The world is moving Toward Digitalization, Which Has Increased The Demand For Skilled Developers Who Focus On Digitizing Business Processes. 

Unfortunately, finding skilled software engineers for tech projects has become a real challenge due to the absence of real tech talent.

One of the most popular jobs in the world of technology these days, and one that has quickly entered the market’s job advertisements, is a .NET developer. But who is a .NET developer, and what are his critical skills?

This article provides valuable information on finding and hiring talented .NET developers and tips on assessing and managing their skills.

Before dealing with this topic, it is better to have an overview of .NET technology.

What is .NET technology?

A person responsible for hiring a .NET developer must have complete knowledge of this technology, which is essential. .NET is an open-source development software framework developed and supported by Microsoft. Therefore, it is a fully functional technology compatible with this company’s operating systems.

In addition to being a common code framework, .NET is a runtime environment for applications. Each operating environment prepares a virtual machine like a sandbox to run programs. This environment runs in .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR), which is called Common Language Runtime. When a user runs a program at runtime, the program’s code is compiled into machine code and executed.
The common language runtime provides other services such as memory and process management, application-specific handling, and security management.

In other words, the execution environment abstracts the program from the actual hardware so that the programs can run on the hardware without any problems, and the programmers can do the coding processes more straightforwardly.

As you can see,. NET’s primary function is to provide a controlled environment for developers to install and run Windows-based software. However, the above framework is not limited to the Windows operating system.

In general, .NET is a framework for designing a wide variety of highly complex desktop, web, and mobile applications. It allows a savvy developer to code in two or more languages simultaneously.
For example, .Net, with the help of .Net Core, can support Java-based software and a wide range of programming languages ​​such as С#, F#, PowerShell, Visual Basic.Net, etc.

What skill sets should a .NET developer have?

This article provides a general list of features and characteristics of the .NET framework that you should consider when hiring a  .NET developer  :

1. As we mentioned, .NET supports different programming languages. A skilled .NET developer should not only be familiar with frameworks and libraries such as MVC, Entity Framework, or ASP.NET Web API but should be utterly proficient in them. These frameworks and libraries are primarily used in building business applications.

2. .NET is extensive and rich, so it is not necessarily a disadvantage if a developer is unfamiliar with one of the job description frameworks.
Many .NET frameworks share many operational and structural features, and migration from one framework to another will not be difficult for a knowledgeable developer, as their basic principles are similar.

3. If you are looking for a high-level developer, pay special attention to the selected person’s work experience. A low-level developer will most likely be unable to do valuable programming for your organization simply because of their lack of knowledge.

Among the most essential frameworks that a front-end .NET   developer should know about are the following:

•  Angular JS
•  Java Script
•  CSS
•  HTML
•  Bootstrap

If you are looking for a .NET backend developer, the chosen person should have sufficient knowledge about the following concepts:

•  NET Web API.
•  NET MVC.
•  Signal R.

If you are looking to hire a full-stack .NET developer – a person who has the skills of both front-end and backend groups – the person in question should have the skills of both groups and should also have detailed information about the following concepts:

•  Concepts of .NET programming.
•  Concepts of object-oriented programming.
•  Windows controls.
•  The basis of Windows workflow.
•  Proficient in MVC design patterns and related paradigms.
•  Mastering SQL Server database concepts and T-SQL and correctly implementing dialogs for SQL Server.
•  Its Mastery of Entity Framework & Code First.
•  Familiarity with different design patterns.
•  Familiarity with software concepts and development methodologies. Ability to work with version control software such as Git and TFS.
•  I have the spirit of teamwork, adaptability, and understanding and formulating the problem to provide suitable solutions.

How to find .NET developers?

Knowing where developers are online and offline and interacting with each other makes the hiring process more manageable.

If you want to hire an in-house developer, post your job description on LinkedIn or other job sites and search for developer resumes matching your organization’s work needs. However, you should know that .NET developers are not actively seeking work. They work on exciting projects in big companies. It would help if you reached them through different channels to increase your chances of attracting these people.

If you are looking for good .NET developers, we recommend visiting the following sites:

•  GitHub: With many skilled .NET developers sharing their experiences, GitHub is the largest developer community worldwide. Interestingly, developers also have an active presence on GitHub.
•  Stack Overflow is another significant developer community. Due to its unique structure, almost all skilled programmers worldwide, including programmers, are members of it.
•  Job sites: As we mentioned, job sites are another place to publish job ads related to  .net programmers so that interested people can contact you after seeing the ad.
•  Forums and groups on social media are excellent places to look, especially if you can find groups that focus on specific technologies and share ideas.

You can find them on platforms like Upwork if you need to hire a freelancer.

Many freelancers are actively looking for jobs. However, we emphasize that freelancers are not a good choice for core development. They usually do not have a deep interest in the projects and are more likely to contribute to the core team as an additional force.

If you need an expert and dedicated developer to work on a project with your in-house team and want this expert to focus on your work, you should consider hiring a contractor.

You can hire a dedicated software development team to outsource the development. Just keep in mind that you should find a reliable software development company.

Tips on hiring .NET developers

Be clear in your job description.

Be upfront about what you want and list essential requirements in your job offer. It makes the search process easier for both you and the developers. To cover all the necessary points, you should consider the following:

•  Provide a brief description of the job role and responsibilities that the developer should be able to undertake.
•  List all required programming languages, experiences, methods, skills, etc., necessary for your job.
•  Mention your field of work and some project details. Volunteers with similar experiences are most likely to approach you.

 Conduct technical interviews

Ideally, if you have a technical manager or an experienced senior developer, you can use them to assess candidates’ technical skills. Also, you can use online coding testing tools (Codility, HackerRank) in this process.

Assess candidates’ soft skills.

Hiring people who are easy to work with can simplify and speed up project completion. Check each candidate’s communication skills and consider whether this person is a good fit for the development team. You can prepare a list of questions to ensure the developer is reliable and responsible.

The cost of hiring .NET developers

The cost of hiring a developer depends on various aspects, Whether you are looking for an in-house engineer, want to hire a contractor or need a freelance .NET developer. The developer’s location, experience, and skills can affect the hiring cost.

Conclusion

Regarding hiring .NET developers, there are two essential things: Knowledge and communication. As a recruiter, you need to know who you’re looking for and where to look for them.

In general, when you hire a .NET developer, you hire someone with sufficient knowledge and skills in programming languages ​​related to this framework, such as C #, ASP.Net, Azure, etc.