Are you a business owner, startup founder, project manager, or investor looking to recruit mobile app developers?
By 2022, 1.87 billion people were anticipated to be part of the world's mobile workforce. That amounts to an astounding 42% of all employed people in an organized sector.
Mobile apps are increasingly becoming a part of daily life and are used to pay bills, watch movies, order food, read books, watch TV shows, stay focused and organized, and much more.
This is why numerous companies from different sectors are attempting to enter the industry of mobile applications. They start with the intention of developing apps, but they frequently fail since they have no idea of app development.
This article will help you answer some of the very basic questions for hiring a mobile app developer.
Hiring a mobile app developer – top challenges
Given the numerous difficulties in hiring mobile app developers, it is imperative to decide how to proceed. Even though finding a mobile app developer is simple, you still need to be ready to deal with the following three complications.
Different Time Zone
The time zone difference is an issue that IT companies go across when trying to hire a mobile app developer. Because of this, your remote app development team may not always be reachable, which ultimately causes the project milestone to be delayed.
Project management solutions like Jira and Trello as well as communication tools like Slack and Teams, are used by IT companies. However, this merely entails informing the team members who work remotely and then waiting for them to review any messages or tasks.
Cultural Differences
Eastern Europe, Israel, India, China, and other South Asian nations frequently use businesses in the United States and Europe to outsource their mobile app development needs.
Physical separation between your organization and the remote developers can result in cultural and regional disparities.
Budget
For many firms looking to create mobile apps, the budget is their top priority. Owners are unable to employ the best mobile application developers due to this issue.
It's totally up to you how much it will cost to hire a mobile application developer. You'll need the help of a skilled developer if your application contains a lot of original, distinctive features.
It costs a lot to hire skilled mobile app developers. You can therefore use freelancers if your program needs a little redesign or short tweaks.
Although mobile app developers in underdeveloped nations may charge less, you should be ready to accept a lower standard of quality.
Troublesome Communication
There is a communication gap when you employ app developers from other countries. This is valid if you wish to provide rapid input or can't observe the work in progress when developers are actively working on your project.
When you recruit distant workers, communication is hampered by language barriers that can be overcome if they work in person.
The only way to get around this is to work with an app developer that speaks English well and can communicate effectively. Millions of people worldwide can understand English since it is a universal language.
Different models of hiring a mobile app developer
There are three best models to hire a mobile app developer. Let’s look at each one of them in detail:
Option #1. In-house App Developers
Be ready to spend a lot of money if you choose to hire in-house developers, and be ready to pay a significant amount if you do. It is not required to use a service full-time because you just need it for a little time.
You'll have to pay for new hires' training, vacation pay, and other benefits in addition to the cost of recruiting them.
Option #2: Hiring A Freelancer
It is wise to employ freelance mobile app developers if your project is not overly complex. Find a capable freelancer that can create a high-calibre app quickly and within your budget by searching for them.
Since hourly rates differ, the cost of developing a mobile app must be determined before work on the project begins.
To see things through to the conclusion, though, you can't depend on just one individual. All other tasks, including team management, design, coding, and quality control, will be contracted out to independent contractors.
While this is a cost-effective solution, it frequently results in a lack of synergy, diminishing responsibility, and transparency, and slowing down the process of developing your app.
Additionally, you should prepare for certain delays in your job that arise from a lack of coherence caused by the skill gaps between various skills.
Option #3. Outsourcing
It's a terrific method to harness knowledge and keep costs down to outsource software development.
However, there are several challenges, from time zone disparities to communication difficulties.
When you choose to employ mobile app developers through outsourcing, you can be confident of their high level of quality and prompt delivery.
Outsourcing a mobile app developer is one of the best options for many reasons such as:
- Access to professionals worldwide;
- Lower hiring expenses;
- Needed expertise;
- Fast hiring;
- No responsibility and costs on the working equipment and documentation;
- You may choose a team with unique expertise;
- A new perspective on your product idea;
- Contract-based collaboration.
Steps to hiring a mobile app developer
Start by gaining an understanding of why you are hiring developers for your app and what kind of people you need to hire. The requirement for a dedicated resource or a freelance developer for the development of a mobile app is one of these things to consider.
Establish your development objectives
Before you decide how to approach app developers, begin by conducting thorough research relating to your app.
Included in this are the app's category and its pricing and distribution options. The premium version of free software offers special benefits to users who pay for it in addition to being completely free.
If you're starting and want to establish a foundation with your audience, you can choose to make your app free. However, once you start getting positive user feedback, you should get ready to monetize by adding in-app purchases.
When planning to develop a mobile app, you must be extremely particular about the idea, the look, and the functionality of the final product. You'll be ready to explain the same to your app developer and other partners once you've done that.
Create straightforward flowcharts and templates for work processes, potential software features, and, if feasible, the end goals you want the mobile app to help you achieve.
Choose the right technology
The sort of app you want to create must be particular, regardless of whether you plan to hire app developers or do the design work yourself.
Considering that without this clarity, the process of developing an app might get highly complex as it moves along.
Set up your budget
Spend estimation is essential since it enables you to decide how much you should invest in the creation of your app and what else you'll need to do to support its expansion.
To choose a budget, you must be certain of your app kind, specs, app design, type of features, and developers, among other factors and options.
A little flexibility in the budget is also required, but if you are too flexible, the cost can end up being considerably higher. It's important to keep everything in balance.
Figure out your timeline
Your developer shouldn't tell you that it will take three years to create unless you are creating an app that will magically transport customers to the moon. Additionally, you can't expect to have decent software created in a month. So, ask them to provide an estimate of how long each stage of the procedure will take. It's hardly the end of the world if the testing phase takes longer than expected—say, 10 weeks instead of the eight they predicted.
However, if they estimate that the planning and design phases will take six weeks but they take 20, that's not as acceptable.
Just be aware that there will be a few roadblocks that will affect your timing as you travel.
To keep the timeline acceptable, ask the developer how they intend to address certain circumstances when they happen.
Find the best team
You need to confirm they are knowledgeable and dependable before hiring either a freelance developer or a full-service firm.
Make sure to follow the advice provided below if you want to learn how to employ a mobile app developer:
- Do your research
You should be familiar with the ins and outs of the sector before entrusting another person with your project. If you're unfamiliar with the field of mobile app development, speak with a few professionals to learn how much it will cost you to employ an app developer.
Start by being familiar with all the factors that go into producing a good mobile app, such as programming languages, average app development expenses, the best locations to look for mobile app developers, etc. These factors will assist you in choosing the best technology partner to handle your project's demands expertly and within your budgetary constraints.
- Check the app developer's experience
Find out what you know about creating applications. Ask whether you've ever produced an app similar to yours. You can gauge how much you may expect from someone by understanding where they are coming from.
- Check portfolio
Like doctors, app developers should go through a screening process to make sure they are fit for the position. Is it a mobile app or a web app? Why do you require a certain programming language? Does your mobile app need a complex graphical interface or one that is straightforward?
After addressing these inquiries, only then should you hire app developers. Employ an app developer that has experience with the particular technology you require for your project, not just one who is talented.
- Examine expertise in communication
Never choose to ignore communication skills, even though they should not be your main priority. The inability to comprehend your demands will prevent your technology partner from producing anything that meets them.
Knowing how effectively you can communicate and grasp your vision for mobile app development is crucial, for this reason.
- Set straightforward standards
Make sure to reach out to app developers after you are aware of how to do so and make clear what you want from the initial encounter. You may use this to hasten the development process and avoid disagreements.
- Know their technologies
Is a complex user interface necessary for your program, or can it do with a straightforward one? By providing answers to these questions, candidates will be reduced.
- Conducting the interview
Conduct in-depth interviews with everyone you plan to hire. You may ask a professional for help, if necessary, in locating an app developer and scheduling an interview once you get in touch. Besides, here are a few things you should think about before communicating with someone.
Where to look for experienced mobile app developers?
Here are some platforms to seek a qualified mobile app developer:
- Freelance websites
There are several places where you may submit your needs and where independent mobile app developers can offer their resumes. Hiring using these websites has the benefit that the applicants have been screened, saving you the time and effort of running background checks.
- Tech blogs
Only an app developer who writes for a tech blog site might have the most expertise in the field. To learn more about mobile applications and the people who created them, visit tech blog sites. You may identify mobile app development businesses that have experience with applications comparable to the ones you want to produce or the platform you want to use for development.
- B2B directories
There are B2B directories that provide unique details, opinions, and evaluations on employed or independent mobile app developers.
- Search engine
By selecting the correct keywords, you may direct your search to the top mobile app developers or development firms.
- Your network
Word-of-mouth referrals from the network are also useful since you may hire a mobile app developer after seeing their work firsthand and hearing from a reliable source about it.
How much does it cost to hire an app developer?
Many distinct factors affect how much it costs to build an app. Discuss these issues with the developer and the team before work starts to get a feel of how they'll affect your final quote. Some of these elements include:
- App features: The cost of development will increase as the number of functions you wish to add to your app increases. Certain functions, however, cost more than others. For instance, it can cost $400 to add push notifications to your app. On the contrary side, call features might cost up to $12,000 each.
- Device platforms: As previously said, developing several native apps for multiple device platforms has a significant financial impact.
- The location of the development company: The cost of hiring an app developer also greatly relies on the location of the development company, since the rates may vary depending on the cost of living.
- Costs of maintenance: Does your app require more frequent maintenance than usual? The cost of engaging the app developer may thus be on the higher end for you.
Interview questions to ask your future mobile app developer
There are important requirements for hiring mobile app developers. Reviewing the qualifications on paper is the main goal of the first stop. The experience and education of the candidate should be shown in the CV.
The interview can then be scheduled provided the developer satisfies the prerequisites. You might ask the applicant the following questions to be useful.
Q1. What are the benefits of using React Native for building mobile apps?
A: React Native is known for:
- being cost-effective
- being highly performative
- allowing code reusing
- having live and hot reloading
- having modular architecture
- having a big community and support
- supporting 3rd party plugins
Knowing the benefits of React Native may seem like an obvious question, but from a business perspective, it is crucial to understand them. By asking the candidate to talk you through them you can get a general idea of their knowledge and how they would ‘sell’ their own technology to you.
Q2. What is a progressive web app?
A: PWA is a web application that has a feeling of a native app. They offer the same functionalities as native apps including working offline and push notifications.
It’s important that your potential employee knows his/her way around PWAs in case you decide to build one. They should talk about the process of releasing a PWA, which involves reusing functionalities of the mobile app without rewriting the code.
Q3. What are the advantages of native apps over hybrid apps?
A: Native apps are said to be:
- as efficient as apps built for specific platforms
- secure and reliable
- responsive on all platforms
- working even without the Internet connection
- better integrated with mobile hardware
- able to utilize device-specific capabilities
Q4. Tell me about your soft skills and the value they will bring to our project.
Of course, there’s no one answer to that, but it is crucial to know if the candidate meets not only your technical requirements but also the soft-skill ones. This can also be a great tricky question for applicants to check how carefully they have read the job description.
Q5. What do you know about UX and UI?
Even though it is not a requirement for your developer to have extensive knowledge of UX and UI it is a tremendous advantage. An experienced individual will be able to contribute to the app’s design from a developer’s perspective.
Q6. What are some of the most common security issues mobile developers face? How can you handle them?
Security is crucial in web and mobile development as those applications often are full of confidential information. This is why your development team should understand the security implications and be prepared against security issues. You can also ask them for particular examples of structures they can implement to protect the users’ sensitive information.
Q7. How do you feel about testing? What does your process look like?
Good mobile app developers are aware that code testing is a neccessary step as it helps to identify errors. This question will help you evaluate how the candidate feels about debugging and testing their code.
Q8. Describe the most challenging mobile app development project you worked on before. How did you overcome those challenges? How did you complete the project?
This question will provide you with an overview of the candidate’s professional experience and how he/she navigates through challenges. The best answer should give you an overlook of what the applicant can bring to your company.
Why are these questions important?
Mobile app developers are responsible for developing applications using all sorts of tech including PWA, React Native, Ionic, Xamarin, etc. The first step to hiring the right candidate for the job is 'The Interview.' Asking the right question can help you judge the skills and expertise of the person.
There is a possibility that someone who looks great during resume screening is not as capable as they portray themself. Or, the newly hired developer meets all the technical requirements but falls short on soft skills, like communication and teamwork.
The question listed above will help you gauge the technical and communicational skills of a mobile developer and help you decide whether to hire them or not.
Summary
It takes knowledge and a rigorous approach to hire mobile app developers and produce a dynamic app. In a perfect world, you would hire a team of software engineers with creative UI/UX designers, manual testers, a cutting-edge tech stack, and a team that can later test the app's code and fix any flaws.
Additionally, a mobile app development business offers the entire package for sale rather than just sending you one developer. Here, the entire procedure is carried out without any hiccups since everyone on the team will carry out the task for which they were hired.
More responsibility among the mobile app developers would result from this, which will also help save money.
Selleo has a competent staff of mobile app developers who can assist you in taking your idea to the next level. Onboarding us entails employing mobile app developers who believe in your mobile app's power to enable your concept with the appropriate level of technical committees.
