Python Developers: this is how you can find them

Python Developers: this is how you can find them

In an earlier article, we talked about Python development in India, and how a general purpose programming language that was founded way back in 1989, and released in 1991, is still the top choice among developers and businesses. The language is used consistently by businesses of all sizes, and is the perfect choice for web development, business applications, game development, web scraping applications and a lot more. Python will continue to be one of the most powerful languages ever, and hiring a team of developer who are experts in it would definitely take your business to the next level. 

Why do you need Python developers?

The question might seem simple, but the answer isn’t. Python developers actually do a lot of things. They act as:

• Web developers
• Software engineer
• Data science expert
• Machine Learning expert

Python developers can build applications, develop, debug and even handle data collection, analytics and design frameworks. Python can be used to develop a variety of projects, not just one type. Hiring Python developers would prove beneficial to your business because they can help you create projects with Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and more. 

There are skills to look for while hiring Python developers, technical and non-technical. And there are some role-specific questions to ask them so you can get a team or an individual developer worthy of doing your project. We will deal with all this and more in this article. 

Python is a very simple programming language, and it is easy to learn. But hiring a good developer is not that easy, as you need to consider their knowledge and skill level. A skilled Python developer will know about important Python frameworks lie TensorFlow or Django. They must also possess the highest levels of analytic skills to go far beyond. 

Skills Python developers should have:

If you are looking for an entry-level programmer, then you will get a developer who knows the basics, along with:

• Proficient in general Python syntax
• Basic knowledge of SQL
• Fairly good knowledge of SQL
• Very good knowledge of data structures
• Basic CSV skills
• Working knowledge with other web frameworks 

An entry-level programmer should be able to develop a simple app from scratch, preferably in Python itself. You can test this with them to make sure they know what they are claiming. 

For an intermediate level developer, with an experience period of 3-6 years, the knowledge level should be slightly higher, of course. For example, they must have:

• Thorough knowledge in building big data solutions 
• Excellent knowledge in objects oriented design, coding and test patterns
• Knowledge of working with cloud computing services
• Handle software platforms, both commercial and open source

For an expert-level programmer, with an experience period of 6+ years

• Can write complex logic in Python, conforming to industry standards
• Expertise in front-end technologies like hTML, JS and CSS3
• Familiar with ORM (Object-Relational Mapper) libraries 
• Knowledge of data visualisation tools like Tableau and Qlik
• Knowledge of Query languages like SAS, Hive, SQL, etc
• Expert knowledge in major cloud computing services
• Understand the importance of unit testing, possess debugging skills

So, looking at the above skill levels would give you an idea of what kind of a developer you would need for your project. There are different places where you would find the perfect, rockstar Python developer. StackOverflow and GitHub are the most highly rated, top-classes where you would find them. You can also directly contact the software development agencies so that it would be easier for you to hire them on a contractual basis easily. The payment structure would mostly be on-project basis, hourly basis or project-milestone basis. Even LinkedIn is a good resource for finding developers because there are so many developers groups and you are likely to find a talented one there. 

Since finding the right developer in such a large resource is not so easy, you need to make use of the facilities provided by the LinkedIn platform to hire the right talents. Make use of Talent Pool Reports to find talents in certain areas. For example, if you want a developer from a particular area or region, you can type that and you will be able to see the list of developers in that area, and the overarching supply and demand in that area. 

Sure, there is some task involved in hiring from LinkedIn. You will have to write great personalised InMails detailing the job requirement, just like in other job sites, and the best ones receive the quickest responses. Once the probable developers respond, you can set up interviews with the probable ones, and take on from there. Assess the technical and soft skills of the developer before you hire the right one. 

Hiring from GitHub and StackOverflow

GitHub

GitHub is one of the largest resources for finding developers with a wealth of knowledge. It is also a code hosting platform for software development and version control. 

How to go about it:

You have to create a profile on Github first. Once that’s out of the way, you can search as per the three main parameters – followers, language, location. This will give you a list of developers that you can reach out to. Once you see interested profiles, you can check them out in LinkedIn for cross reference. But you cannot take GitHub as the last judgment call for probable candidates because many programmers do not prefer to share their codes publicly. 

StackOverflow

StackOverflow is a question and answer website for professional and passionate programmers, and it acts as a knowledge base for them. This is a great place for finding Python experts because you can look at the answers given by the technical experts to the queries asked by fellow experts. 

How to go about it:

If you are looking for Python developers, you need to look for experts who are answering those questions. Developers have badges and reputation scores. You can look at the rankings to know whether they are ranked lower or higher. The questions themselves have tags attached to them, and by looking at these tags, you can reach the developers easily. 

Some interesting interview questions

As explained above, there are different skill levels for the developer, so the questions must be based along those lines. 

Interview questions that would help you check the credibility and knowledge of Python developers:

• What are Python modules?
• What is namespace?
• What are the fundamental Python features?
• Explain List, Tuple, Set and Dictionary (name places where they can be used)
• Why would you choose Python, and not (other programming languages)?
• What are the tools to use for debugging, linting and profiling?
• How is memory managed in Python?
• Name some tools that make code PEP 8-compliant?

Once you select a handful of candidates, you can analyse their logical, reasoning and analytical skills, their performance milestones and interpersonal communication skills 

Interesting Links:

What is a Python Developer?

How to become a Python Developer?

Pictures: Canva

The author: Sascha Thattil works at Software-Developer-India.com which is a part of the YUHIRO Group. YUHIRO is a German-Indian enterprise which provides programmers to IT companies, agencies and IT departments.