Backend developers play a critical role in any organization. Just like front-end developers are responsible for creating a website/app design, backend developers are the ones who manage the ‘behind-the-scenes’, such as managing databases, improving speed, etc. Both front-end and back-end developers work hand-in-hand. Backend developers are responsible to fix any technical issues that come up in an application.

Hiring a technical team can be a daunting task for recruiting managers – especially those who belong to a non-technical background. They mostly think about – what to ask a backend developer, how to interview them, how to conduct a technical assessment for backend developer, etc. If you are the one, then don’t worry – you’re not alone.

According to empxtrack, more than 52% of recruiters say that the most difficult part of their job is to screen candidates from a large applicant pool.

In this article, we will help you narrow down your searches to hire the right backend developer for your organization even if you have the least or no technical background.

Here are 5 tips that will help you find a quality backend developer for your organization.

Know Your Organization’s Requirement

First and foremost, know your organization’s requirements. The more precise you are, the more it becomes easy to hire a backend developer.

For example, suppose your organization specializes in app development, then you should look for someone who is well-skilled in backend programming languages, such as, PHP, Java, Ruby, Python, etc. Consider this as a top priority, as a backend developer you hire is responsible for database administration, addressing security, optimizing the application’s speed and efficiency, etc

Dig Into Their Programming Portfolio

Any passionate developer, no matter the experience is, should have a programmer portfolio. Portfolios are the best way to evaluate a backend developer’s technical skills. Reviewing their portfolio will also help you get an idea about which languages a developer excels in, and how passionate he or she is in their chosen field.

Apart from that, look out for how a candidate describes the context for each project: how did they integrate with other libraries or tools? Have they worked on unfinished projects?

So, going over a candidate’s portfolio, looking for their previous project’s source code prior to an interview, can serve as a basis for discussion and help you construct important questions to use during the hiring process.

Review Their GitHub Account

GitHub is a precious resource when hiring front-end as well as backend developers. It is an online platform where developers work on open-source projects and contribute to other’s initiatives.

As a recruiter, you can start by checking simple metrics on a developer’s GitHub account such as:

1. The number of followers
2. Joining date – as an indication of their experience
3. The number of repositories a candidate has to get an idea for the type of projects they have worked in
4. Their public activity is shown through the number of contributions made to the site (pull requests, commits, issues opened)

Unfortunately, GitHub is not a resume. Although, it’s the best way to peep at samples of backend developer’s work such as mobile apps, games, plugins, etc. Additionally, you will get an idea of which programming languages a developer is experienced in.

Coding assessment

Conducting a backend developer skill assessment test will help you gauge the skills of a backend developer.

They enable you to evaluate a large pool a candidates efficiently. It filters the best candidates using auto-evaluated tests.

From this coding test, you will get an idea of whether a candidate is fit for your organization’s needs.

Coding Interview

Once the candidate passes the coding test, the last step is to interview them. Now you might be wondering about what to ask a developer when I belong to a non-tech background? Here is the checklist of the skills that you must examine when interviewing a backend developer:

1. Technical skills: Check whether a developer excels in backend programming languages, such as Python, Angular, Java, etc.
2. Time-management skills
3. Must be creative
4. Problem-solving skills
5. Communication skills
6. Good grasp of their area of expertise

Always remember to consider soft skills along with technical skills, which makes a candidate the best fit for the company.

Essential Skills Every Backend Developer Must Have

Here are some of the skills that every backend developer must possess.

Python
A backend developer must be well-skilled in all the aspects of python. In today’s world of technologies, python is one of the most prominent languages used in the development of an application.

A developer must have experience in handling complex projects with equal ease and has been deployed across different industries, such as healthcare, finance, travel, etc.

Java
Needless to say, Java is one of the primary programming languages, which is used for front-end as well as backend development. A candidate with great proficiency in Java can outshine among all the other candidates.

Undoubtedly, Java is an incredibly useful skill for backend developers – it’s a high-performance language that supports object-oriented programming and can run in any system that supports a Java Virtual machine.

PHP
A great backend developer must have hands-on experience in PHP – the most common and usable server-side language in the development sector.

Generally, PHP is used for web development. If your organization provides web development services, then you must look for a candidate who is well-experienced in all the aspects of PHP.

SQL
SQL is a must-have programming language that every backend developer must possess, as it is associated with manipulating databases. It is used to store information through means other than a relational table.

As such, backend developers would do well if he or she excels in SQL programming language.

What’s your strategy for hiring a great backend developer?

Hiring the right development team has a massive impact on your website/app success. Backend developers provide the architecture to give your website/app visitors a great user experience.

So, it’s important to consider all the above-mentioned steps as a priority and it is worth taking the time to find the right talent for your upcoming or existing project.