JetBrains developed the Kotlin programming language to improve coding performance, code safety, and developer satisfaction. Since its release, Kotlin quickly became one of the most popular programming languages, replacing Java in several projects.
Because Kotlin is now among the languages of choice in the Android development community, it’s rather challenging to hire Kotlin developers. At the same time, there’s huge competition in the market for the best talent, and it’s harder to find and retain Kotlin experts.
Hiring the best Kotlin developers isn’t easy and doesn’t happen overnight. Preparing for the recruitment process takes time, careful planning, and understanding what skills the project requires.
How to Work With the Top 1% of Kotlin Developers in Your Time Zone
The Kotlin programming language is a Java alternative for Android development. It’s a modern, concise, and safe language that combines object-oriented and functional programming. Because it’s compatible and interoperable with Java, developers have the ability to integrate major Java libraries and frameworks into Kotlin.
Kotlin developers typically write code cleanly, faster, and across different platforms. Apps made with Kotlin remain less likely to crash and are easy to scale, which explains why popular big tech names like Slack, Airbnb, and Pinterest use it.
Finding good Kotlin developers is rather tricky, and retaining them is sometimes even more challenging. To avoid the hassle of hiring in-house Kotlin developers, many companies make the smart decision to work with outsourcing companies.
Outsourcing Kotlin developers to top providers such as BairesDev is the best way to guarantee that companies get to work with the top 1% of Kotlin developers in their time zone. Companies that embrace this working model can take advantage of a wide range of benefits.
Working with an outsourcing provider allows companies access to an international pool of Kotlin developers at affordable prices. They get to save money in recruitment, infrastructure, and training costs and still get high-quality end products.
They’re also able to delegate Kotlin development tasks and focus on other duties, namely core business tasks. This ensures an increase in productivity that the company can in turn use to grow.
How to Hire Kotlin Developers: Considerations, Skills & Questions
Before You Hire a Kotlin Development Team
There’s a long path to go through before hiring a Kotlin development company. From determining the project’s needs to interviewing and hiring the right Kotlin developers for the project at hand, companies need to take some necessary steps.
The first step to hiring a Kotlin developer is gathering the project’s requirements. It’s important to understand how hiring a Kotlin developer will help fulfill specific functional requirements. The company also needs to determine the scope of the project, what tech stack to use, and which skills the right Kotlin candidate must have.
The company should know where to look for the best possible candidates for the available role. There are many different job-sourcing platforms to choose from, and some companies might even use many of them at once.
Employers can choose between hiring freelancers, in-house developers, or project outsourcing. All of these different recruitment models have their benefits and disadvantages, and not all of them are suitable for different types of projects.
Freelance Kotlin developers are a good option for short-term projects, small tasks, and companies with limited budgets. In this model, however, the company doesn’t have any control over the freelancer.
Tech companies that decide to hire in-house Kotlin developers want to build a strong core team and expand the company culture. In-house developers are typically motivated and committed to the development and growth of their products and the company as a whole. However, this comes with numerous costs, is rather time-consuming, and doesn’t give companies the same flexibility as outsourcing.
Kotlin project outsourcing has many benefits. This working model suits all types of companies, from startups to established businesses, and all types of budgets. Depending on a project’s scope, complexity, and duration, companies can choose between three types of outsourcing.
Smaller projects and delegated development tasks suit project outsourcing. Companies that need Kotlin developers with specific skills to integrate a particular part of a project can use staff augmentation services. If a company has no in-house developers and needs a whole team to work on a project from start to finish, they can hire an outsourced dedicated team.
Once the company decides where to source its Kotlin developers, they need to create a great job description. It should encapsulate all relevant information in a compact way that still grabs the attention of applicants.
A good job description is well structured and should communicate the job requirements, necessary skills, the developer’s role, and the different benefits and perks associated with working with the company.
It’s important to be as specific as possible when describing the developer’s role. This will help recruiters narrow the pool of candidates and avoid nonspecific applications.
Good Kotlin developers must be well versed in the language and many other necessary areas of knowledge. To evaluate the technical knowledge of candidates, recruiters can use live coding platforms where they can demonstrate their skills.
Having the most promising candidates undergo these technical evaluations will help the company screen the best ones for a one-on-one interview. The interview is the final step to understand if a candidate is knowledgeable in the Kotlin development field and if they’d be a good cultural fit for the company.
Skills to Look for in a Kotlin Developer
Good Kotlin developers have a good mix of hard and soft skills. They should have a solid foundation in the programming language and extensive experience in Java, Android-based development, front-end components, and server-side frameworks.
Having an analytical mindset, good communication skills and great time management is also a must. Developers need to be open to feedback, speak clearly, and be self-disciplined.
Kotlin
To write clean Kotlin code, a developer needs to be knowledgeable regarding this programming language. Most professional Android developers currently use Kotlin to help boost productivity, developer satisfaction, and code safety.
Java
Kotlin code is completely interoperable with Java. Kotlin developers can use it to execute Java code. This means that any developer who wants to create apps using Kotlin should at least have a basic understanding of Java and its main concepts.
Android SDK and Android Studio
Bundled with Android Studio, the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) is Google’s official integrated development environment (IDE) for the Android operating system. These are the main developer tools for Android apps.
Regardless of the programming language selected for development, the app needs to go through SDK to run on an Android device. This is why Kotlin developers need to know how to operate these tools.
Debugging and Testing
When writing code, running into bugs is inevitable. Crashes, exceptions, or minor issues can surface when running an app. Kotlin developers need to know how to quickly identify problems in code and fix them.
RESTful APIs and XML
Apps need to connect with back-end services and sometimes require connections with third-party integrations. This is why Kotlin developers need to have a solid knowledge of MVC frameworks like REST/RESTful web services, Extensible Markup Language (XML), and many others.
Analytical Mindset and Problem-Solving Abilities
Kotlin developers need an analytical mindset to detect patterns, interpret data, and choose the best solutions for each problem they encounter. Problem-solving abilities help them break down problems into smaller parts and find systematic approaches to discover new solutions.
Communication and Time Management
Good communication in development of any kind is crucial. Clear communication between team members and leaders saves time, reduces errors, and creates an overall better environment to work in, where teams can be successful.
Kotlin developers often work under tight deadlines, so it’s important for them to have good time management abilities. How they manage their time determines the success of the project and impacts their chances of career growth.
Top Interview Questions to Hire Kotlin Developers
Companies often resort to standardized interviewing processes to evaluate their candidates. They make sure to test the applicants’ subject knowledge, their technical expertise, and whether or not they’d be a good cultural fit for the company.
What are some key Kotlin characteristics that aren’t present in Java?
Development speed is faster using Kotlin because it inlines the lambda code, making compilation faster.
Kotlin has more comprehensive APIs and extension attributes and offers cleaner code structure and syntax support. There are no concurrency or synchronization issues in Kotlin, and its immutability gives it an edge over Java.
What is the difference between “val” and “var” in Kotlin?
Val defines the final variable. Its value can’t change once assigned. Var defines a general variable and its value is mutable, which means it can change after assigning.
What’s the use of the extension functions in Kotlin?
Kotlin’s extensions allow developers to extend a class without inheriting it. Developers can gain a class’s attributes without inheriting it or using a decorator design pattern.
What do you understand about null safety in Kotlin?
Null safety in Kotlin helps reduce null pointer exceptions in production code while it’s still executing. This feature helps the compiler distinguish between nullable and non-nullable references.
Hire Kotlin Developers — Final Considerations
Kotlin is the new preferred coding language used in Android development. Its interoperability with Java and highly advanced features make it a popular choice in a wide variety of development projects.
Finding a good Kotlin developer isn’t always easy, considering that they’re in high demand and that the competition among companies is fierce. This is why it is important to have a good recruitment strategy.
Companies should establish the project’s requirements and decide which skills they need to successfully complete it. They should create attractive and transparent job descriptions that grab the attention of the best-qualified Kotlin developers.
Good Kotlin developers should have a good mix of both hard and soft skills. Solid Kotlin and Java knowledge is crucial. It’s also important to be familiar with Android SDK and Android Studio, RESTful APIs and XML, and testing and debugging.
An analytical mindset and problem-solving abilities will allow a Kotlin developer to break down problems and easily find new solutions. Communication and proper time-management skills guarantee that a developer can perform under tight deadlines, working in an environment that’s prone to success.
The interview is the most crucial part of the recruitment process, where the company can evaluate their knowledge, technical abilities, and communication skills. Feel free to read our complete list of Kotlin interview questions and answers to help you evaluate your potential Kotlin developers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Kotlin developers in demand?
According to RedMonk, since 2019, Kotlin is one of the top programming languages. It’s considered the official language for Android, and its interoperability with Java makes it an extremely popular and in-demand language.
How much do qualified Kotlin developers make?
According to Glassdoor, the estimated total pay for a Kotlin Developer is $106,014 per year in the United States, with an average salary of $92,477 per year. Senior Kotlin developers may make up to $163,000 per year.
How much does it cost to hire a Kotlin developer?
The cost of hiring a Kotlin developer depends mostly on where they’re based. A Kotlin developer from the United Kingdom makes $72,000 per year, while the same expert in Poland makes $46,000 annually.
What does a Kotlin developer do?
Kotlin developers plan, design, and develop apps using the programming language Kotlin. They’re responsible for all development stages, testing, and debugging. They ensure the app complies with the specifications provided.
What is Kotlin good for?
Kotlin is a type-safe language that supports asynchronous programming techniques. It is good for mobile app development, web front-end development, server-side applications, and data science.
Expert Kotlin developers should be familiar with functional and object-oriented programming paradigms and comprehend how JVM operates. They should know how to implement extension functions, operator overloading, and immutability.
Hiring companies should also look for a solid understanding of static typing, type interface, and the different ways to declare a variable in Kotlin. It’s also important to have previous experience in writing and maintaining Kotlin code in a professional environment.
