How to Hire a Golang Developer: Practical Tips

An excellent development team is one of the components of the success of your project. That’s why if you build custom software development solutions for your business needs, one of the first tasks will be to find outstanding professionals with rich expertise. 

When you have such developers, you can entirely rely on their knowledge and vision. Your collaboration results may be significantly beyond your expectations. However, businesses often need more understanding of how they can hire the best developers for their projects. 

Therefore, we’ve prepared this article where we'd like to share some valuable tips on how to hire Golang developers, as Golang (or Go) is among the most widely applied programming languages today. Today, many companies have opted for Go as a more appropriate alternative to other programming languages.

What is Go/Golang?

But before hiring a Golang developer guide, we need to get familiarized with all the essential information about this language and the type of solutions that can be built with its help.

Golang, also widely known as Go, is an open-source, statically typed, compiled, high-level programming language. It was designed by Google, and the core idea behind its introduction was to offer developers an easy-to-use language that would allow them to create solutions of any complexity. The company first announced its plans to present Go in 2009, but its first version was made publicly available only three years later, in 2012.

The popularity of Go/Golang started to grow rather quickly, which can be explained by its readability, simplicity, and efficiency. That’s why today, it can be used for a wide range of different projects.

For example, it is often chosen for backend programming, developing games, cloud-based apps, and data science tools. It can also be a good option for building command-line tools, as well as AI-powered applications and other software products.

Below is a graph showing the results of the Go Developer Survey conducted in the first quarter of 2023.

Today, many tech giants and other prominent businesses rely on Go. Among them, we should mention Uber, Twitch, Pinterest, Slack, Netflix, Paypal, American Express, Shopify, Robinhood, Kubernetes, Dropbox, Heroku, Docker, and many others.

Go: Stats and Figures

Given the popularity of this programming language today, many businesses want to find seasoned Golang developers for hire.

As of July 2023,  the TIOBE index demonstrates that Go occupied the 13th position on the list of the top computing languages. The index is based on the results of the most popular search engines and also considers some other parameters, like whether the language has its own Wikipedia entry.

According to the data published by Statista, more than 13% of developers worldwide use Golang. Based on various sources, today, there are over 2 million Golang developers (if we also include those developers who focus on other languages but use Go for some specific tasks).

It’s interesting to pay attention to the number of available vacancies that require Go programming skills. As of the end of July 2023, there were almost 110,000 such job ads on LinkedIn.

What Industries are Looking for Golang Developers for Hire?

If you analyze what companies typically post job ads and plan to hire Golang developers, you will see that IT companies publish most vacancies. But are Golang developers in demand in other industries? Definitely, yes. Finance and fintech businesses, as well as companies that offer cloud platform services, are also among those who want to work with experts with such skills. Though companies usually plan to hire Golang web developers, we notice a tendency to rely on this programming language in mobile app development as well.

Below is a list of industries and fields where Go/Golang is commonly used:

• IT services;
• Fintech and finance;
• Cloud computing services;
• Data analysis and big data;
• Mobile app development;
• Search engines and internet services;
• Retail, commerce, distribution;
• Mass media and entertainment.

But of course, it doesn’t mean that when you work in another industry and want to use Go as a programming language for building your solution. Each project should always be considered and analyzed individually. Suppose you haven’t found your industry on our list but believe Golang will be your app's best choice. In that case, you can always get a professional consultation with a reliable software development company like Geomotiv. Our experts will view your requirements and ideas and provide recommendations on the preferred tech stack for your project.

Based on the practical experience of our team, Golang often becomes a good choice as a language for the backend development for projects of different types. As our Go developers note, it is an easy-to-use language that makes it possible to create various features comparatively fast. Moreover, when choosing a tech stack, we recommend you think about the support and maintenance of your product in the long run. With Go, developers won’t have any serious issues if it is required to modernize your app or enhance it with new functionality.

Key Benefits That Make Golang a Preferable Choice for Many Projects

While discussing the popularity of this computing language, it is crucial to explain why it is so. The key reasons are related to the advantages that are open to developers.

Let us focus at least on the core ones.

• Simplicity of learning. Most programmers who learned Go when they already knew some other languages admit that Go is significantly easier than many other technologies. It has only 25 keywords, and its syntax can’t be named too complicated. Several weeks of learning are often enough for developers to start coding in this language on real projects. Our Golang programmers also say that thanks to the comparatively simple syntax of this language, it is possible to avoid a lot of mistakes, which makes the entire development process relatively smooth.
• Concurrency and scalability. Its concurrent nature means that it can run multiple tasks at the same time and do it with a high level of efficiency and low memory usage. Thanks to using goroutines which can be explained as functions that run simultaneously but entirely independently, apps written in Go will be ready for facing increased loads.
• Multipurpose nature. This programming language is compatible with operating systems, platforms, and devices. As a result, developers can use it to build highly efficient and seamlessly functioning software of different styles and complexity.
• Fast execution and development. Go can compile to machine code directly, which means that the stage of byte code is omitted. Thanks to excluding all intermediary steps and processes, faster code execution and development are achieved. The development processes can also be streamlined using the parallel testing tool integrated into the Go framework.
• Easy maintenance and readability. As the syntax of Go is comparatively simple, developers usually do not have difficulties reading and understanding the code written by other teams. It means that even when they have a task to maintain a product they did not develop, they can do it easily. As a result, the time needed for fulfilling different tasks will be optimized because developers can understand the code relatively quickly.
• Availability of tools. Developers who work with Golang have access to a rich library of components and a wide choice of IDEs, editors, and plugins. All this is available on GitHub. 
• Possibility to use it for large-scale projects. Very often, businesses choose Golang for their enterprise systems. This option helps to reduce the time needed for the development cycle. Moreover, when it is necessary to build a vast project, several development teams are involved. And if they use any complex languages and technologies, it may cause issues in their collaboration. But with Go, there are not any problems of this type.
• Open-source nature. Thanks to the fact that Go is an open-source language, it has a powerful community. It means that today, there are a lot of tutorials and forums run by fans of Go, and developers can always turn to their colleagues from all over the world for advice.

What Do Golang Developers Do?

When you want to hire remote Golang developers or specialists who will work from your office, you need to understand what these experts do and what tasks you can rely on.

Usually, such experts can write code for different software solutions, including web, mobile, and cloud-based apps. Very often, Go is not the only programming language they know and can work with. They can also have expertise in other popular languages like Python or Java and may be good data science, cloud computing, and DevOps specialists. As a rule, they are multifunctional professionals who can help you achieve excellent results in many types of tech projects.

Typical tasks for programmers on Golang software development projects:

• Writing code in Go;
• Writing tests for this code;
• Troubleshooting;
• Preparing documentation that will contain an explanation of their code;
• Creating software and helping to implement it.

Must-Have Technical Skills for a Golang Developer

The precise set of skills that may be required from Go developers can vary depending on the project. But some skills are relevant practically in every case.

• Knowledge of goroutines. Every Go developer should know how to ensure that functions run simultaneously and independently.
• Understanding of Go channel patterns and frameworks. They help to enable data exchange between goroutines.
• Proficiency in using Go templates. With this instrument, developers can create dynamic content.
• Familiarity with Godoc commenting. This in-build documentation tool helps to facilitate the creation of user documentation.
• Expertise in using versioning tools. It will be helpful to know version control tools to work on a shared database without version conflicts.

How to Hire Golang Developers, and Where to Find Them?

The question “Where can I go to hire web developer who will be able to code in Golang?” is prevalent among those who have already decided to build a software product using this programming language.

And from the geographical point of view, you have several options. You can find specialists in your local labor market or nearshore or offshore hiring.

4 Models for Hiring Golang Developers

If you have decided that you need to hire Golang developers, it is high time to decide to choose the best model that will suit your case. We must highlight that no one-size-fits-all solutions exist; each case requires its own approach. That’s why we recommend you carefully analyze all the available options and view them from the perspective of your business.

1. In-house hiring. If you have a long-term project, you know that it will be feasible for you to expand your in-house staff and have all the required resources, then you should turn to this model. Having Golang developers on your team will be comfortable, but only in those cases when you are sure you will always have tasks for them.
2. Staff augmentation. This model allows you to fill in available tech positions by hiring specialists from a talent pool of the chosen vendor. It is a cost-efficient and very flexible model that will allow you to find the required developers significantly faster than in those cases when you are looking for in-house staff. A vendor will solve all administrative issues.
   At Geomotiv, we also provide such services. We have access to a rich talent pool and know that we can find the best experts for different software development projects regardless of their specificity. By using this model, you can hire just one specialist or more. Everything depends directly on your ongoing situation, requirements, and expectations. This is a perfect choice when you already have an in-house development team but do not want to expand it.
   Moreover, from our side, we guarantee the full support of all specialists that will join your project. We onboard new employees and take all the responsibility related to the organization of their work. We also gather feedback from our clients to understand whether the right people occupy the right positions on the project and whether anything can be done to enhance their performance.
3. Outsourcing. You should turn to this model when you are ready to transfer the responsibility for some tasks or projects to an external vendor. In other words, in this case, you will work with a team that will perform all the project realization tasks. And your participation here will be minimized. By relying on our team to fulfill such tasks, you get access to excellent niche expertise, enjoy optimized costs, and avoid the necessity to execute full control over the project.
4. Work with freelancers. Collaboration with freelancers has a lot of benefits. Very often, their services are cheaper than those of the software development companies. They are very flexible. They can work fast as they are interested in getting more projects. But there are also a lot of pitfalls. Unfortunately, there are cases when freelancers can let you down or just disappear without fulfilling their tasks. Nevertheless, there are also a lot of highly responsible specialists with outstanding skills. And you just need to ensure you’ve found the right person. One of the most popular platforms for finding freelancers with different skills is Upwork.

Are you also interested in working with specialists with other skills, for example, expertise in Node.js? You can read about hiring approaches here.

The Process of Hiring Golang Developers

The hiring and onboarding process may differ depending on the exact model you have chosen for establishing cooperation with developers. The main differences will be related to the responsibilities for headhunting and various administrative questions.

Nevertheless, the typical hiring process usually includes the following steps.

1. Creation of a profile of an ideal candidate. You need to understand the required skills, experience, and knowledge.
2. Publishing of a job description. You need to present your requirements as a job ad that will help you hire Go developer. Also, please think carefully about the platforms where you will publish your ad. Or you may entrust software development partners like Geomotiv to make all that work for you (publishing job description, initial screening, interviewing, candidate selection, hiring, and onboarding).
3. Consideration of received applications. Evaluate all the applications and assess them based on your requirements.
4. Analysis of assessment results. When you’ve assessed the candidates, you can create a short list of those you want to communicate with at the interview.
5. Interviews. At the interview, you can check both the tech and soft skills of the candidates, as well as discuss financial, organizational, and other terms.
6. Candidate selection. Based on the results of the interviews, you can already choose the best candidate and prepare a job offer for this specialist.

For the interviews, we recommend you prepare tricky questions that will help you understand each candidate's proficiency level. There are a couple of examples for you.

Question: How do we eliminate a memory leak in Golang?

And here are the ways to estimate answers.

• A junior developer doesn’t know what a memory leak is.
• A mid-level developer knows what it is but doesn’t know it is possible in Go.
• A senior developer knows how the Go garbage collector works and how a memory leak happens.

Other questions for an interview with Golang developers:

Conclusion

As you can see, Golang is a rather popular programming language that can be used for building solutions of different types. At the same time, the language is easy to learn and convenient to use, which can also be named among the reasons for its pers can choose the most comfortable terms and the most exciting projects for them.

If you want to hire dedicated Golang developers or are looking for a team that will take full responsibility for your project realization or at least for some tasks, you can always contact us. At Geomotiv, we can offer different cooperation models and will find the best experts who will fully meet your requirements.