Hiring software development talent has proven to be quite challenging in 2021. With the rise of technology and rapid digital transformation across businesses spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, rising customer expectations, and transition to remote work, the need and competition for skilled tech experts are proliferating. Whether back-end, front-end, or full-stack, software developers are the fundamental building blocks of any organization whose business operations rely on software. Today thousands of companies compete to recruit and retain from the limited pool of high-quality software developers. It is no wonder it is a costly and time-consuming process. This high demand is projected to continue in the coming years and grow 21% by 2028, as reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In this article, we’ll give you some insights on what makes a great software developer and how you can make the whole hiring process much more manageable. Lastly, we’ll offer our valuable experience to help you find the right for your business needs. Read on.

What Does a Software Developer Do?

First, let’s clarify what a software developer does and why this profession is essential and sought-after.

In simple terms, a software developer, also known as a programmer or coder, uses programming languages to create computer software programs. An excellent software developer should be creative, have a passion for learning and development, and have excellent communication skills. Above all, it must have exceptional technical skills.

Although their duties and responsibilities may range depending on the type of organization and industry they work for, as well as their experience level, they are engaged in all stages of the software development life cycle and generally include tasks and responsibilities like:

• Gathering and evaluating user requirements
• Creating efficient and clean code based on consumers’ and clients’ needs
• Testing code
• Fixing, maintaining, and improving existing software
• Communication and collaboration with management and tech support colleagues
• Compiling and assessing user feedback to improve software performance
• Developing technical documentation for reference and reporting

What Makes a Great Software Developer?

The best software developers of today have a good mix of technical proficiency and soft skills. They are able to figure out solutions to problems at any stage of the application development at any time. Beyond knowing programming languages and being excellent at writing code, there are other significant skills and qualities outstanding software developers have in common. Here are the traits that can differentiate a great software developer from a good one and that can help you identify one that would make a great addition to your programming team:

1. Strong communication skills 

The capability to communicate complicated ideas clearly and precisely is essential in the development process. The developers should be capable of interacting with people and explaining themselves to non-technical stakeholders and other developers. They should convey and understand problems clearly, break down complicated ideas into simple concepts and propose solutions.

2. Quick learning and curiosity 

Acquiring new skills is essential for developers. Being a great software developer requires constant practice and dedication. Technology is the innovative branch that is constantly evolving, so developers must be curious, learn quickly and adapt; otherwise, they will be left behind. The best programmers have the ability to learn new languages and technologies quickly, process information, and above all are amazing self-learners. Successful programmers are willing to admit they don’t know and are not afraid of new technology trends.

3. Broad technical experience

Technical expertise is fundamental for software development. Technology is a broad field, and there are numerous tools, platforms, and languages a developer must master and integrate in order to make a good product or software. Professional software developers need a combination of technical skills to succeed. Here are some of the skills software developers are expected to have in 2021:

• Cloud platforms
• Programing languages like Python, C++, Java, and CSS
• Data Structure and Algorithms
• Database and SQL
• Computer networks
• Software testing
• Operating System
• SDLC (Software development life cycle)

Keep in mind that this is no complete list, and you shouldn’t expect that a good software developer has experience in working with all these technologies; however, it provides a good starting point.

4. Team player

The ability to help teammates when there are stuck and teach them new skills is a quality of top software developers. Teamwork is crucial for software development, especially in cases when the project has time and budget constraints. When developers on your team lean on each other, the success of the project is inevitable.

5. Time management

Time management is a valuable skill that every aspiring software developer should develop. The ability to use time effectively and efficiently increases focus and productivity. Plus, it reduces distractions and procrastination and lowers stress. A great software developer has a strong work ethic and organizational skills and respect deadlines. Time management is a significant factor in software development because it can influence the outcome of the whole project.

6. Business sense

When combined with technical expertise, business acumen can be a great advantage. Business-savvy developers understand how the business works. They are able to analyze business problems and make quick, precise, and profitable decisions, and deliver technology-focused on customers’ needs.

The characteristics we mentioned above are just a few the most wanted and are practical guidelines that can help you hire the best software developers.

How to Hire the Best Software Developers?

Most businesses today depend on software development and the people behind it. Hiring the best software developers is one of the biggest technical challenges for today’s recruiters. Software development is a complex and fast-paced field, and the people you hire determine the success of your project. The selection process can be a laborious, slow, and expensive process.

If you are a company that needs fast access to talented developers that will fit your team, drive your success, and provide you with a competitive advantage, you need to look beyond traditional hiring practices. Outsourcing software development is a cost-effective and flexible solution that can save the headache of talent shortage and bad hires. The right outsourcing partner can help you find highly skilled candidates fast. It will support growth without the need for significant investments in new hires, technologies, and IT infrastructure.

Hiring Skilled Software Developers with Cosmic Development

Building a solid team of experts is imperative for business success, regardless if you are a startup or a well-established enterprise.

Cosmic Development is an IT outsourcing and software development company with more than ten years of experience. We can help you build software development teams quickly and affordably, and we will ensure their skills and commitment to work. With Cosmic Development, you are just a click away from finding the right talent. Contact us today to learn more about our development services.

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What a year, right? It’s been over ten months since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic. We lived through lockdowns; we learned how to function with social isolation; we disinfected almost anything that could be disinfected; and most important of all, we made the abrupt shift to working from home. We did all that we can to embrace the ‘new normal.’ However, leading an IT outsourcing company through one of the most challenging years in the 21 century was anything but ‘normal.’ This year brought economies worldwide to their knees. Millions of people lost their jobs. And for so many industries, the future still looks uncertain.

So, what did this mean for the successful functioning of Cosmic Development? What did we, as an IT outsourcing provider, achieve despite the new reality? What were the main things that marked 2020 for us? 

Overcoming the challenges imposed by the new reality:

Introducing work from home policy

Since we are an IT outsourcing company with an employees-first policy and offices in three countries across four different locations, we took the prevention measures recommended by the WHO very seriously. After the first cases appeared in Canada, Serbia, and North Macedonia, we immediately shifted to working from home for the foreseeable future. 

As the situation with the virus escalated and it was clear that remote work was here to say, we made sure all our colleagues are safe and have all the essentials to do their work at their best. And having in mind that working from home was available for us even before the pandemic, we adopted this new way of functioning with ease. You can read more about introducing remote work and the useful tools we used here.

However, a huge role in the successful implementation of remote work as a permanent way of functioning had the HR department with representatives in each office location.

Keeping employees engaged during a worldwide pandemic

As we have all witnessed, this whole crisis happened overnight, and it majorly struck our social life. Within a short time-span, the entire world adopted a “new normal” where people practiced social distancing and avoided public gatherings. The bars were shut-down, the restaurants became take-outs, schools and day-care centers were closed, and we forgot what theaters look like. And, to top it all out, there is the global economic crisis and recession.

This harsh reality affected us all. Employers had little time to adapt and provide all the required conditions for successful operation. Whereas employees had to make sure they stay proficient and effective in a whole new scenario. And with the kids staying at home, caring for family members, and psychological pressure from the lockdowns, it became very stressful. 

Being the link between employers and employees, HR teams worldwide had to rethink their role as they had to adjust whole companies to social distancing practices and a new work environment. More than ever, they played a crucial role in keeping their teams productive, motivated, engaged, and connected.

Cosmic Development’s HR manager spoke thoroughly about measures that need to be taken in order to ensure employees’ wellbeing during these, well, let’s say, unprecedented times. She pointed out holistic and agile people management as best practices because every individual is different and unique in their own way. “To do so, our department has been in touch with all employees on a regular basis. Personal coaching in the form of one-on-one sessions were introduced for the most affected employees. While for the outgoing, we organized online contests and events where people could spend time with each other.”

The name we gave to these activities was “Cosmic Beats Isolation”, and we gotta say, it was fun being part of them.

Cosmic Development’s small wins during disruptive 2020:

1. High-quality work has never been at stake

From leadership to newbies, our offices (including the ‘virtual’ ones) have been a place where a bunch of skilled and dedicated professionals work together and achieve tangible results. Having these like-minded people gathered together and adding the nurturing company culture that Cosmic promotes resulted in one compact and very productive team.  

We talked with our team members on their experiences on several subjects, including: how our content editor keeps up with the ever-changing viral video market, overcoming stressful situations from a PHP Developer’s point of view, the technical challenges that video editors face, and how do they overcome them, and how to manage an agile team in these remote times.

Do you want to join our growing Cosmic family? We are hiring! Check out the most recent vacancies here! 

2. Events worth mentioning

In early March, two Rumblers, Marija and Natasha, attended the Digiday Publishing Summit for a good reason. As Business Development representatives and one of the first people to join the Rumble team at Cosmic, they had an excellent opportunity to mingle with the most prominent names in the publishing industry. An event where media leaders talked about the latest trends and useful tools. There were interactive workshops, speed networking sessions, and cocktail hours.   

Another event of no less importance was the Virtual HR Transformation Summit. Cosmic Development’s HR Manager Biljana took the stage and shared her valuable insights on contemporary HR practices and retention strategies. She joined a distinguished list of HR professionals to discuss Human Resources management’s most critical aspects of the new reality.

3. Constant growth has been maintained 

Thanks to our diligent Cosmic crew, we continued to grow even when the whole world stopped. Looking back, we can see incredible growth of some of our loyal clients and on-going scale-up of those who have joined us recently.

This year we have been working with clients worldwide and kept our presence in North America, Western Europe, Western Asia, and Australia. As more and more companies had no other choice but to go remote, our dedicated-team talent solution became an attractive option globally. 

Now let’s get back to our loyal clients. Rumble is winning the battle against Youtube, and here is why it became the obvious choice for video creators. If eager to learn more about Rumble, read how video content brought success to the platform. 

Another platform that saw incredible success this year was the AI-powered website builder Bookmark. What lies behind Bookmark’s success its combination of outstanding leadership and dedicated-team talent solution. Bookmark’s success story is now available, and you can become a part of it, especially if you are a full-stack developer.  

Let us help you scale up with the best IT outsourcing solution. We build dedicated teams for brands! Schedule a free consultation today! 

Watch Video: Cosmic Development 2020 Rewind – A Year in Pictures

With the vaccines rolling out slowly, we can say that we are looking to a brighter future in 2021. Our team is generally thankful for making it to 2021 with all employees being well and sound, bigger in size and experience, and ready for new challenges. What can be more valuable than walking out as a winner from one of the most challenging years in modern times?

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