Java developers are in high demand. With millions of programmers worldwide, companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies are looking to hire Java developers to work on their projects.  

But, the market is filled with a lot of developers who claim themselves trustworthy and experienced. So, it takes a lot of work to find and hire Java developers that’s real one for your project. Don't worry! In this blog, we will explore skills to consider when hiring the right Java developers for your web and mobile app development projects.  

8 Skills to Consider When Hire Java Developers 

Object-Oriented Programming 

One of the top skills you need to look for in Java developers when hiring is object-oriented programming. It's fast and easy to execute.  

Here are a few OOP aspects: 

• Abstraction: It helps Java developers to hide irrelevant data to minimize complexity and increase efficiency.  
• Encapsulation: It binds data with the code to protect it from external manipulation. 
• Inheritance and composition: It allows programmers to reuse components and mix different objects to create a new object. 

In addition, Java heavily uses object-oriented programming concepts to provide a powerful and flexible programming platform. 

2. Familiarity with web technologies

If you need a robust and high-performance web app for your business, hiring a developer specialized in web technologies is a must. Java server pages allow Java developers to create engaging and dynamic web applications.  

To hire the best Java web developers, you need to consider basic skills such as Servlet, JSP and Java EE.  

Some of the Java technologies for web development are: 

• Angular 

One of the most popular front-end web frameworks is Angular. It provides several Java development tools and features. 

Angular helps create a single-page app, as well as native and advanced web software.  

• HTML, CSS, and JavaScript 

HTML creates web pages' core elements, and CSS helps style these pages. JavaScript adds interactivity and dynamic behaviour to these web pages.  

• Servlet API 

When it comes to creating and running web applications, hiring developers familiar with Servlet API is the right choice. Servlet API provides users with several interfaces, classes, and platform-independent services.  

3. Design and architecture

Whether it's about creating a web page, web app or mobile app, design and architecture play a vital role. Make sure you hire Java developers who fully understand these two aspects and their importance for unique solutions.  

Here are several design patterns: 

Creational design patterns 

Singleton, Factory, Abstract Factory, Builder, and Prototype are most popular design patterns Java developers must have expertise in. They support object creation techniques to build objects suitable for the situation. 

• Structural design patterns:  

These patterns include Adapter, Bridge, Composite, Decorator, Facade, Flyweight, and Proxy. They focus on the structure of classes and objects for larger structures. These structural design patterns simplify the design and identify relationships between different entities.  

• Behavioural design patterns: 

These patterns include Command, Interpreter, Iterator, Mediator, Memento, Observer, State, Strategy, Template Method, and Visitor. They deal with communication between objects and how they work together to perform a task.  

If you want to build robust and scalable software, hire Java developers to turn your design into functional architecture.  

4. Soft skills

Besides technical Java programming language skills, it's also essential to check the soft skills of Java developers before hiring them.  

Here are the most important soft skills to consider when hiring Java developers: 

Teamwork: 

Java developers will work with you and your team. So, they must possess the skills to cooperate and work with other team members. 

Good communications: 

Before hiring Java developers, you need to ensure they have strong communication skills. It'll help you meet the project needs and deliver satisfactory results on time. 

Time management:  

Another important soft skill to consider when hiring Java developers is time management. You need to ensure they are able to meet the project deadlines without compromising quality. 

5. DevOps skills

DevOps skill is essential to hire successful Java developers. It helps in continuous integration and deployment. Here are several benefits of DevOps tools: 

• Automate repetitive tasks 
• Ensure software reliability 
• Monitor and analyze software in real-time 
• Enhance scalability and software performance 

Here is a list of top DevOps developer skills to consider when hiring Java developers: 

• Jenkins is an open-source automation server that automates software development, testing, and deployment. 

Docker is a platform for building, deploying, and testing containerized distributed software. 

Git is a version control system for developers that allows them to collaborate on code, monitor changes, and manage source code repositories. 

Ansible is a configuration management tool that automates software provisioning, configuration management, and app deployment. 

Maven and Gradle are the two most popular build automation tools in Java development for managing project dependencies, builds, and releases. 

6. Database skills

Database skills are another crucial skill to consider when hiring Java developers.  

Some of the database skills include: 

• SQL: 

SQL (Structured Query Language) is used to interface with databases and retrieve, edit, or remove data. So, ensure your Java developers are familiar with SQL and know how to build complicated queries to retrieve and manage data. 

Database design: 

Java developers should know normalization, data modelling, and schema design ideas. Ensure they can create optimized databases for high performance, scalability, and maintainability. 

ORM: 

Before hiring Java developers, ensure they are experts in ORM frameworks such as Hibernate and JPA. These frameworks will help developers in mapping Java objects to database tables.  

Database administration: 

Java developers must have knowledge about strategies including backup and recovery, security, and performance. It'll help them ensure that databases work smoothly and efficiently.  

7. Software testing skills

Want to hire the top 3 % of Java developers for your project? Ensure your Java engineers are knowledgeable about the following: 

JUnit: 

It's a popular testing Java framework that helps in unit testing, such as testing individual code units or components. JUnit assists programmers in identifying and correcting errors early in the development cycle.  

TestNG: 

TestNG is a Java-based test automation framework with some additional features, including data-driven testing and parallel test execution. As a result, it can be used for unit testing and integration testing. 

Mockito: 

Mockito is a Java application mocking framework that allows developers to create objects that replicate real-world things. It's essential for testing code that depends on other systems or services. 

Selenium: 

As a popular web application testing tool, Selenium helps programmers automate web app testing services, including functional testing, regression testing, and load testing. 

Apache JMeter:  

It is a load-testing tool that is used to determine the web app performance. Apache JMeter enables Java build tool developers to find performance bottlenecks. 

8. Java Frameworks and Libraries

Another skill you need to consider when hiring Java developers is Java frameworks and libraries. Here are some popular Java frameworks and libraries: 

Spring framework: 

If you need the best frameworks for web applications and services development, Spring Framework is the right choice. It includes several features, such as dependency injection, aspect-oriented programming, and transaction management for web app development services.  

Hibernate: 

Hibernate is an ORM framework that simplifies database interactions in Java apps. It helps developers in mapping data objects to database tables. 

Struts: 

As an open-source framework, Strut provides Model-View-Controller architecture to separate the presentation layer, business logic, and data access logic of software. 

The Final thought! 

With the increasing popularity of Java, demand for Java developers is also increasing in the software development market. So, if you want to hire Java developers who have the relevant experience and skill sets, ensure they know the required Java frameworks, libraries, IDEs, Java latest versions and testing tools.  

If you need clarification about hiring Java developers with the right skills, get in touch with a dedicated IT staffing agency like VLink. With a large pool of talent and a seamless hiring process, they will help you find the top 3% of Java developers within 48 hours for your project.