What to know before hiring Go Developers

Go, also known as Golang, is a fast, efficient, and scalable programming language created by Google. It has gained popularity for building web servers, cloud services, distributed systems, and microservices architecture. Hiring a skilled Go Developer is crucial if you plan to develop high-performance applications.

Here’s what you need to know to effectively hire Go Developers for your team.

What does a Go Developer do?

A Go Developer specializes in writing server-side applications using the Go programming language. Go Developers are commonly tasked with building scalable, high-performance applications, particularly in cloud computing, networking, and systems programming. Their core responsibilities include:

• Developing web servers, APIs, and microservices using Go’s efficient concurrency model.
• Writing efficient, maintainable code that follows best practices for Go development.
• Building scalable distributed systems that can handle high volumes of data and traffic.
• Optimizing application performance by profiling and improving resource usage.
• Working with databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB) and ensuring efficient querying and data handling.
• Integrating third-party services and APIs for enhanced application functionality.
• Deploying and managing applications in cloud environments like AWS, Google Cloud, or Kubernetes.
• Ensuring application security by implementing authentication, encryption, and safe data handling.

Go Developers often focus on back-end development but may also collaborate with front-end developers to ensure smooth integration between client-side and server-side components.

How to hire Go Developers: a quick guide

Define your requirements

Before hiring a Go Developer, it’s essential to define your project’s scope and requirements clearly. This will help you target candidates with the specific skills and experience needed. Key considerations include:

• Type of application: Are you building a high-performance web server, a cloud-native application, or microservices architecture?
• Concurrency and scalability: Do you need expertise in Go’s concurrency model for handling large-scale applications with multiple processes running simultaneously?
• Database requirements: Will the application interact with relational (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) or NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Redis) databases?
• API development: Does your project involve creating or integrating RESTful APIs or gRPC services? Ensure the developer has experience in API design and implementation.
• Cloud deployment: Is your project hosted in a cloud environment like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure? The developer should have experience with cloud infrastructure and containerization tools like Docker or Kubernetes.
• Security and performance: Does your application need to handle sensitive data or high traffic? Experience in writing secure, performant, and scalable code is essential.

Defining these technical requirements will guide your hiring process and help you find the right Go Developer for your project.

Where to find Go Developers

There are several platforms where you can hire top-tier Go Developers. Job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, Jobshark, and Glassdoor are excellent starting points. Additionally, platforms like Toptal, Jobshark, Upwork, and Fiverr offer access to freelance Go Developers.

Developer communities such as Gopher Slack, the Go subreddit, and Go conferences (GopherCon) are excellent resources for finding and networking with Go Developers. Browsing repositories on GitHub or engaging with contributors on Stack Overflow can help you find Go Developers who are actively working on open-source projects and contributing to the Go ecosystem.

For quicker hiring, partnering with tech sourcing companies, like Jobshark, can help streamline the process.

Assess technical skills

When hiring a Go Developer, assessing their technical skills is crucial to ensure they’re a good fit for your project. Key skills to evaluate include:

• Proficiency in Go: A deep understanding of Go’s syntax, idioms, and best practices, including expertise in Go’s concurrency model using goroutines and channels.
• Experience with web frameworks: Although Go is often used without external frameworks, some developers may leverage lightweight frameworks like Gin or Echo for rapid API development.
• Database management: Proficiency in working with SQL databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL) or NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Redis), as well as experience with database querying and optimization.
• Microservices and distributed systems: Many Go Developers are hired to build microservices or distributed systems, so expertise in service-oriented architecture (SOA) or event-driven architecture (EDA) is critical.
• API development: Experience in building RESTful APIs or gRPC services is crucial for modern back-end systems.
• Testing and debugging: Go Developers should be skilled in writing unit and integration tests using Go’s built-in testing tools and debugging and optimizing application performance.
• Cloud and DevOps knowledge: Experience deploying Go applications to cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure, along with knowledge of DevOps tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform.

You can assess these skills through code samples, technical interviews, or live coding exercises to ensure the developer has the expertise your project needs. You can also use platforms like DevSkiller, Codility, HackerRank, or LeetCode to assess technical skills.

Evaluate soft skills and cultural fit

Some key soft skills to look for when hiring Go Developers include:

• Communication: Developers must be able to clearly communicate technical concepts and ideas, especially if they are working in a team or interacting with non-technical stakeholders.
• Problem-solving ability: Go Developers need strong problem-solving skills to troubleshoot issues, optimize code, and create efficient solutions in high-performance environments.
• Collaboration: In Agile or Scrum development environments, teamwork is crucial. Look for developers who can collaborate effectively, participate in code reviews, and contribute to group discussions.
• Adaptability: Go Developers should be open to learning new technologies and adapting to evolving project requirements, especially given Go’s growing use in areas like cloud computing and distributed systems.
• Cultural fit: Ensure the developer’s values and work style align with your company culture. This is particularly important for long-term hires, as a good cultural fit can lead to better collaboration and job satisfaction.

Assessing these soft skills through interviews, behavioral questions, or even a trial project can help ensure you hire a well-rounded Go Developer.

A brief history of Go

Go, often referred to as Golang, was developed by Google to address the challenges of scaling large systems and enhancing productivity in development. Here’s a brief look at Go’s history:

• 2007: Go was created by Google engineers Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson to handle the growing complexity of systems at Google and the inefficiencies of languages like C++ and Java for large-scale development.
• 2009: Go was officially released as an open-source project, aiming to combine the simplicity of dynamic languages like Python with the performance and safety of statically typed languages like C.
• 2012: Go 1.0 was released, marking its first stable version. Since then, it has maintained backward compatibility, making it a reliable choice for large, long-term projects.
• Today: Go is widely used in industries like cloud computing, containerization, microservices, and networking. It powers popular platforms like Docker, Kubernetes, and large-scale services at Google and other tech giants.

Go’s focus on simplicity, concurrency, and performance has made it a popular language for building scalable and efficient software systems.

Key benefits of Go

Go offers several key benefits that make it a compelling choice for modern web development, cloud computing, and system-level programming:

• Concurrency and scalability: Go’s concurrency model, based on goroutines and channels, makes it ideal for building scalable applications that can handle multiple tasks simultaneously with minimal overhead.
• Simplicity and readability: Go is designed to be simple, with a clean and easy-to-read syntax that allows developers to write maintainable code quickly. It avoids complexity, making it an excellent choice for junior and senior developers.
• Performance: As a statically typed, compiled language, Go offers the speed and efficiency of languages like C, making it ideal for high-performance applications and systems programming.
• Built-in tooling: Go comes with powerful built-in tools for testing, formatting, and dependency management, which simplifies development workflows and encourages best practices.
• Robust ecosystem and community: Go’s ecosystem includes widely used frameworks, tools, and libraries, such as Gin for web applications and gRPC for APIs, backed by a large, active community that provides ongoing support and development.
• Cross-platform compatibility: Go compiles to machine code, making it suitable for deploying applications across various platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

These benefits make Go a strong choice for building web servers, cloud services, microservices, and distributed systems.