How to Hire a Java Programmer: Complete Guide

Overview of Why java developer

Since its inception, Java is consistently amongst the list of popular programming languages, and hiring a reliable and skilled Java developer is a common requirement of various organizations. The trend to hire java developers is steadily on the rise among employers due to its portability and simplicity. A Java application is portable and can run on multiple platforms. It is a programming language supporting OOP features along with JIT compilation. Java is a universal language and is useful in many walks of life.

It is necessary to understand that due to its multi-faceted applications, a basic certification course hardly fetches any brownie points unless for an entry-level Java developer role. Java is coming up with new features and frameworks frequently, making the prior knowledge obsolete. So, a person with experience in the latest frameworks and libraries should be preferred to take advantage of the recent features introduced by Java. The library usage reduces the coding time and costs by providing pre-written codes for common functions. Remember, the newer the version and framework, the lesser the coding effort.

Hiring an apt Java developer is a tricky task, and this post exhibits the steps to hire an appropriate Java developer. Let us start with how to screen a suitable resume from a pile of Java developers.

Preparation and screening

The most critical aspect of the hiring process is the screening of resumes fit for the open role. All the information required to screen apt profiles is already available in the resumes, but it’s not a cakewalk. While screening the resume, one encounters technical terms like JSP, Hibernate, JPA, etc. The technical recruiter should know whether it is a Java component, Framework, Build Tool, Application Container, or Testing Tool. This knowledge helps you to finalise keywords for screening candidates as per the requirement. her criterion for screening could be the Java certifications earned by the potential candidates. However, just having a certification is never proof of a developer’s skillset.

The certification scores may be over-rated or under-rated due to several factors e.g. the platform or IDE used for examination. An experienced programmer knows that the code for this thing is available in the public domain and he/she need not waste time on the same. This could result in lower scores for that experienced programmer. Apart from this, some certifications ensure only theoretical knowledge of a concept, whereas clearing others might need a substantial amount of technical expertise. The technical recruiter should be aware of these certifications and their relevance in judging technical expertise.

Apart from this, a technical recruiter should give preference to the candidates having experience in similar kinds of projects or one who has participated in open-source ones. Open-source project contributors are usually valuable assets for any organisation.

Interviewing

The resume itself is not sufficient for judging the technical expertise of a potential candidate. So, interviewing each shortlisted candidate is a must for taking the final call on the candidate. This process helps the recruiter in assessing the candidate’s knowledge of Java. The preliminary interview can be done telephonically or using a video call for taking a call on whether to call them for a face to face interview with the technical team. The right questions asked here can save a lot of time for the technical team.

The questions can be framed depending on the position open, desired technical skills, and experience required. The questions that can be asked might be regarding the candidate’s past stint with Java projects, his opinion on a specific framework, libraries commonly used, etc. Some behavioral questions should also be asked to judge the problem-solving skills and leadership quality.

Hiring

While hiring dedicated java developers, various skills need to be tested depending on the type of profile. For an entry-level role, one should check the proficiency of the candidate in Java; especially the object-oriented concepts. Knowledge of servlets, threads, garbage collection would be a plus. For a junior developer profile, the candidate should have experience of around 2 years. this profile, excellent coding skills along with knowledge of JavaScript is a must. For hiring a senior developer, an experience of 3 to 6 years is desirable. Optimization of code, knowledge of J2EE along with exception handling, expertise in SQL queries, and memory management should ideally be tested. For hiring a Java Architect, the experience of more than 5 years and in-depth knowledge of multithreading, exception handling, J2EE, Hibernate, Session interfacing, design patterns, and SQL is needed.

What are the Best Practices when Hiring a Java developer?

While looking for an apt Java developer, the following best practices should be followed:

Look at the Right Places: The first question that needs to be answered is from where to hire java programmer? LinkedIn is the first place where recruiters look for Java developers. But, there are online communities and niche forums like GitHub, Stack Overflow, etc. which can give you a fair idea about the level of expertise of the participating developers as people usually use these platforms for showcasing their technical knowledge. Apart from this, Java hackathons and conferences give the recruiters a chance to personally meet with developers and also to expand their network.

A proper JD does the trick: The specific skills that you are looking for in a prospective Java developer should be clearly mentioned in the Job Description. This would reduce your screening efforts as candidates possessing these qualities will ideally apply for the position. The JD should ideally include the experience required, the skill set needed, the domain of the project, KRAs, etc.

Check Java Certifications: There are various types of Java certifications that are usually acquired by Java developers to validate their knowledge and prove their technical worth. Having an in-depth understanding of these certifications saves a lot of time for the recruiter, thereby eliminating inapt candidates during the preliminary screening itself.

Proper Assessment of Skills is a must: The prospective Java developers should ideally have knowledge of JVM languages, frameworks, and tools for building, testing, and designing Java programs. Apart from this, a strong foundation of object-oriented features and concepts of the advanced level is also needed. The skills and technical knowledge of a developer can be assessed by arranging their technical interviews with the team lead or the project manager. Apart from this, a practical round should also be taken to judge his coding and debugging skills. This also helps us in identifying the quality of code written by the candidate.

Outsourcing as a Gateway to the Best Java Talent

Though Java is the need of the hour for large enterprises and businesses often opt to hire dedicated java developer to immediately tackle any issues thereof, but there are various plus points for hiring an external agency for the development. Companies usually outsource Java development work to save on cost, time and often to compensate for lack of technical expertise. Asian countries, especially India is a popular outsourcing destination for Java projects due to the immense talent pool of software engineers. One can sum up the pros of outsourcing as follows:

• The overall cost of the project cuts down substantially if one outsources the Java development task.
• One doesn’t need to spend on technology, infrastructure, and lavish systems.
• A lot of time is saved as the outsourcing team is working on the project so you can now focus on other significant tasks.
• The team selection is a complicated task and each wrong choice adds to the project cost. Thanks to outsourcing, now this is not your headache.
• One can resolve their queries by talking to customer support at any time.
• You are free of HR and administrative issues. You just need to monitor the overall progress of the project.
• You do not need to compromise due to technical inefficiencies as you can rightfully ask for a specific feature in the project.

Why Choose Nevina Infotech for Enterprise Java Applications Development

Let us try to understand why large enterprises should opt for a Java development company as their preferred partner. There are various reasons for the same. Some of them are as follows:

• Although Java is an object-oriented language, the newer versions of Java support the latest paradigms of programming such as anonymous functions, lambda expressions, support for modular applications, etc. Moreover, the enterprise edition eases out the enterprise app development process substantially.
• Java is apt for enterprises as it is known for its performance and speed whereas enterprise applications often face these issues while serving many users simultaneously.
  The rich libraries of Java facilitate a wide range of features. In addition to this, it speeds up the development process as well.
• Java is a versatile language and can be used to develop a host of applications including mobile apps and that for embedded devices.
• The security features of Java are impenetrable and it keeps on adding new tools in its armory with every new version.
• Java is a simple and flexible language with features like reusability of code, in-built rich libraries, etc. that saves developer’s time which in turn reduces the overall development cost.

Conclusion

Java is a reliable platform for developing secure enterprise-level applications due to which often organisations hire java developers on a frequent basis. However, while hiring a Java developer, one should not fall prey to fancy certifications and degrees. Instead, proper screening based on your requirements followed by a telephonic interview and then the technical interview should be the flow. While hiring a Java developer key parameters that should be assessed includes certifications, work experience, domain experience, behavioral skills, and technical expertise. To conclude, hiring the right developer makes or breaks the project.

FAQ’s

Do I need technical expertise as a recruiter for hiring a Java developer?

One should at least be familiar with the tools used for developing a Java application along with the key features offered by Java.

Should I hire a dedicated team or shall I outsource my Java project?

Most of the time, it is better to delegate the task to an external agency. But, if you have the required technical expertise, one could develop a Java application in-house as well.

How to check the credibility of a Java developer prior to finalizing him?

One can talk to the previous clients or employers of the developer. One can also check the review and feedback of his earlier projects if he was a freelancer.

How do I shortlist 10-15 candidates from a pile of 100 resumes?

Do some groundwork and find out keywords from the JD. These keywords can be used to filter out unwanted candidates.

Why is Java a good choice for an enterprise application?

The flexibility, simplicity, robustness, versatility, and security features make it the perfect choice for an enterprise application.