How to Hire Kotlin Developer

In 2011, the company JetBrains created Kotlin with a focus on performance, safety, and user satisfaction. Since its introduction, it has gained much popularity and increasingly replaced Java in many projects. Thus, this all-inclusive guide on hiring options for Kotlin developers, typical salary ranges, as well as the best interview tips, combines with the advantages of the language with prominent adoption by companies.

Applications of Kotlin

Kotlin is a versatile and also type-safe programming language with embracement of asynchronous programming techniques, making it suitable for any application including the development of mobile applications, creating web front-ends, server-side systems, and even data science projects.

Android Application Development

Kotlin has gained immense momentum. In fact, Google verified it as the first choice for developing Android apps in 2019. Subsequent to this, support for Kotlin was added into Android Studio, Google's official IDE for Android.

Server-side Development

One of Kotlin's features is that it makes it easier to create user-friendly abstractions for server-side applications with the use of type-safe builders and delegated properties. Its coroutine function allows developers to build applications that can process large volumes of clients with relatively minimal hardware. Furthermore, Kotlin allows teams to gradually migrate large Java codebases to Kotlin through writing new functionalities in Kotlin and reuse existing Java components.

Web Front-end Development

However, Kotlin/JS, developed by JetBrains allows developers to write type-safe React applications by providing Kotlin wrappers. These abstractions are very useful and a seamless integration with React and other JavaScript frameworks. Third-party React components and libraries can also be used with Kotlin, as it inter-operates with the JavaScript ecosystem, too.

Data Science with Kotlin

Kotlin also supports interactive editors like Jupyter Notebook and Apache Zeppelin, which helps engineers more easily explore and visualize data. Moreover, it promotes team collaboration and skill development in areas like data science and machine learning. The libraries set up by the Kotlin community that are specifically designed for data-centric tasks include operations over multidimensional arrays and deep learning models for training, as well as natural language processing.

Cross-Platform Mobile Development

With this multiplatform mobile SDK, one can maintain a single codebase of networking, data storage, analytics, and algorithms for use within an Android application and iOS application. This means that teams can work with a single programming language for both cross-platform and native applications since Kotlin's syntax aligns with iOS development principles.

Benefits of Using Kotlin

1. Modern and Brief Syntax: Kotlin combines the best of imperative, object-oriented and functional programming into a modern syntax. According to JetBrains, using Kotlin reduces the number of lines of code by approximately 40% against Java with clean and readable code. Moreover, this language avoids type system NullPointerExceptions.

2. Java Compatibility: One of Kotlin's strengths is its seamless interoperation with Java, enabling developers to easily integrate existing Java code into Kotlin projects. This compatibility significantly lowers the risks associated with transitioning from Java to Kotlin. Additionally, IntelliJ IDEA supports projects utilizing both Kotlin and Java, featuring a plugin that can convert Java code to Kotlin automatically.

3. Cross Platform: Developers focusing on multiplatform solutions are free to use Kotlin Multiplatform to easily move the codebase across Android, iOS, or web. This shared code base reduces the proportion of business logic that the development team needs to write and, therefore, means reduced lines of code and fewer possible testing places.

4. Community Support: As an open-source language, Kotlin has attracted over 450 contributors, of whom 90 are from JetBrains. The Kotlin community is strong, with 200 User Groups and 37,000 participants in the Kotlinlang Slack channel, in addition to active forums, a subreddit, and a YouTube channel.

Experience Requirements

Senior Kotlin developers should have significant expertise in the language combined with a strong background in Java and Android development. They are expected to be profoundly aware of object-oriented programming (OOP) principles and have a history of delivering the software to production environments on a consistent basis. A good understanding of mobile ecosystem comprising front-end elements as well as server-side technologies is required. Degrees in computer science are preferred by some employers, but in some cases, practical experience is equivalent.

Technical Skills

Usually, the proficiency with skills that are directly aligned with the needs of projects to be developed will be required from a Kotlin developer, such as:

Proficient knowledge of Kotlin and Java

Experience in Android application development; Proficiency with Android Studio

Hands-on experience of application architecture, design, implementation, and store deployments

Design fundamentals and OOP concepts; Architectural principles and Agile methodologies, Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), and DevOps practices

Version control systems

Soft Skills

A programming developer should have self-control, open-mindedness to constructive criticism, a willingness to continuously improve, and good communication skills. Cooperating with team members makes the workplace better and opens doors for more teamwork later on. The feeling of being part of a cohesive team yields improved communication, hence more efficient creative applications. Developers need good communication skills, such as listening, yielding in discussions, and talking clearly, all of which are characteristics that an employer would look for in interviews.

Hiring Kotlin Developers

Companies have several ways of sourcing Kotlin developers, such as hiring through freelancing, recruiting from the organization, outsourcing projects or hiring a contractor. We outline below the models and specific groups, job boards, and communities for finding Kotlin talent.

Freelance Hiring

Hiring freelancers will be the most effective for short-term projects and limited budgets. However, it is crucial to consider that freelancers often handle several assignments simultaneously. This may affect the quality of work the companies receive from freelancers. On Upwork, firms can browse profiles, post job listings, or connect with Kotlin engineers through recruiters.

In-house Recruitment

The best way for tech companies to establish a core team is to employ full-time in-house staff. Highly motivated engineers, being a part of the system, would understand the products they work on much better. Participating or organizing hackathons and tech conferences, as well as partnering with headhunters are also advisable ways to source Kotlin experts.