Rust Developers Hiring Guide

Since 2016, Rust has been ranked the most-loved programming language in Stack Overflow’s annual survey of developers. In 2020, it was also named the fifth most-wanted language.

Created in 2006 by Graydon Hoare, a Mozilla employee, and released later that decade, Rust has gained enormous popularity. Mozilla, of course, uses the language, as do companies like Atlassian, Braintree, Coursera, Dropbox, Microsoft, Mozilla, Postmates, Xero, and many others.

Rust is a great choice for many projects, but you need the right developer with experience and skills. Here’s how to find and hire a talented Rust developer.

Rust Developers Hiring Guide 7

What Is Rust?

Rust is an open-source programming language that has a number of qualities such as safety and high performance, similar to C++. However, Rust offers some advantages over C++, such as user-friendly syntax and memory management, and safety without the use of garbage collection. Additional qualities and features include:

Concurrency
No segfaults
Parallelism
Zero-cost abstractions

There are many different applications for Rust, from operating systems to virtual reality (VR) to blockchain to gaming. Given its popularity, Rust has an enormous community that offers plenty of assistance with troubleshooting and provides advice and resources to fellow developers and enthusiasts. There are a number of frameworks and other tools available to aid development in the Rust ecosystem, too.

How Difficult Is It to Find a Skilled Rust Developer?

In 2019, GitHub named Rust the second-fastest-growing language on the site, having risen 235% in usage from the year earlier. And, of course, it has the distinction of being the most-loved language, as rated by developers on Stack Overflow.

This might suggest that it’s relatively easy to find a Rust developer, given its popularity. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple.

While many developers are eager to work with Rust, fewer actually have the requisite experience with the language. The learning curve is fairly steep, so it can be a difficult language to master. In fact, some developers describe it as the most complex language to learn out there.

That’s not to say it’s an impossible task — finding a talented Rust developer, that is. Because so many developers are enthusiastic about the language, there is a fair number that has experimented with it, and even more who are willing to learn it. There are also some who are already comfortable and skilled in Rust.

What to Look for in a Rust Developer

Of course, if you’re in search of a Rust developer, you probably don’t want to limit your search to those who are excited about learning the language — you want someone who has already worked with Rust. That’s probably the no. 1 quality on your list. You should also look for developers with experience in other languages, such as Java, C++, Python, and others.

A developer with strong teaching skills will be useful, too, so they can educate other team members on how to use this complex language. Soft skills, such as problem-solving, collaboration, and communication, are beneficial as well.

Interview Questions

What sets Rust apart from other languages?

Rust combines elements of several other programming languages, although it was not based on any of them, making it a wholly unique language in and of itself. Memory safety is one defining feature of Rust. The language achieves this without garbage collection. It also offers incredibly high performance, readable and easily executed syntax, and much more. Rust is less prone to defects and bugs, making it safer overall.

What are some defining features of Rust?

Rust offers a number of features, including:

Error management
Error notifications
Guaranteed memory safety
Minimal runtime
Move semantics
Pattern matching
Type safety
Zero-cost abstractions

When should you use Rust?

Rust has a number of applications. Blockchain systems are one example of technology that benefits from the language. Many operating systems use Rust, too — some are even written in the language, like Redox. Although not one of its main applications, game engines also sometimes leverage Rust. And the backend of web applications is often written in the language, too.

Ultimately, Rust is such a safe and high-performance language that it’s used in a vast array of projects, particularly those that demand these qualities.

When should you use Rust over C++ and vice versa?

Rust is often compared to C++. But the 2 languages diverge on a number of points. Rust is often used in place of its alternative when memory safety is vital, as well as when you want to avoid undefined behavior. It’s also a solid choice if concurrency is a priority. Plus, when both languages are fairly difficult to learn, Rust is considered the more accessible of the 2.

Meanwhile, there are some instances in which C++ is a better choice. For example, if you want plenty of tools like frameworks and libraries to help solve problems, you’ll find more options with C++, although Rust has some available. Game development is somewhat easier in C++ as well.

What is Cargo?

Cargo is Rust’s package manager. Most programs written in Rust leverage Cargo. It has a number of uses including downloading and handling dependencies, downloading and building libraries, creating packages for distribution, and uploading these packages to the Rust package registry, called crates.io.

Job Description

We are looking for an experienced, skilled Rust developer to lead blockchain and other critical projects as needed. You will be tasked with building products from the ground up and scaling and improving existing software.