on-one interview allows you to understand what kind of person the candidate is. The goal is to identify how communicative the person is and how he or she will cooperate with your project team. Are they interested in helping you reach your application development goals? What’s their previous experience working with a team? To test the person’s soft skills you may also suggest some possible situations they may face while working on the project and ask them what they’ll do.

Summary

Thus, if you are looking for a Java developer for a Java software development project, you’ll need to:

• Prepare a detailed job description based on your project requirements.
• Determine the tech skills required for our project.
• Decide what level of competency is enough for you.
• Define the way you will hire Java developers.
• Interview your potential candidates.