Hire Top Kotlin Developers

How to hire a Kotlin Developer for Your Project in 2022?

Kotlin is a cross-platform programming language developed by JetBrains. It is designed to increase coding productivity, provide code safety, and contribute to developer satisfaction. The number of Kotlin users has been rapidly growing since Google named it the preferred language for Android app developers. As of today, Kotlin stands among  the top 10 most loved and wanted programming languages. It is widely used by companies like Google, Netflix, Coursera, and Amazon.

If you’re looking to hire a Kotlin developer for your project, then this in-depth guide is here to help. We will share key requirements every Kotlin developer needs and places to look for the right person. In this guide, you will also find a job description template and questions for an interview.

Let’s start with the major roles and responsibilities of Kotlin developers.

What skills are needed for a Kotlin developer?

Before starting to search for a Kotlin developer, it’s worth making a technical hiring plan. Think of your project and its requirements to clearly understand what level of programmer you need.

Depending on experience, there are three main categories of developers: Junior, Middle, and Senior. All of them have different skill sets and responsibilities. We’ve gathered the most common requirements for each level programmer.

Let’s dive right in starting with an entry-level position.

Junior Kotlin developer

A Junior Kotlin developer is an entry-level programmer with up to 1.5 years of coding experience. Such specialists just completed their school or courses and don’t have a full-development cycle experience. When hiring Junior developers, keep in mind that they still have a lot to catch up on and require constant supervision.

However, Junior developers should be able to write and maintain code, monitor minor bugs and fix them, conduct development tests, and write reports. Here are other tech skills necessary for every Junior Kotlin coder:

·  Have up to 1.5 years of experience;

·  Good command of Java and Kotlin programming languages;

·  Practical experience in working with Android Studio and Android SDK

·  Conducting UNIT testing and bug fixing;

·  Knowledge of RESTful APIs and XML;

·  Ability to learn quickly.

Middle Kotlin developer

Middle Kotlin developers are coders that have between 2 and 4 years of experience. Since they’re more skilled in the sphere, they can work independently on tasks and solve various problems.

Mid-level specialists have more responsibilities and need to meet certain tech skills. Of course, depending on a project and company, requirements for Middle Kotlin developers vary, but here are the most common: 

·  Have at least 2 years of coding experience;

·  Familiarity with relational database concepts/structures and ability to write SQL queries;

·  Understanding of app lifecycle, architecture, and design principles;

·  Experience with version control;

·  Analytical mindset and problem-solving abilities.

Middle developers should be able to participate in all phases of the development cycle, actively collaborate with different departments, and write high-quality code.

Senior Kotlin developer

A Senior Kotlin developer is a highly skilled programmer with 5 or more years of development experience. Having a Senior software engineer on the team means having support during the development project. They’re the ones responsible for solving complex tasks and looking for business-oriented solutions.

When looking for a Senior Kotlin developer, ensure to consider both hard and soft skills. Here’s what you should pay attention to in the hiring process:

·  5+ years of working experience;

·  Working knowledge of cloud technologies (eg. docker, ECS, AWS systems);

·  Modern software engineering tools: git workflows, Gradle, load testing tools, mock frameworks;

·  Excellent knowledge of UX design principles, user-centered design, and accessibility.

Must-have soft skills:

·  Team leadership skills;

·  High level of responsibility;

·  Problem-solving and analytical thinking;

·  Advanced project management skills.

Kotlin developer hard skills

To become a Kotlin app developer, a programmer must have several essential skills, which include:

• Knowledge of programming languages

As Kotlin was designed to interoperate fully with Java, therefore, knowledge of these two programming languages and their frameworks is fundamental.

• Experience in Android SDK and Android Studio

Every Kotlin engineer needs to know how to use Android Software Development Kit and Android Studio, as they’re made to speed up the process of application development

• Knowledge of RESTful APIs and XML

When it comes to third-party integrations and connecting an application with backend services, a Kotlin developer should have a strong understanding of these technologies:

1. MVC frameworks such as Spring/Play;

2. REST/RESTful web services;

3. HTTP protocols;

4. JSON;

5. XML.

• Understanding of a software development cycle and design principles

Knowing what’s happening to the app at different stages and understanding key design principles let developers control each step and work more efficiently.

Kotlin developer soft skills

Interpersonal skills are just as important as professional ones. Here is the list of essential soft skills every software engineer needs:

• Communication and teamwork

Creating a product requires joint efforts from the team. Therefore, every Kotlin developer should be able to communicate efficiently with other people. It’s also important for a programmer to know how to talk about complex details simply.

• Problem-solving and critical thinking

Sooner or later software developers will come across a complex issue. When hiring a software engineer, pay attention to the ability to cope with problems, as this affects the project results. And critical thinking is necessary when it comes to choosing the solution that will work the best.

• Self-learning

Self-learning helps coders to stay up-to-date with current tech trends and news. A developer that is passionate about a subject will be able to identify the problem and quickly look for effective solutions on their own.

• Time management

Kotlin developers are working on a project that’s time-bound. Having good time management skills helps programmers to meet deadlines and give exact estimates.

Hiring a remote Kotlin developer

The remote work model seems to be beneficial for many companies, including giants like Twitter, Spotify, and Reddit. More than 52% of employees are considering the switch to a remote-only format. And the popularity of flexible work models is growing every day.

However, even if hiring a remote team feels like the right solution for your business, ensure to consider all the pros and cons.

Pros:

·  Boost diversity (you can get access to a broader range of experiences from different people worldwide);

·  Cost savings (hiring remote means reduced costs on office space, computers, and other amenities that the in-house team usually needs);

·  Ability to hire short-term (if you have a project that requires a specific specialist, then finding remote employees will be the best option).

Cons:

·  Management challenge (it’s harder to control the remote team and additional project management software may be required);

·  Lack of motivation (since there’s no active supervision and no colleagues around, keeping everyone motivated can be difficult);

·  Language and culture barriers (when you hire people from different backgrounds there is a possibility of miscommunication between the team).

Template for a Kotlin developer job description

Creating a job description is one of the initial stages of the search process. It helps to attract the right people to your team. To help you get started, we’ve made a universal template that you can customize to your needs and place on any internet resource.

Company introduction

Start by writing a paragraph about your business. Explain what you do, your goals, and your values. Don’t hesitate to showcase all the benefits of working with you as it helps to catch the eye of a potential candidate.

Position description

We look first and foremost for a (Junior/Middle/Senior) Kotlin Developer who is passionate about solving business problems through innovation and engineering practices. You will need to contribute your expertise to all aspects of the software development lifecycle by collaborating with our engineering team along the way. We’re looking for proactive people oriented to provide the best experience to the end-user.

What will you do

·  Work on the development of our applications;

·  Develop new products and software components;

·  Investigate and solve issues to increase performance;

·  Code unit testing to guarantee bug-free, dependable, and optimal user experience;

·  Work with APIs and data sources per the requirements;

·  (Add other relevant responsibilities here).

What will you need to have

·  Up to 1/2/5 years of experience in development;

·  Knowledge of the Android SDK and Android Studio;

·  Experience debugging Java/Kotlin native applications;

·  Knowledge of REST API and XML services;

·  Knowledge of version control systems and tools, such as GitHub;

·  Excellent time management abilities;

·  A critical thinker and analyst;

·  Self-motivated;

·  (Add other requirements).

What questions should be asked at the Kotlin developer interview?

The next hiring stage is screening through all the resumes and scheduling interviews with potential candidates. When planning an interview, be sure to include questions to evaluate both hard and soft skills. Here are some of them:

Hard skills questions:

·  Explain how Kotlin works briefly.

·  What are the main features of Kotlin?

·  How is Kotlin-Java interoperability possible?

·  Why did you choose Kotlin?

·  What are data types available in Kotlin? Explain them.

·  Does Kotlin allow us to use primitive types such as int, float, and double?

·  What is a data class in Kotlin?

Soft skills questions:

·  How do you keep your coding workflow organized?

·  Think of the most challenging project you’ve ever had. Tell us about it. Why was it challenging and what did you learn from the experience?

·  Tell us about a time when you disagreed with your teammates. How did you resolve the situation?

·  Describe your ideal working environment.

·  Think of a decision you made that turned out to be a failure. What was it? How did you handle it?

·  How would you explain Kotlin to your non-tech colleague?

·  What do you do outside of work hours to make yourself a better developer?

How to find and hire a Kotlin developer?

If you’ve decided to hire a Kotlin developer, here are some of the ways to do it:

·  Freelance websites

Hiring freelancers is suitable for short-term projects, small tasks, and in case you have a limited budget. Some of the platforms to look for freelance developers are Toptal, Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.

·  Job posting websites

The most well-known websites to post a job opportunity are Indeed, Glassdoor, and Hubstaff Talent.

·  Outstaffing companies

IT outstaffing agencies can provide different specialists for your project’s needs. As an employer, you don’t have to worry about paying employees health insurance, salary, bonuses, vacations, and other expenses. Outstaffing companies take care of such details.

·  Social networks

Professional social networks like LinkedIn allow you to look for candidates, see their portfolios and current experience.

How can we help?

Attracting new talents and training them has always been a huge challenge, especially in IT. That’s why we’ve decided to help companies connect with highly skilled specialists from different countries. It’s our mission to streamline businesses and help them achieve goals faster.

As our key benefit, we have an AI-backed employee management system to ensure developers will stay highly productive during the day. Our system generates daily reports to analyze productivity and get the full picture of employees’ work day. This way we can guarantee the most efficient remote employees for your project.