Recruitment Guide to Finding a Ruby Developer

Ruby is a general-purpose programming language, just like Python or Java. Propelled by the popularity of its main framework Ruby on Rails, it regularly ranks in the top 10 most popular languages. However, it is not as popular as its main competitors, implying a less dynamic job market. Therefore, recruiting a good Ruby developer becomes a challenge for companies and their hiring managers. This guide helps you analyze your needs, write the job offer and conduct the perfect interview to hire the most competent Ruby developer for your development projects.

The Ruby programming language

Ruby was born in 1995. It was created with the aim of providing technology that is understandable by machines, but easy for humans to read and write. This earned him to be widely appreciated and learned from developers. The richness of its ecosystem, in particular thanks to Ruby on Rails, has also made it an important language of the web .

It is also often confused with Ruby on Rails, which has greatly contributed to its popularity. This confusion implies that it is often perceived as a web language by neophytes, whereas it is only so thanks to the richness of its ecosystem and in particular its many frameworks and libraries. Among the best known and used, we find of course Ruby on Rails, but also Sinatra, Grape, or more recently Hanami.

Ruby, therefore, stands out above all for its clear and elegant syntax. Far from being limited to the development of web applications or Internet sites, it is quite possible to consider it for uses as varied as the writing of scripts, the development of video games, or mobile applications.

A good Ruby developer

Theoretical knowledge... The notion of a "good" Ruby developer is as vague as the needs of companies are numerous. On the technical level, however, there are some essential notions and knowledge that the informed Ruby developer must master. Are you interested in knowing the level of competence of the candidates on:

· Object-oriented programming. In Ruby, each data is an object, so it is a fundamental notion.

·      The Ruby Syntax. It is particularly clean and readable for humans. However, it is accompanied by singularities that a good developer must know how to master.

·      The Ruby ecosystem. Experience with one or more Ruby frameworks or libraries is a significant advantage for a developer. For the web, Ruby on Rails is essential, but not the only one.

·      The MVC model (Model-view-controller). This software architecture pattern makes it possible to better structure development and is used by many frameworks, Rails and Hanami in mind.

·      The roles of a development team. Whether you're looking for a back-end or full-stack developer, it's important that your recruit understands the roles and responsibilities of each part of the development team.

... to adapt to your needs This list is a starting point, you are free to complete it and modify it according to the needs of your company or the one you may represent as a recruiter or recruitment agency. placement. Discuss your needs internally, without forgetting to ask the opinion of representatives of each of the departments involved. The management, the IT manager, the front-end or back-end developers called upon to work with your next recruit certainly have complementary or even divergent opinions.

Also take the opportunity to list the technologies you use: frameworks, libraries, servers, database management systems (DBMS). Every detail is important and can, by filtering the applications in advance, save you and the candidates valuable time.

The Ruby Developer Job for You

You now have a list of skills including the technologies used by your team of developers. It is the heart of your job offer, which is not yet one. Too many companies indeed neglect the drafting of their job offer. However, it is a fundamental step to be able to hire a Ruby developer who will satisfy all levels of the hierarchy.

The structure of the job posting for your future Ruby programming language expert may not be self-evident. There is no magic recipe that works for sure, but a few tips that make the process easier.

An effective method could be the following:

·      Presentation of the company behind the recruitment process: values ​​conveyed, number of employees, various benefits.

·      Job description: present in detail the position to be filled. These details may include the number of collaborators, the type of Ruby development you expect, the level of intervention expected, or the type of personality sought.

·      Responsibilities: this is where you will describe the role you are asking the future employee to take on.

·      Technical skills: we have already explained this part in detail.

As you can see, technical knowledge is an essential aspect, which however does not need to be highlighted. Interested candidates should read this section in detail wherever it is. So take advantage of the showcase available to put your business forward. What might make the difference with the most in-demand developers is what sets you apart, not what's written in every job posting dedicated to hiring a Ruby developer.

What to ask a Ruby developer in an interview?

Ruby may be an elegant programming language, whose syntax is one of the clearest, but it is not understandable to everyone. It remains a complex computer tool that requires theoretical learning, but also months or even years of practice before being able to master it.

His knowledge, like that of the other tools that make up his ecosystem, is obviously not part of the prerequisites for the profession of recruiter or human resources manager. As HR, you have your own area of ​​expertise. It will lead you to an appropriate personnel management strategy for your business. You are therefore the person best placed to judge whether a candidate corresponds to the profile sought on the human level and the psychology of work .

Get support from a Ruby language expert for technical questions. He can be part of your company or on the contrary, come from outside, the important thing being that he can judge the knowledge of the candidate. If you use an external developer, however, do not forget to carry out a series of tests in real conditions. This is still the best way to judge the qualities of a programmer. This is true for Ruby as it is for other programming languages. This test is also an opportunity to understand if the different individuals of the team can collaborate.

By following this little guide to the letter, all you have to do is discuss the salary of your next collaborator or the remuneration of your new freelancer. Once the contract is signed , you should secure Ruby developments that will take your business to the next stage of expansion.