How to Hire a Back-End Developer? – The Ultimate Guide

According to a recent study, there will be 28.7 million developers in 2024 around the world. These developers specialize in three major domains: front-end, back-end, and full-stack development. If you are looking for a professional who can create and implement the server-side logic of your website, software, or application, you should consider hiring a back-end developer. In this blog, we will explore a step-by-step guide on how to hire a back-end developer.

How to Hire a Back-End Developer?

On average, companies spend 63% of their development budget on creating new software. A usual development project takes about 4.5 months to complete. If you are spending this considerable amount of money and time on development projects, it is crucial to hire the best talent for efficient and high-quality results.

Here are steps you can follow how to recruit the best back-end developer for your organization.

Step 1: Identify Your Organization’s Back-End Developer Requirements

The first step is to identify the organization’s back-end developer requirements. Assess the need for the development project, its objectives, and workforce and technology requirements. Certain factors are taken into consideration when preparing a detailed list of requirements, such as: 

• Type of development project (application, website, software).
• Budget of the project or team.
• Identify skill requirements to enhance the collective skills of the team members.

Step 2: Prepare Back-End Developer Job Description

The next step to hire back-end developer you need to draft an engaging job description. It will provide candidates with all the necessary information to apply for the job. Your job description should include the following details: 

• About the Company
• Job Title
• Job Description 
• Key Responsibilities
• Qualification and Skills 
• Benefits and Perks
• Call-to-Action (How to Apply) 

You can refer to the software developer job description to draft a description for back-end developers similarly.

Step 3: Post Back-End Job Vacancy

Once you have the job description ready, the next step is to reach out to potential candidates. Check out the blog on how to create job vacancy advertisements to prepare an engaging job post and attract more candidates to recruit right back-end developer. 

You can utilize different methods like posting on hiring platforms like Internshala, social media, job boards, etc., to advertise your job vacancy. If you wish to hire independent professionals, you can check out some of the best platforms to hire freelancers for your company.

Step 4: Assess and Shortlist Candidates

You will start receiving the applications post advertising a job vacancy. Now, the task is to assess and shortlist candidates to make the final decision. The assessment process comprises majorly the following steps:

1. Review Applications

You can create a review process to sort the applications. Your job description will help prepare a requirements checklist based on which you can filter out the unqualified candidates. The applicant tracking system also helps with this task.

2. Evaluate Technical Skills

One of the essential steps when hiring a back-end developer is to evaluate the technical skills of candidates. Let us discuss what skills you should look for in a potential back-end developer.

• Proficiency in Back-End Programming Languages: You should hire a developer proficient in back-end languages like Java, PHP, and Python. These languages help create the server-side logic of the application.
• Knowledge of Back-End Frameworks: Various frameworks support the back-end coding of an application. Therefore, a developer should know how to work with back-end frameworks like Node.js, Express.js, and Django. 
• Well-versed with Databases: A back-end developer should also be well-versed with databases and database management systems. These are essential for relational mapping where data is stored and retrieved in an application from a database.
• Understanding of Front-End Technologies: Having a basic understanding of front-end technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS is necessary for a back-end developer. It helps in the integration of the front-end and back-end functionalities in an application.
• Server Handling: Since a back-end developer deals with the server side of an application, they should have a great command over handling the server. You should hire a developer well-versed in server-handling tools like Kubernetes, Apache, Docker, etc.
• Understanding of APIs: Various APIs are used to establish connections between different applications and provide a better user experience. Hence, the backend developer you hire should have an understanding of popular APIs like JSON, REST, etc.

3. Personal Interview

You should conduct personal interviews with shortlisted candidates to evaluate their personalities and knowledge of the domain. It will help you understand whether they are a cultural fit for your organization or not. 

The different types of questions you can ask in an interview are as follows.

1. Common Interview Questions: You should begin the interview with common personal interview questions such as the following:
   • Tell us about yourself.
   • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
   • Why should we hire you?
   • Why do you want to work with our organization?
   • Where do you see yourself in five years?
2. Technical Questions: Here are some technical back-end development questions you can ask the potential candidates during an interview: 
   • Define the purpose of the back-end development. 
   • What is object-oriented programming?
   • What is the difference between a process and a thread?
   • What is exception handling?
   • What is a web server?
   • Differentiate between software design and software architecture.
   • How do you ensure the scalability of a software program?
   • What are NoSQL databases?
   • How do you test software?
   • What is a constructor?
3. Behavioral Interview Questions: These questions help you assess the soft skills and personality traits of a candidate. Some behavioral interview questions you can ask in an interview are: 
   • Tell us your experience of working as part of a team.
   • How did you handle challenging situations in your previous job?
   • Have you ever worked on a project completely by yourself?
   • What does a day look like for you as a backend developer?
   • How do you receive and work on feedback?

4. Examine Back-End Developer Portfolio

Checking the portfolio of a candidate is an essential step in the assessment process. This way, you can examine the kind of work a candidate has undertaken before. You also get to assess their skills and know if they are the right fit for your organization.

Step 5: Finalize the Candidate and Make a Job Offer

Finalize the candidate by taking all metrics into account, including their educational qualifications, skills, and experience. An essential step you must undertake is to check their background and references. 

Background checks mainly involve data verification, which is necessary to confirm the accuracy of information provided by the candidate. To perform the background check process, you can  ensure proper verification in the following way:

• You can ask for references from former colleagues, employers, or university professors to gain insights into their work history.
• Request a brief review of a candidate’s work performance from their previous employers.
• Online tools like GoodHire, Checkr, Zinc, RefNow, etc., can be utilized for conducting reference and background checks.

Once you have made a decision, extend a job offer to the candidate. Draft a professional offer letter intimating the selected candidate about their selection and employment details. Discuss the final salary offer and decide an amount comfortable for both parties involved. If you are a startup and wondering how to hire back-end developers, refer to this hiring guide for startups.

Step 6: Onboard New Hires

The final step is to onboard the new hires to familiarize them with the company culture and working environment. Inform the new back-end developers of their work duties, working hours, coding standards they should follow, resources at their disposal, etc. The most important thing is to introduce them to the team. If they have any questions, answer them to clear their doubts and ensure smooth communication.

Conclusion

Having a well-defined hiring strategy is essential when it comes to finding the right backend developer for your team. By carefully considering your requirements, and budget, and aligning your organization’s vision with the hiring process, you can ensure that you attract and hire suitable candidates who will contribute to the success of your projects. Follow the essential details provided in our guide on how to hire a back-end developer to ensure a successful recruitment process.  

You can hire developers on Internshala and post the job listing free of cost. Also, check out how to improve the recruitment process guide to streamline your hiring process.