How to Hire an Android Developer? A Step-By-Step Guide
Are you planning to level up your business by launching an app for better customer interaction? If yes, you will need a top-notch Android app developer to build an attractive and efficient application. But how can you hire one? This blog will discuss how to hire an Android developer, tips to consider, and mistakes to avoid while hiring them.
Who is an Android Developer?
An Android developer creates applications for various devices that have an Android operating system. In addition to developing advanced applications, they design new app features, fix bugs to improve application performance, incorporate the latest technologies to increase efficiency, and unit-test code for reliability. To upskill your team, you can refer to an online Android development course.
How to Hire an Android Developer?
If you are looking forward to hiring an Android developer, here are the steps you need to follow:
1. Understand the Android Developer Role and Requirements
Learn about the role of an Android developer, its requirements, and how it will contribute to your project or business. Set up a team or assign the task of conducting basic research, to a dedicated professional on your team. Ask them to prepare a candidate profile for the job post which will help you draft a technical job description.
2. Draft a Technical Job Description
The next step is to prepare a comprehensive job description. Use the details acquired in the first step, add the technical requirements for the app development process, and prepare a description. Include details, such as job title, location, company mission and vision, responsibilities, required skills and qualifications, salary, and benefits.
3. Select an Employment Model
Deciding on an employment model is necessary as it impacts your budget-related decisions. You have to balance the cost of hiring and the cost of other resources. Usually, businesses hire in-house full-time professionals or freelancers.
Having an in-house professional is expensive, especially if you are a medium or small business or a start-up. A popular budget-friendly option is hiring a freelancer as they charge on an hourly or project basis.
4. Conduct Pre-Screening Tests & Technical Interviews
When hiring an Android app developer, ensure you test the technical skills of the potential candidates. Conduct pre-screening tests, review portfolios, and hold technical interviews to assess the knowledge and skills of potential hires.
If you are considering hiring a freelancer, you can check their GitHub profile for the types of projects they have developed. You can refer to these top Android developer interview questions to ask the candidates you screen.
5. Discuss the Agreement and Sign the Contract
Once you have finalized the candidate, proceed with a discussion on the agreement. Now, this can vary depending on the employment model you decide to go with. If it is an in-house development team, you can discuss terms of employment and salary and proceed to sign a contract.
If you decide to hire a freelancer, discuss details like timeline, budget, and format of meetings. It is important to sign a non-disclosure and privacy agreement with a freelancer to ensure a safe and secure app development process.
To further refine your recruitment process, you can refer to these recent recruitment trends.
Tips to Hire the Best Android Developers
You might think hiring developers means simply looking for people with coding skills. But it is much more than that. Here are some tips for hiring the best Android developers.
Search for Expert Developers With Skills & Knowledge
Hire expert Android developers who know programming languages (Java and Kotlin) and Android Studio, have experience with databases, understand business processes, and have proficiency in APIs.
Examine Previous Projects
Ask for a portfolio and examine the projects that the potential hire has worked on before. Analyze their design abilities, the functionalities they have added, and their overall capabilities in Android development.
Emphasize Innovation and Creativity
Every app aims to provide a user-friendly and wholesome experience to its users. You would want that too! But how will your app fare better than the competition? For this, look for an Android developer who has an innovative approach and can create an efficient app that provides you with a competitive edge in the market.
Analyze if They Can Work in a Cross-Functional Team
The Android developers are required to work with product managers, UI/UX designers, business analysts, and quality assurance engineers to develop the final product. Therefore, you should choose a developer that has the ability to collaborate in a team-oriented environment.
Check References
Check the references provided by the candidates to get insights into their experience, work ethics, and work quality. References are a way to know the kind of companies the candidates have worked for before and where their expertise lies.
Mistakes to Avoid While Hiring Android Developers
The following are some common mistakes you must avoid while hiring Android developers.
Prioritizing Cost Over Quality
A common mistake people make while hiring is selecting an Android developer on a low budget. This can affect the quality of your app. The inexperienced developers you hire at a low cost can lead to buggy app development, and fixing these issues might cost you more. Therefore, don’t compromise on quality while hiring an Android developer.
Hiring a Developer With No Experience in Releasing an App
Think twice before hiring an Android developer who has not yet released an app. It is because only the developers with such experience know about the application publishing process, the security features, and the tools and libraries to maintain the app. Hiring a developer with prior experience is preferable.
Not Signing a Privacy Agreement
Privacy agreements specify user rights, data collection, usage, and sharing policies and outline security measures to protect user data. When you do not sign this agreement with the developer, you put your application users’ data at risk.
Hiring Developer With Bad Communication & Time Estimation Skills
Do not make the mistake of hiring a developer who will not provide you with timely updates and miss deadlines often. It can affect the development process and lead to delays.
Not Discussing Post-Development Support
Another mistake while hiring an Android developer is not discussing the post-development support you want. There is a possibility that the developer will refuse to solve any app-related issue later. This is because there was no discussion about the duration of work, payment, responsibilities, and other factors for the period after the app development.
Therefore, discuss all the details related to post-development support before hiring the developer.
Conclusion
You now know how to hire an Android developer and to be wary of making common mistakes while hiring one. With the simple steps mentioned above, you can easily hire the most suitable candidate to develop an Android app with great features for your business.
Did you find this blog useful? Let us know in the comments below. Also, to write an eye-catching description, you can refer to this job description guide.
