Are you trying to build your project with Go?
Can’t get your python-dev to be comfortably productive with Golang?
Are you looking to hire a Golang developer and struggling to get it right?
You’re not alone. There’s an increased adoption for Golang, but there are just above a million Go devs on the planet. And we haven’t yet filtered for technical fit, experience, soft skills and cost. It’s easy to see why many struggles to land talent for their project needs.
In this guide, we’ll address the process of hiring a Golang developer and set you on the path of getting the right Go engineers for your project. But before we proceed, let’s define Golang.
What is Go?
The Go programming language was launched by Google in 2009 and is used for projects such as Dev Ops, cloud and server-side projects applications, microservices and more. It was created by Google to deal with the rapid growth of its database and infrastructure. It’s a program of choice because of its simplicity, efficiency and concurrent nature. These features make it easier to build scalable systems. Go developers are usually proficient in languages like Python, C++ and Java. With that said, let’s examine Go devs.
Who Are Go Developers?
It’s one thing to code in Go and another to manage large and complex operations where webpages and software products are created with the language. Go developers, as discussed above, are proficient in languages like Python and JavaScript and specialise in data science, cloud computing and DevOps.
Engineers of this open source language are in high demand even for companies that use Java because a good number of their IT infrastructure platforms, like Vault and Kubernetes, are built with Go programming language. So a Go dev is always attached to their dev teams for system maintenance purposes.
To hire golang developers, you need to have the technical know-how or know someone who fits the bill. Amongst the other skills mentioned above, you want your Go developers to be Git-friendly and experienced. You can arrange experience into Senior devs, Intermediate and Beginner developers, and they all have their pros and cons.
Contract Vs Full-time Go Developers
Just like any other role in a company, deciding to go with a contractor or full-time employee has its benefits and setbacks. If you’re going for a Go developer contractor, you’ll find them on freelance platforms for the most part, although word-of-mouth, social media and hiring agencies are good choices too.
In our experience, going with contractors fits early-stage start-ups with limited budgets and project scope, as many as just trying to build minimum viable products (MVPs) and haven’t found product-market fit.
Bigger business entities could also be in search of Go developers on a contract basis to handle temporary maintenance tasks for their infrastructure tools built with Go. Contractors can be cost-effective and handy for temporary projects, as mentioned above. But they can be expensive when building expanding teams and building company culture and cohesion.
However, going full-time comes with commitments like office space and equipment, which can require a lot of capital but is perfect for an entrepreneur with an established sense of product direction.
With that said, let’s look are the different ways to find Go developers for your project. We’ll examine three ways below.
- Word-of-mouth;
- Developer marketplace;
- Freelance Platforms.
Word of Mouth
Word of mouth tends to work well with hiring long-term developers. It’s one of the most high-quality ways to find a competent and culture-fit Go developer. Some of the reasons for this include the following:
Reputation
Oftentimes, a referral can seem like a bet on one’s reputation, and so people tend to suggest talent they believe in and have seen perform well consistently.
Culture
Colleagues, team members and friends are the usual sources of referrals and are very good at finding culture-fit developers because they usually have a better perspective on your work environment and personality.
So if you’re a startup founder, reach out to that developer friend or colleague you met at that developer conference last year. As CEO of a growing business, you can use your dev team to reach out to Go talent. Setting up a referral system could be the catalyst to attract the right type of developer talent to your organisation.
Some of the benefits of word-of-mouth hiring include:
- Quality Go developers;
- Time Efficient;
- Cost Effective;
- Employee Retention;
- Brand Growth.
Hiring Agencies & Developer Marketplaces
But if you don’t have the time to get Go developers, you can use hiring agencies who do the vetting for you. All you have to do is tell them about your product in confidentiality, preferably with an NDA signed.
Alternatively, you can list the requirements and skills you’re looking for in a Go developer and have them sort through the applications using the parameters you have sent across. They’ll find the right type of Go developer that fits your project needs.
For instance, Deazy, a developer marketplace platform, has a team of practising developers who work to vet quality developers for whatever you need. Whether you want a Go developer or to build a Go dev team, this platform provides flexible, cost-effective and scalable development services.
Freelance Platforms
Another way to find Go developers is via freelance platforms. Some of these platforms include:
- Fiverr;
- Guru;
- Upwork;
- Lemon.io;
- Gun.io;
- Toptal;
- MoonLightWork.
This method of recruitment can be faster than other traditional ways of hiring developers, like in-person networking at developer events or even asking for referrals. You need only a computer and an internet connection to reach out to as many Go developers as you want on this platform.
Most of the time, employers take this route when they need a technical problem fixed asap and need a Go developer contractor.
Depending on your unique situation, freelance websites can be grouped into Talent-tested sites and Bidding sites. Talent-tested sites like TopTal vet developers and hence would cost more than developers on bidding sites.
Bidding sites like Upwork are optimised for cost efficiency above technical ability because the lower the cost of a developer, the harder it is for high-quality engineers to apply. Such loss of quality on these platforms has detrimental effects on projects.
