How to effectively screen Java developers

The true cost of hiring software developers is quite high. By some statistics, it can easily cost organizations $50,000 to recruit someone and bring them up to speed. Because of such high stakes in place, you mustn’t hire the wrong person for the job.

The resume or a candidate’s LinkedIn profile itself does not represent the actual skills that they possess. If that is the case, then what is the best and effective way in which you can screen potential candidates?

SEE ALSO: To 25 glorious years of Java!

If you want to hire a decent developer for your organization, then you should follow good interview practices and use a pre-employment assessment tool based on your hiring requirements. Gone are the days of solving programming assessments on paper.

1. First things first, what is Java?

Java is a general-purpose computer programming language that is object-oriented, compiled, and specifically designed to run on all platforms that support Java. As of 2019, it is the most popular primary programming language in use. Java is not an easy-to-use language for individuals without any programming background.

2. What do you need to know, as an IT Recruiter, before you hire a Java Developer?

Java is used for the majority of all applications in the IT industry. Just knowing the basics of the language via certifications or the basic knowledge of it from university education is not enough even for an entry-level developer in any organization.

Java is constantly evolving every year. Hence, a candidate’s hands-on experience with the latest and/or required libraries and framework is an important factor while screening them. This experience can either be with their previous work experience or their passion projects.

Here is an amazing list of all things Java that should be helpful for you to understand some of the common terms that you may come across while hiring.

3. How to screen candidates based on their Java skills?

Screening is tiring and is the most time-consuming part of any recruitment process. IT recruiters should screen candidates based on their resumes/LinkedIn profiles, phone interviews, and online coding assessments.

Below mentioned are some of the useful tips and tricks for verifying Java technical skills of a candidate.

3.1. Technical screening of the candidates based on their resumes/LinkedIn profiles

The primary screening usually involves checking the qualifications, work experience, skills, academic background, and online presence(GitHub and LinkedIn profiles) of the candidates. All the information that you need can be found in the resume, but to know what you are searching for and to be able to communicate with the candidate, you must understand some of the terms which are frequently used in resumes/online profiles.

A. The most commonly used Java technology names:

JPA, Hibernate, Java Persistence, Java Persistence API, Java EE, EJB, Enterprise Java Beans, Enterprise Java, JBoss, Wildfly.

B. List of Java certifications

• Spring Certificates

1. Spring Professional
2. Spring Web Application Developer
3. Enterprise Integration Specialist.

• Oracle Certificates

1. Oracle Certified Master, Java SE 6
2. Oracle Certified Expert, Java EE 6 Web Services Developer
3. Oracle Certified Expert, Java EE 6 Java Persistence API Developer
4. Oracle Certified Master, Java EE 6 Enterprise Architect
5. Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE
6. Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE
7. Oracle Certified Expert, Java EE 6 JavaServer Faces Developer
8. Oracle Certified Expert, Java EE 6 Web Component Developer
9. Oracle Certified Expert, Java EE 6 Enterprise JavaBeans Developer

Pro-tip: Java SE refers to Java Standard Edition, which is used for the development and deployment of codes for the desktop environment. Java EE stands for Java Enterprise Edition, which is built on top of Java SE.

The above-mentioned certificates are good markers in resumes. Apart from certifications, recruiters must also take into account the candidate’s participation in open source projects and their passion projects. Such skills are of great value.

3.2. Using online pre-employment assessments to screen candidates for Java skills

Screening through resumes is very inefficient when you are trying to find the right candidate. In some organizations, programming or online coding tests are used to evaluate a candidate’s skills after their resume is analyzed and/or phone/video interview is conducted. Online coding tests are a great way to screen developer skills.

SEE ALSO: Java 16: Migration to Git and GitHub gets closer

Using pre-employment assessment tools for screening candidates cuts down the time and effort involved in hiring. There are many Java online assessment tools in the market, but how do you choose the right one?

Below listed are some tips that you should keep in mind while choosing the right online coding test based on your requirements.

1. The Java online test should verify a candidate’s Java skills and also their knowledge of various frameworks and libraries that are required for the job role. Hence, the assessment should be customizable.
2. Java coding tests should consist of programming questions, multiple-choice questions, and not tricky algorithmic tasks.
3. The Coding test should also include questions that help to assess a candidate’s debugging skills. Such questions provide recruiters the information about the candidate’s efficiency of debugging and finding traps.

The best approach to assess a candidate’s Java skills is not via conventional approaches but new and effective technologies.

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