How to Hire the Best .NET Developers
To hire the best .NET developers for your business, it is necessary for non-technical hiring managers and employers to first gain a basic understanding of the framework and its related technologies. Doing so helps managers make smart hiring decisions and choose the .NET developer that best suits their project’s needs and requirements.
In this article, you will find helpful information on the .NET framework as well as some useful guides and tips to effectively screen and interview your candidates.
.NET (pronounced as “dot net”) is Microsoft’s software development framework enabling developers to build various types of applications through its multiple programming languages, editors, and libraries. Software developers often referred to it as the most productive platform because it helps them quickly build high-quality applications such as web, mobile, desktop, and gaming apps and more.
.NET main programming languages are C#, F#, or Visual Basic. C# is a simple, modern, and object-oriented programming language. F# is an open-source and cross-platform programming language for .NET which also incorporates object-oriented programming. Lastly, Visual Basic is a language with a simple syntax ideal for building type-safe, object-oriented apps.
Here are the principal design features of .NET:
- Interoperability - With this feature, programs developed with .NET can access functionalities in programs developed outside .NET. The framework also provides a lot of backward support, which means that you can run an application built on an older version of .NET on a higher version.
- Common Runtime Engine - Also referred to as the Common Language Runtime. This feature does all the memory or work management. With the help of the Garbage Collector, the resources not used by a running program are released accordingly.
- Language Independence - Exchange of data types between two programs developed in different languages are allowed by the framework’s Common Language Infrastructure specifications (CLI).
- Base Class Library - A library of code for common functions which is used by programmers to save time and avoid repetitive writing of code.
- Ease of Deployment - Ease of Deployment tools package applications built on the framework and ensure the ease of installing programs without disturbing previously installed applications.
- Security - The .NET framework has an inbuilt security mechanism that helps in both validation and verification of applications. With this feature, .NET developers can explicitly define their security mechanism.
Why should you hire a .NET developer?
As previously mentioned, you will be able to build various applications and programs for different purposes. Specifically, these are the benefits and advantages you will enjoy from using .NET and having a skilled .NET developer in your team:
Build high-quality applications faster
Skilled .NET developers can utilise and incorporate the framework’s extensive class libraries, common APIs, multi-language support, and Visual Studio’s powerful tools to build excellent applications fast.
Build secure applications
A great .NET developer can help you build secure applications by leveraging the framework’s security benefits via the managed runtime. As Microsoft takes security very seriously, it offers a wide variety of services that help you prevent critical issues, such as bad pointer manipulation or malicious attempts to alter your compiled code.
Build an app for any platform
Developers who are highly proficient and experienced in .NET can help you build an application running on any platform.
.NET developers can maximise the framework to accommodate your development needs—whether you need a mobile application on iOS, Android, and Windows, an enterprise server application on Windows Server or Linux, or a high-scale microservice running in the cloud.
Find solutions to technical challenges easily
With .NET developers in your team, you are able to enjoy the benefits of .NET’s big community and large support organisation to solve problems that you may encounter throughout the development of your product. A skilled .NET developer knows how to incorporate libraries from the NuGet package manager, .NET’s partner network, as well as the Visual Studio Marketplace to efficiently solve problems and deliver the required results.
What kind of projects can a .NET developer work on?
First released in 2002, .NET is now a widely used framework because of its rich and powerful features, user-friendly user interface, and flexibility. Here are only some of the many applications and programs a .NET developer can help you build.
- Web applications - Web apps and services for macOS, Windows, Linux, and Docker.
- Mobile applications - Native mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Windows (which can be built using a single codebase).
- Desktop applications - Stunning and engaging desktop apps for Windows and macOS.
- Microservices - Independently deployable microservices that run on Docker containers.
- Gaming - 2D and 3D games for the most popular desktops, phones, and consoles.
- Machine Learning - Vision algorithms, speech processing, predictive models, and more that can be added to your apps.
- Cloud - Consume existing cloud services, or create and deploy your own.
- Internet of Things - Make IoT apps with native support for the Raspberry Pi and other single-board computers.
What technical skills should you look for when hiring .NET developers?
To find the right .NET developers, one of the most crucial factors that you must consider and look for in your candidates are their technical skills. In saying that, take note that you need more than just a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or any related field to know if a certain candidate indeed possesses the skills you need for your project.
Productive .NET developers are usually knowledgeable in a lot of libraries and frameworks, such as ASP.NET, MVC, or Entity Framework.
In detail, here are some essential skills and experiences that you must look for in your candidates and potential .NET developers:
- Experience with (at least one) .NET language (C#, F#, VB.NET)
- Libraries and .NET stack - ASP.NET MVC, for example, is a valuable web application framework for .NET developers as this will help them build fast and secure web applications.
- Client-side technologies (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) - Knowledge and experience in these technologies help the .NET developer understand both sides of the application, thus making him/her more versatile and flexible.
- Databases - Another skill that you may look for when screening your candidates is their experience in working with databases. .NET is compatible with many databases, but usually, experiences in working with SQL Server or Oracle will be useful especially in a .NET engineer role.
- Knowledge in code structure, architecture, and system design
- Knowledge in development platforms, frameworks, stacks and tools
- Knowledge in testing
Aside from technical skills, it is also a good practice for you to check if your candidate has the ideal soft skills, traits and work ethics you need for the role. Here are some of the top soft skills traits that great .NET developers commonly possess:
- Ability to work independently and in a team
- Resilience
- Creativity
- Flexibility
- Analytical thinking
- Excellent communication skills
- Logical thinking
- Willingness to learn new things
- Organisational abilities
WHY HIRE OFFSHORE .NET DEVELOPERS WITH CLOUD EMPLOYEE
