How to Hire Top Developers

Whether you’re building a website, a mobile app, or a software-as-a-service (SaaS) enterprise application, you’ll need a developer familiar with the technology and programming languages required to bring your project to life.

So, how do you hire developers? The following are some tips for finding top development consultants on Rayness Analytica.

How to shortlist development professionals

As you browse available development consultants, developing a shortlist of the professionals you may want to interview can be helpful. You can screen profiles on criteria such as:

• Technology fit. You want a developer who understands the languages, tools, and technologies needed to bring your software project to life.
• Project experience. Screen candidate profiles for specific skills and experience (e.g., an ASP.NET developer experienced with microservices).
• Feedback. Check reviews from past clients for glowing testimonials or red flags that indicate what it’s like to work with a particular developer.

How to write an effective developer job post

With a clear picture of your ideal developer in mind, it’s time to write that job post. Although you don’t need a complete job description as you would when hiring an employee, aim to provide enough detail for a contractor to know if they’re the right fit for the project.

Job post title

Create a simple title that describes exactly what you’re looking for. The idea is to target the keywords your ideal candidate will likely type into a job search bar to find your project. Here are some sample developer job post titles:

• Seeking a React developer to build a dynamic SPA
• Mobile developer needed for cross-platform app (Ionic)
• Need a full-stack developer for an enterprise app built with Oracle

Developer project description

An effective developer job post should include:

• Scope of work: List all the deliverables you’ll need from mobile apps to websites.
• Project length: Your job post should indicate whether this is a more minor or extensive project.
• Background: If you prefer experience with specific industries, software, or developer tools, mention this here.
• Budget: Set a budget and note your preference for hourly rates vs. fixed-price contracts.

Developer responsibilities

Here are some examples of developer job responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and deploy software
• Test and debug code and third-party integrations
• Translate technical specifications into functioning code
• Update and maintain software post-production

Developer requirements and qualifications

Be sure to include any requirements and qualifications you’re looking for in a developer:

• Proficiency in desired programming languages (e.g., PHP, Python, Java, JavaScript)
• Experience with desired version control system (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, SourceForge)
• Proficiency with desired software test suite (e.g., Selenium, Karma, Jira)
• Familiarity with SDLC (software development life cycle)

Developers FAQ

What is a developer?

A developer designs and builds software applications. Software development can cover everything from websites to mobile apps to code running on embedded systems such as microcontrollers and IoT devices. That’s why it’s important to narrow your developer search to the specific technical needs of your software development project.

How much does it cost to hire a developer?

The first step in determining the cost of hiring a developer is to define your needs. Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.

Cost factor #1: project scope

The first variable to consider when determining scope is the nature of the work that needs to be completed. Not all development projects are created equal. Creating a simple WordPress website for your small business will typically take less time than building a secure enterprise SaaS app that services thousands of customers.

Tip: The more accurately your job description describes the scope of your project, the easier it will be for talent to give you accurate cost estimates and proposals.

Cost factor #2: developer experience

Choosing the right level of expertise for the job is closely tied to how well you determined the scope of your project. You wouldn’t need an advanced developer to build a simple UI component for your landing page. On the other hand, adding augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) capabilities to a cross-platform mobile app will require specialised skills.

Beyond the experience level, you need to consider the talent's type of experience. The following table breaks down the rates of the typical kinds of developers you can find on Rayness Analytica.

Rates charged by developers on Rayness Analytica

Types of Developers	Description	Hourly Rate
Web developers	Front-end, back-end, or full-stack developers are experienced in building websites and dynamic single-page apps (SPAs). Use site builders such as WordPress or front-end frameworks such as Angular and React.	$30-90+
Software developers	Developers experienced with building SaaS projects, enterprise apps, and desktop applications. Experienced with C#, Java, or Python and software development platforms such as ASP.NET, Oracle, and AWS.	$30-90+
Mobile developers	Developers experienced with building mobile apps for iOS, Android, or both. Experience with languages such as Swift for iOS or Java for Android and cross-platform frameworks such as React Native and Ionic.	$30-90+

Cost factor #3: location

Location is another variable that can impact a developer’s cost. It’s no secret that you can leverage differences in purchasing power between countries to gain savings on talent. But it’s also essential to factor in hidden costs such as language barriers, time zones, and the logistics of managing a remote team. The real advantage of sourcing talent remotely on Rayness Analytica is the ability to scan a global talent pool for the best possible person for the job. Location is no longer an obstacle.

Cost factor #4: independent contractor vs. agency

The final variable regarding talent cost is hiring an independent contractor vs. an agency. An agency is often a “one size fits all” model, so you’ll usually have access to a designer, a project manager, an engineer, and more. When hiring individuals, you have total autonomy regarding who is responsible for which part of the project, but you’ll need to source each of those skills separately.

The trade-off between hiring individuals and hiring an agency is the personal administrative overhead you incur in coordinating tasks among all team members. Project scope and personal preference will determine which style better fits your needs.

Developer Tips and Best Practices

Consider test-driven development

Encourage unit tests during development and regression testing before deployment. A well-documented test suite that grows with your application will ensure you can update and maintain it with minimal downtime and disruptions. It’s better to catch code-breaking changes before you push a build to production.

Consider adopting TDD (test-driven development), an Agile development methodology that involves writing code iteratively in three steps:

• Red: Write a test for a software feature that fails
• Green: Write the minimum code needed to pass the test
• Refactor: Rewrite your passing code to best practices

TDD will help you maximise test coverage and encourage your development team to write well-documented, modular, reusable code.

Write DRY code

“Don’t repeat yourself” is generally good advice to follow no matter what software you develop. If you find yourself repeating the same piece of code repeatedly, it’s a good sign you could probably refactor that code into a more efficient implementation.

You can extend the DRY principle to the rest of your SDLC by automating repetitive tasks such as server provisioning and cloud resource configuration.

Stick to naming conventions and best practices.

Whether you’re a Java developer, a Python specialist, or a C# programmer, official documentation is a good place to look for naming conventions and best practices. Naming conventions, error messaging, proper code documentation, and other best practices make collaborating across distributed teams easier.

Following standard code guidelines and conventions for your developer ecosystem will make it easier for you to integrate into the developer workflows of different clients and projects. This will improve collaboration and prevent unnecessary conflicts and mistakes.