How to Find and Hire a Java Development Team

Java is a living legend in the modern software engineering market. This old yet very dynamic and usable programming language allows you to create almost anything. However, practice shows that hiring a really good Java development team is not an easy task. At least, you need to know some background information on the market and its key practices. And, for sure, you should know where and how to look for professionals that have significant experience with this programming language. Fortunately, this article will come in handy. Here you will find everything you need to hire an excellent Java development team. 

What are Java developer types?

First of all, there may be different Java developer types that depend on their experience and qualification. If you want to build a quality Java development team, you should consider the qualifications of your developers and their seniority levels. The point is that different tasks require solid expertise, while others can be handled by specialists with basic skills. Typically, one can distinguish the following types of Java developers:

• A trainee who has a very basic understanding of the technology and is currently learning it. A trainee should always be accompanied by a more experienced tech specialist.
• A Junior developer who can be a graduate or a specialist with minor experience (usually, below 2 years). A Junior developer may be skilled enough to handle most tasks. However, such a specialist lacks experience and needs to work with a more experienced colleague to grant quality.
• A Middle Java developer, a person with solid experience. Still not experienced enough to handle the most challenging tasks but skilled enough to work with various supplementary technologies. Usually, a specialist needs at least 2-3 years of experience to become a middle Java developer. 
• A Senior developer, a solid professional with more than 4 years of experience in software engineering. This person should be ready to become a team lead. This means that a senior Java developer should show strong knowledge of all Java frameworks, an understanding of the crucial paradigms, such as OOP, DDD, and SOLID, and experience with security patterns. Strong knowledge of database, architecture, and design pattern theory is also required. 
• A software architect is a person responsible for Java app architecture. This professional needs to show all the skills of a senior Java developer. However, a software architect must move beyond them as he or she is required to communicate with senior managers, implement enterprise-level system solutions, and be capable of long-term software planning. 

What are the salaries of Java developers and what defines them?

Now that you know about Java software development qualifications, let’s clarify how much you should pay such specialists. According to PayScale, the average salary of a Java development team member in the USA is $$77,125 per year. However, these salaries may differ dramatically according to the skills of software development specialists. So, here are the main factors that shape both seniority levels and salaries of such specialists:

• Experience, which is the basis of a specialist’s qualification;
• Location, as different country-specific software engineering  practices and time zones matter;
• Essential skills that a specialist has mastered. 

But mind that very much will also depend on your project. So, estimating the cost of a project accurately may not be an easy task. 

Freelance, in-House, or Java development outstaffing service?

There’s always a great debate on what to choose between hiring freelance specialists, in-house developers, or a remote Java team. While all these variants are acceptable, they have their specific advantages. Make sure to decide on which is crucial to you before researching these advantages and making a decision. Here you will find a brief dive into the main benefits of each option. 

Freelance developers

Freelancers are specialists working from different parts of the world who are not necessarily members of the same team. Usually, you can find them on the corresponding freelance marketplace platforms.  If you go with a freelance option, you will receive the following advantages:

• Lower price;
• Access to a more significant talent pool;
• You pay only for specific deliverables. 

In-house teams

Meanwhile, the in-house option is, actually, about people who work in-house. In this case, you hire a team of developers that constantly stays in touch with you and is constantly attached to your project. Traditionally, in-house teams work from your premises and use the equipment you provide to them. As for now, these are the main benefits of in-house software engineering options:

• More organized monitoring process;
• Enhanced control over the process;
• Improved teamwork of the Java development team;
• Fewer communication gaps. 

Java development outstaffing service

And if the price for a traditional in-house development team is uncomfortable for you, you can always go with a provider of Java development outstaffing service. It goes about delivering your project to the team that resides in an affordable location. Ideally, you should find a reliable technology partner with a solid portfolio of successful software engineering projects. Vendors like this will provide a great team for your project. nCube is exactly such a partner because the team takes pride in its exceptional expertise with various solutions of different sizes and complexity. 

The main benefits of this approach to building a Java remote development are:

• Great quality at a moderate price;
• The process may be primarily supervised by remote managers;
• Your Java developers work as a team where everyone knows each other;
• You don’t need to pay for premises or equipment;
• Full control over high-level decisions and conformity to your specific requirements;
• Continuous direct reporting;
• Ability to decide on your level of involvement in the project.

All these factors make Java development outstaffing service the most popular approach in the remote business environment. 

A remote Java team: Questions to ask

While hiring a developer via providers of Java development outstaffing services like nCube, you will be a part of the interviewing process and make all decisions to hire. Thus, it’s best to take your time and interview candidates for your remote Java team properly. That’s when you get an opportunity to understand his or her proficiency level. These are some questions that may help you handle a quality Java developer interview:

1. What can you tell me about your overall Java expertise?
2. Which frameworks do you use?
3. What can you tell me about multithreading?
4. What libraries do you use and what are their benefits?
5. Do you know the Stream API?
6. What is the difference between a String, StringBuffer, and a StringBuilder?
7. What can you tell me about the printf() method in Java?
8. What is your experience with marker interfaces in Java?
9. What C++ features are missing in Java?
10.  How do you declare the class in the Java code?
11.  What is the difference between HashMap and HashTable?
12.  What is your experience with databases? 

Surely, there should be many more questions to ask potential members of your Java development team. These are just some general ones that will set you in the direction of an interview. 

Conclusions

So, now that you know the basics of hiring a solid Java development team, it’s just about time to start your market research. To save time, you can contact nCube and see if our model of cooperation suits you. The team we will build for you will know how to handle the most significant software engineering challenges and offer you a great combination of seniority, expertise, and affordable pricing – all the benefits of Java development outstaffing services. So, don’t hesitate, and get started with your software development project!