With new revolutions and developments in the IT industry, a number of new positions have been born. Fullstack engineer is one of them. Companies are preferring hiring a full-stack engineer for the overall technical solutions for their product. In this blog, we will tell you about 7 expert recommendations when hiring a Fullstack Engineer in today’s IT industry.
Hiring a full-stack engineer is a game of skills. In today’s IT era, the more skills you have in your stack, the more you are likely to be chosen for big projects. Hiring a full-stack engineer for even smaller projects seems logical in a way to cover all the targets with 1 or 2 full-stack developers. A full-stack developer is a programmer who has the expertise of both ends to offer smooth user experience and this is the reason they are in great demand today and hiring a full-stack engineer is the big trend in the It industry right now.
A full-stack engineer understands the business requirements behind a feature and then takes “full responsibility” on the application. Though hiring a full-stack engineer is not that easy and there are a number of things to be considered before getting a one onboard. Today, hiring a full-stack engineer is of paramount importance because business owners want to get off their technical burden so that they can focus on thriving the business. This is when the true value of the full stack arises.
Before looking at the expert recommendations of hiring a full-stack engineer, let’s take a brief account of What is a full stack developer. In layman’s terms, a full stack web developer is a coder who can work with both front-end and back-end technologies. A full-stack software engineer builds a site or any web application completely by applying techniques and business logic. A full-stack developer gives an overall infrastructure to the software. If you are hiring a full-stack engineer, this is a basic construct that you have to know. A full-stack developer is the one who apprehends the whole full-stack web development process and can weigh in on any stage or tier. As a side note, this kind of full-stack web developer could be very useful to startups.
“You are a computer. If you become front-end you’ll count the likes on social media. If you become back-end you’ll be breathing deep on a mountain. Listen! one life man. Become a Full-stack.”
Let us get you through what a full-stack engineer entails and what are the recommendations when you are hiring a full-stack engineer for your next emerging project/application.
1. Good with Git
Git is considered as one of the supreme version control systems which a full-stack engineer has to be good with. While hiring full-stack engineers, it is important to check whether they know how to work with Git and have their profile on Github or not. It is a must-have for all full-stack developers working independently or even in a team to have their profile on Github and the complete knowledge of Git which is an open-source web-based repository hosting service that aids effective management of the changes made to applications, websites, codes, documents, and other information relating to application development.
Recommended Reading: When and Why does your Business needs to Hire Full Stack Developers
Proficiency with GIT allows programmers to keep track of every minor change made to the application codebase. A full-stack developer who uses a version control software discovers a new universe of security, productivity, and organization. Experts recommend checking whether one is good with Git or not before hiring a full-stack engineer. If not, then he is not the one. If he knows how it works, then he would be able to cooperate with other software developers, web developers, and programmers working on the same project successfully.
2. Technical Head
Full-stack developers work in both backend and frontend so being a technical ‘head’ is a must to head the technical part of the project. They should have a comprehensive understanding of the project requirements and cater to the needs more efficiently. For building web applications, one needs to store the data somewhere that can be accessed later. Otherwise, none of it makes sense. For this, you must hire a full stack developer who understands the benefits of memory storage, relational databases.
Full-stack developers need to be capable of making the right decisions, which proves to be effective for the project’s success. Full-stack developers should be proficient to beat the database management with the capability to create, understand, and manipulate the database query.
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One more thing that differentiates a good full-stack engineer from others is the skill to differentiate between non-relational and relational database along with the syntax knowledge of XML/ JSON. They often play the role of a captain of the ship who is anchoring the software ship through different paths.
3. Computer Polyglot
A full-stack developer is the one who performs brilliantly, both on the back end and the front-end. And therefore, it is mandatory for a full stack developer to be well-versed in all the computer languages. The developer must know JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, and should be expert in any of the back-end development languages. It is important today to have a command over JavaScript because it is one of the most popular object-oriented scripting languages on the Internet today which is widely used for a scripting language to add behaviors using HTML.
Language is something that grows with time. The same is with computer languages too. In JavaScript too, there are new and better libraries, frameworks, and tools that you have to know. It is the only language that runs natively in the browser, and can also be used on the server-side (i.e., along with Node.js). The Full Stack developer needs to have very in-depth knowledge about the JavaScript framework and its features, such as Angular or React. Since it offers exquisite features such as functions, prototype, higher-order event delegation, and closure to make web pages responsive. Hence, full-stack software engineers should be comfortable with the required technologies which lay the foundation of the web development project.
4. Lender of last resort
Like a central bank that lends money to banks or countries in difficult financial periods when they cannot borrow from anywhere else, Full stack developers provide full-stack web development to clients or companies when they are in technical needs. They are like a solution-finder to any possible situation, the one who can manage and direct smaller teams.
Experts recommend that while Developing an MVP or Commencing a Project, It is good to start with an individual full-stack developer who can begin from scratch and work with all the application components to create excellent web apps. To develop a Minimum Viable Product(MVP), you can easily bet on good full-stack engineers to turn your idea into a fully functional prototype.
One of the many advantages of hiring a full-stack engineer is that they can literally save a lot of your money when the budget is going right. Yes, when you have a tight budget in hand and cannot afford the services of a specialized developer for different roles like frontend and backend, full-stack developers come to your rescue. A full-stack engineer is Worth the cost of at least two developers (1 front-end, 1 back-end dev). You don’t have to pay separately to each front-end and back-end developer, instead of hiring a full-stack developer will suffice your requirements.
5. Web Architect
One important skill to be considered while hiring a full-stack engineer is his ability to see the ‘Big Picture’ because it is not just about seeing how each brick fits into a wall but how that wall supports other parts of the building. A full-stack engineer builds software with the strong walls of code. Like it is a bonus when a civil engineer is also an architect, similarly, a full-stack engineer who also is a web architect is a man to count upon endless IT solutions.
As said before the full-stack developer handles both the sides; the client and the server along with UI design etc. Therefore, he must possess knowledge of HTML, CMS, and JavaScript. For the Front-end, he must be well acquainted with JavaScript frameworks like Angular, React, or Vue.js. or tools such as Grunt, Gulp, and Bower. He needs to get updated on JavaScript libraries like jQuery or Backbone.js. The knowledge of AJAX and front-end CSS frameworks like Foundation or Bootstrap would certainly be an added advantage.
Therefore, the full-stack developer that you look to lead your project technically, must have adequate knowledge and understanding of the business needs besides the technical terms.
6. Jack of all trades, master of one
A full-stack developer is someone who can specialize in developing and maintaining the various aspects of web development that include the client-side, the server-side, and the Dev-Ops as well. As a client, you also need to take care of hiring a full-stack engineer who is competent enough to handle the big picture of the scenario and well-versed in all the three activities.
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A full-stack developer needs to have a grasp on a few major technologies. He or she should be well versed in a single language but should know other languages too. However, at the same time, it is important to note that all full-stack developers are not sailing on the same boat. They possess basic knowledge of the stack and specialize in a particular domain of the stack. We can cite the examples of MEAN, LAMP, ROR, and ASP.NET technologies.
Hence, a full stack web developer is a jack of all trades and master of one. A good full stack developer knows everything about full-stack web development to the database to the user interface to user experience. He or she possesses expert command over both back end and front-end languages and technologies.
7. Experienced Player
If you think that the one who is proficient with the above mentioned 6 skills is the Full Stack developer you should hire then you are mistaken. As a client, you must go through the portfolio of a full-stack developer and access his previous works and projects to see his potential. You also need to keep in mind that the full-stack developer you hire is not only talented in creating visually appealing app designs but they should be functional too and run optimally fast. So while hiring a full-stack engineer, go for a serious candidate who has diverse experience on the resume and a portfolio site of his own.
In the end, experience matters, it is all about creating a good product and hiring someone who has worked on relevant projects. Look for someone who has worked on large scale projects with good experience in the industry. An experienced developer must have a good portfolio of previous projects, before hiring, ask him to show the work samples or the website links so that you will have an idea about his skills. It does not mean eliminating inexperienced developers, they are starting in the industry and willing to learn more on the job so you should give them a chance on smaller projects if they have all the other skills. Hiring a productive full stack developer might be a tiring job and it would certainly take some time but remember, in the end, it would be worth it.
“It’s better to wait for a productive programmer to become available than it is to wait for the first available programmer to become productive.”
The more complicated projects, the more skilled full-stack developers you need. Often, new tech projects require more of an investigator and solution-finder kind of developers, rather than of direct action. Recruitment managers know that hiring a good full stack developer could be a challenge. To overcome this challenge, you can hire full-stack developers from EngineerBabu directly. from EngineerBabu ensures that the developer is an expert as well as experienced in delivering world-class products.