Despite being released initially in 2000, over two decades ago, C# is still considered by many a "modern" language. Back in the early 2000s, it was a revolution — nowadays, it’s a well-deserved standard.
According to the 2020 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, C# is used by approximately 32.3% of professional developers — number seven on the list of most popular languages. What's more, nearly 60% of developers who use C#, love it. An incredibly good score, an effect surely of all the great things about C#: it’s easy to learn (but hard to master), it’s constantly improving (powered by Microsoft), and has a huge number of different use cases.
So when exactly can C# be useful for your business and how can you hire C# developers? Read on our guide below to learn everything you need to leverage the impressive potential of C#.
Why hire C# developers?
The truly amazing thing about C# is its versatility. The language can be used in a huge number of areas of IT development — and in most of them, it’s either the leading or one of the leading solutions available.
The most important use cases of C# include:
- Windows apps
As it’s Microsoft who developed C#, it’s obvious that they highly encourage to build apps for the system with this language. C# is supported by Visual Studio, the most important environment for Windows apps development — but it also allows developers to build macOS apps.
- Games
C# is the core language of Unity, one of the most popular video game engines, allowing C# developers to create amazing experiences for all devices, from consoles and desktops to mobiles and VR headsets. Virtual Studio also supports Windows and Xbox game development.
- Web development
C# is the language of .NET — one of the most popular web back-end development environments.
- Mobile development
By utilizing the combined power of C# and .NET, C# developers can build cross-platform mobile apps (apps sharing a significant chunk of code between the iOS and Android versions) using Xamarin — one of the leading platforms for the development of such apps.
- Internet of Things
Once again, you can leverage the potential of C# and .NET and hire C# developers to build great-performing software for your revolutionary IoT devices.
- VR, AR, MR
Virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality — all these technologies are slowly becoming a new standard in our lives, merging the real with the digital. You can leverage the potential of these revolutionary solutions already now. Hire C# developers experienced in the relevant technology as C# is one of the best programming languages for all of them.
The most crucial hard skills for C# developers
Due to the versatility of C# use cases, different companies might require slightly different technical skillsets from their candidates when they hire C# developers. However, there are some common areas to look into — we list them below.
- Expert knowledge of C#
C# is really easy to start with — it is quite often picked up by newcomers who want to get into the world of software development. However, utilizing the language in a business environment requires much more advanced knowledge than most courses give. Advanced knowledge of C# can include an understanding of topics like memory management, algorithm development, and asynchronous programming.
- Experience with .NET
C# is virtually inseparable from the .NET environment — so much that the terms C# developers and .NET developers are sometimes even used interchangeably. So if you want to hire C# developers, you must be looking for people experienced in the .NET platform, whether you are developing desktop software or a mobile app.
- Experience with Visual Studio
Similarly, C# developers need to be familiar with Visual Studio. This robust environment is utilized in all areas of C# development, such as Unity game development and Xamarin cross-platform development.
- Proficiency with any other relevant tools
Of course, when you hire C# developers, you must consider your unique project and its tech stack. Not every C# developer is a game dev experienced with Unity or an expert in Xamarin. Review your unique needs and clarify your requirements before you start the hiring process. If you are unsure of what kind of C# developer you need, we recommend discussing this with an experienced software consultant or an IT project manager.
Don’t underestimate the soft skills
Specialized technical knowledge isn’t everything — to make sure your company truly thrives, you need to have a team of well-cooperating, innovative individuals who are happy to brainstorm and help each other. To guarantee yourself such a team, hire C# developers with the following soft skills…
- Attention to detail
To deliver reusable, bug-free code every step of the way.
- Expert time management
To handle all the tasks well and transition between them smoothly.
- Accountability
To always see their fault and learn from their mistakes.
Best job interview questions to ask C# developers
Due to the versatility of C# use cases, the interview questions asked during job interviews with C# developers might be different across multiple companies. That’s why it’s so important that the interview should be run by a person experienced in the technology and your business’s unique needs. If you don’t have the right C# knowledge, consider asking for help from another developer working with C#, a software consultant, or an IT project manager.
What are some of the more universal C# job interview questions?
- What is polymorphism? How can you take advantage of it?
- Encapsulation vs composition — what are the differences? When would you use either of them?
- How does a thread pool work?
- What is a let clause?
- Why is it recommended to avoid using God class?
- What are Indexers in C#?
- How can you overload a method?
- What is the difference between an anonymous function and a lambda expression?
- What are the SOLID principles?
- What is serialization? What different types of serialization are there?
How to hire C# developers who truly fit your business?
You will most likely end up with at least a few candidates who have the skills you are looking for — how then can you pick one that truly matches your business? We recommend looking into the following three areas of company fit…
- Product fit
If you have followed our advice so far, you know that you should consider the type of product you are developing (e.g. desktop app, mobile app, video game) when you hire C# developers. But you can go even deeper — think of the unique features that you want to have in your app and pick candidates who have already worked on similar solutions. They will be able to deliver results much faster.
- Industry fit
Why should you hire C# developers with previous experience in your business vertical? Because they already have the knowledge of your target customer and typical obstacles standing in the way of companies like yours. Such experience is hugely valuable for businesses of any size.
- Company culture fit
Soft skills are not the only thing that can improve cooperation in your office — you can also leverage the power of company culture match. Think of the values that drive your business. These can be things like the style of management, focus on diverse teams, or the type of work environment you have (startup vs corporation). Then, hire C# developers who also consider these values important.
Who else will you need in your team?
C# developers can guarantee a great technical backbone of your digital product — but there is still a lot of other areas to work on if you want to get yourself to the top. In fact, many projects will require also other developers than just those experienced in C#. For example, a web project will surely require also front-end developers, such as React developers or Angular developers. You might also want to power up your product with the help of great digital designers, data scientists, or a Product Owner.
At Ideamotive, we can connect you with all these experts rapidly. We run an industry-leading network of IT talents from all specialties. After you get in touch with us, we will carefully review your requirements and business profile and make arrangements only with the experts who truly fit your company.
