Navigating the process of hiring the ideal iOS developer for your project may seem daunting, but our aim is to make it a smooth journey. Here is our all-encompassing guide on recruiting the best iOS developers who deliver on their promises.
If you're on the hunt for a leading iOS app development firm, a standout programmer from the premier iOS app development agencies in India or Poland, or simply wanting to sharpen your understanding of the most effective iOS developer interview questions, we have every aspect catered for.
We're here to guide you through the maze of exceptional iOS development companies and game developers, with a commitment to help you find the most skilled individuals for your project. So, let's get started on this quest to discover a professional who can grasp your vision and convert it into a spectacular iOS application.
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Decide on the details of your iOS app project
Depending on the scope of your project, you might need a different type and number of iOS developers.
If the mobile app will be the most important part of your business, you will probably need a full team of devs who will take care of the software by updating it with new features and solving all the issues that happen.
However, if the mobile app will be only a part of your bigger project, you might choose a different path, such as looking for a freelance iOS developer. Instead of hiring them full-time, you will simply pay them for doing the project right and later, if needed, for updating it.
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Look for specific technical skills
The most important hard, technical skills to look for when you want to hire iOS developer are:
a) Knowledge of Swift and Objective-C programming languages
b) Knowledge of and experience in using Xcode IDE
c) Experience with multiple popular Swift libraries
d) Understanding of Apple’s Grand Central Dispatch (GCD)
e) Basics of iOS testing
f) Experience with popular iOS graphic APIs (Metal, OpenGL)
g) Understanding of and experience in using Git
h) Knowledge of iOS data management (SQLite)
i) Experience with both Apple and external APIs for iOS
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Think of your app’s design
Before your mobile app launches, a number of prototypes are run, some of them being just simple mockups prepared by designers. An iOS developer should be able to understand those, ready to recommend changes and adjustments before the coding itself starts.
Because of this, you should always remember to review your candidate’s portfolio from the design perspective, making sure your potential dev has a good understanding of UI and UX good practices (including Apple Human Interface Guidelines for iOS).
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Remember about the soft skills
While the strictly technical knowledge is crucial for developing a good app, your new iOS developer should also be in possession of specific soft skills to work well with you, teammates, and other colleagues.
The list of recommended soft skills for an iOS developer includes:
a) Open-mindedness
b) Ability to communicate well technical things to non-developers
c) Expert time management
d) Self-motivation
e) Creativity
h) Accountability and being able to learn from one’s mistakes
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Assess how much you can spend
Cutting costs is incredibly important, especially for early-stage startups that sometimes have to think twice about spending a dollar. Because of this, before deciding on what kind of iOS developer you want to hire, you should consider how much you can actually afford.
According to Glassdoor, an iOS developer in the States earns approximately $95k per year. If you are not able to afford it, you can consider looking for freelance iOS developer who will work for you remotely — either regularly or just develop the base product. In this case, you can hire iOS app developer from a country where the costs of living are lower. Personally, we recommend looking into the Central and Eastern European markets. The costs of hiring a dev from there are lower, but the quality of their work is still on the top level. According to one report, 6 of the top 20 countries with the best developers are Central and Eastern European countries.
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Carefully review resume and portfolio
We highly recommend that when you hire iOS app developer, you should always ask the candidate about the specifics of their contribution to each project presented in their portfolio. Did they build the whole app by themselves or were they a member of a bigger team? What was their exact role in the project? Were they responsible for how the app looks or coded based on the layout done by a designer?
These are all important questions that will allow you to assess correctly skills and experience of the iOS developer you want to hire.
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Ask for references
The best people to talk with about your candidate’s previous work are their former employers and clients. Firstly, remember to always ask your potential hire before reaching out to these people — it’s simply considered a good manner to ask for specific reference contacts instead of just googling them or checking LinkedIn.
Secondly, always ask about contacts to both companies for which the developer worked full-time and to those for which he worked as a freelancer. There might be differences in how the candidate approached these two types of clients.
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Consider company and project fit
iOS developers can be specializing in building different types of apps and for different industries. To make sure that your app will be finished quickly and that it will keep up with what your competitors have in offer, hire iOS developer who already has experience with companies and projects similar to yours.
For example:
a) Looking for freelance iOS developer to create an app for your online marketplace? Chat with those who have already done similar products and worked with mobile SDKs of popular e-commerce platforms (e.g. Shopify).
b) Running a fintech startup? Hire iOS developer who previously worked for banks or other financial institutions.
c) Are children your target group? Consider looking for iOS developers with experience in educational apps, such as simple and colorful mobile games for the youngest.
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Run a proper technical interview with strictly iOS developer questions
Setting up a technical interview when you hire an iOS developer is crucial in assessing a candidate's skills. The process is especially important if you plan to hire the developer for a full-time job and not just outsource a short project.
If you are not tech-savvy yourself, we recommend asking for help an iOS dev-colleague you might have or book some consultation time with a paid expert, e.g. an IT Project Manager experienced in the field of mobiles. The technical interview usually comprises a set of questions and later an additional exercise (to be either completed during the interview or at home).
When it comes to technical iOS developer questions, here are the favorite ones of ours:
a) What’s CoreData? What do you use it for?
b) What is .xcassets?
c) Map vs FlatMap vs CompactMap. What are the differences between the three?
d) Native iOS development vs React Native. Which one would you choose and why?
e) What’s your favorite library/libraries to work on when building an iOS app?
f) What’s the difference between Heap and Stack?
g) Explain the differences between MVC, MVP, and MVVM.
Consider other platforms
If you have already decided to have a mobile app built, why not go beyond the iOS and have the software done for Android as well?
In this case, you may need to hire iOS developer with Android experience, a separate Android developer, or a specialist with cross-platform development experience (e.g. with the use of React Native, a framework built by people at Facebook that allows developing native-like iOS and Android apps nearly simultaneously).
To have a truly complete team, you’ll also surely need iOS app designers, IT project managers, or data engineers. If you want to get connected with top talents of all these roles fast, contact us at Ideamotive. We run an extensive network of best-in-class IT professionals always ready for a new challenge.
