Hire Kotlin Developer: Top 5 Tips on How to Choose the Best Specialist

As Kotlin grows in prominence, more and more businesses are eager to find and hire Kotlin developer. This is a modern programming language, and it’s Java-compatible. Thus, it makes it a perfect fit for developing Android and web apps.

However, it may be challenging to find the proper Kotlin programmer because of the language’s relative novelty. In our article, we’ll go over some crucial factors so that you are better prepared to browse through numerous CVs and have a successful interview that will result in you hiring a perfect employee.

Understanding Kotlin

Before we get into specifics and tips to hire Kotlin developer, it’s essential to understand the basics. Kotlin is a relatively new programming language. The inventor aimed to create a more straightforward and secure language compared to Java.

The biggest appeal of Kotlin is its concise syntax. It allows programmers to write more expressive code with fewer lines. Kotlin also offers a number of language features that make it more secure and dependable than Java. These include null safety and the support of numerous functional programming ideas and functions.

Kotlin and Java are exchangeable when working on app creation. Such a feature makes it simple to incorporate Kotlin into existing Java projects and allows Kotlin programmers to leverage the vast Java frameworks and libraries ecosystem.

Kotlin has grown in favor among Android programmers. Today, many of them choose Kotlin as an optimized substitute for Java when producing Android apps. Google formally declared Kotlin support for Android a few years ago, and numerous programmers embraced Kotlin for Android development due to its simplicity of usage, safety, and compatibility with existing Java frameworks.

We are confident that we have what it takes to help you get your platform from the idea throughout design and development phases, all the way to successful deployment in a production environment!

What expertise should a Kotlin developer have?

Hiring someone new is always a relatively stressful task. First, one must find a perfect employee to do the task. Second, the person must fit into the already existing team. And third, the individual must understand what the company stands for.

While the last two factors can only be determined after a personal interview, the CV of the potential hire may give a glimpse of the first one. Let us see what to pay attention to:

• Kotlin language skills. A good Kotlin app developer must produce clean, clear, and efficient code using language features.
• Understanding the Android app creation process. A skilled Kotlin app developer should have knowledge of Android development with Kotlin. A potential hire should understand how to work with numerous Android tools, including their convenient APIs. These digital skills help candidates with Kotlin Android development. Specialists should also comprehend how to complete mobile-optimized code.
• Understanding design patterns. A potential hire should be familiar with popular design patterns like Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM), Dependency Injection (DI), Model-View-Controller (MVC), etc.
• Experience with OOP. It’s object-oriented programming, and it’s a basic and crucial concept in software creation. Kotlin experts must understand OOP concepts to write reusable and clean codes.
• Understanding agile methodologies. Some of the native methodologies are commonly employed in the software creation process. Thus, a potential candidate must be aware of them.
• Experience and skills in testing and debugging. A potential hire should be able to create automated tests to check the quality of the code and employ debugging tools to find and correct any mistakes.

Look at the mentioned characteristics and skills in the CVs of people you consider hiring. Thus, you should narrow down your search to a few candidates.

Top 5 tips on how to hire Kotlin developer

Now that you have potentially filtered the list of hires to a few candidates let’s explore tips on how to hire Kotlin developer. Many of these steps require scheduling an interview to have a chance to see whether a potential hire has the necessary skills and fits into the team.

Check Kotlin experience

When seeking a Kotlin expert, pay closer attention to applicants who have prior experience with the language. While Kotlin is comparable to Java, it has fundamental distinctions that set them apart.

Seek people who have employed Kotlin on real-world projects. It doesn’t matter whether the solution was developed for a professional purpose (developed on demand in a Kotlin app development company) or it’s a personal idea to gain experience. In both cases, the candidate already has some experience.

It’s also a wise idea to check out the CVs of candidates who have contributed to open-source Kotlin projects, as this demonstrates that they have a thorough understanding of the language and are enthusiastic about it.

Seek experts with problem-solving abilities

When hiring a worker for this role, it is critical to evaluate their problem-solving skills. Seek people who can address complicated problems by using their logic and analytical abilities. During the interview process, can ask candidates to work through coding challenges or tasks to measure their problem-solving abilities.

Check Java experience

It would be a great bonus if the potential hire has Java experience or has worked in a Kotlin development company before. However, it’s not a disadvantage if the candidate didn’t work in such a company before as long as they participated in projects (personal or public) that required Java usage.

It’s especially crucial if your company utilizes Java code that the Kotlin developer must utilize. Seek applicants that have worked with Java frameworks, from Spring to Hibernate. Why, you may ask? Because these frameworks are widely utilized in Kotlin projects.

Look for communication skills

It’s critical to get in contact with candidates that have communication skills. Developer services require communication, whether the employee will work remotely or in an office in a team.

Seek applicants who can communicate clearly, both vocally and in writing. During the interview process, you can measure communication abilities by asking candidates to clarify complicated technical ideas in simple words or to provide examples of how they have communicated effectively in the past.

Choose an employee who shares your company’s values

The candidate must also be a cultural fit and share the values of your company. Consider applicants who you believe can effectively collaborate with your current staff.

Determine whether they fit by asking candidates about their work style, how they like to cooperate with others, and what their ideal work environment looks like. The answers should give you an insight into what type of person the candidate is.

Final thoughts

It is a relatively new language, but it is quickly becoming a popular choice for developers due to its flexibility and ease of use. So, if you want to hire Kotlin developer, you should understand the fundamentals of the said language. Moreover, it’s crucial to have a solid idea of the skills the potential candidate must possess. Hiring a specialist can bring great value to your team and projects, but it’s important to take the time to find the right person for the business.

Author

Alex Johnson

Total Articles: 120