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Nearly three decades have passed since Python emerged on the scene, however, the language continues to grow in popularity. Today, its versatility and powerful features make it one of the world’s most popular languages.
You can use Python to achieve a wide range of business objectives. Developers have used it to create popular CMS products like Django CMS and Wagtail CMS, etc. System administrators, as another example, can use Python as a powerful scripting language.
Python has extensive libraries that have helped developers to create excellent web frameworks. This language has important use cases on the Linux platform as well.
The language lends itself well to scientific computing. This means that you can also use it to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Big Data applications, making it a very versatile language indeed.
For many developers, Python has always been a favorite language and it remains that way today. While you might think that this means that it will be easy to find Python developers, don’t be fooled, it can take considerable effort to find and hire Python programmers with the right skills and motivation to ensure your project succeds.
Firstly, you face the dilemma of choosing an appropriate hiring platform. Freelancer software development platforms may appear to be a great option, however, they come with some big risks, and we will talk about them shortly.
You should look for reputed hybrid software development companies that can provide full-time software engineers. Dedicated Python developers with several years of experience are a must. Moreover, you should look for Python programmers that can work well in a team.
Analyze your business context and project requirements so that you can choose the right hiring approach. You also need to focus on skills, which we will now cover.
Essential Python programming skills
- In-depth knowledge of the Python language.
- Comprehensive knowledge of popular Python frameworks like Django, Flask, Pyramid, TurboGears, Web2py, etc.
- Sufficient experience with the “Object Relational Mapper” (ORM) libraries of Python.
- Knowledge of the strengths and limitations of Python.
- The understanding of how event-driven programming works in Python.
- Knowledge of integrating multiple databases and sources of data effectively into one application.
- Robust knowledge of server-side templating languages.
- Sufficient knowledge of front-end development technologies like JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3.
- In-depth knowledge of relational databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.
- Good knowledge of NoSQL databases like MongoDB.
- The knowledge of Python Lambda functions.
- The ability to create database schemas in line with the business requirements.
The programmers you hire need to know the web framework that you plan to use.
As stated before, Python offers powerful libraries, which is one of its key advantages. Your business requirements will determine which libraries are important in your project. For example, if you are undertaking a machine learning software development project, then the following Python libraries will be useful:
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- TensorFlow;
- Scikit-Learn;
- Numpy;
- Keras;
- PyTorch;
- LightGBM;
- Eli5;
- SciPy;
- Theano;
- Pandas.
Developers should have the know-how in the Python libraries that are important to your project.
Note: If you have customized requirements, then you need to look for the skills related to this as well. For example, you would need to look for native Android and iOS development expertise if you plan to launch mobile applications.
Other software development skills required for Python development
You need a Python expert with well-rounded software development skills. Some of these skills may not exclusively be linked to Python programming, however, they carry a lot of importance. These are as follows:
A. The knowledge of coding scalable applications
Look for a web developer with Python skills that knows how to develop scalable applications. This requires the following:
- Understanding the scalability requirements of a project and focusing on the right metrics.
- Robust knowledge of databases and frameworks since they impact how an application scales.
- The knowledge of coding performant apps that will work well across various platforms.
- The knowledge of best practices that aid in developing scalable applications.
B. The knowledge and experience to secure web applications
You will rarely develop applications that only deal with aggregate and anonymized information. Some applications might deal with only aggregate Google Analytics or other social media data without any sensitive information. In most cases, you will develop applications that feature more complexities and process sensitive personal information.
You need to secure your Python application, and you need software programmers that know how to code secure applications.
You need software engineers that know the following:
- How to identify and mitigate key application security vulnerabilities like injection, insufficient security configuration, etc.
- How to use tools and techniques like multi-factor authentication, encryption, etc.
- How to secure 1st party APIs that you might develop.
C. The knowledge of working with cloud platforms
Cloud computing has enabled organizations to innovate rapidly since it allows them to focus on development. Managed cloud services providers eliminate the time and effort spent on infrastructure management.
You will likely use a “Platform-as-a-Service” (PaaS) platform in this project.
Reputed PaaS platforms like Heroku and AWS Elastic Beanstalk take care of several aspects such as servers, operating system, and runtime environment. This enables you to concentrate on development. Look for Python programmers that are familiar with well-known PaaS platforms.
D. The knowledge to develop 1st party APIs
You might develop your own APIs so that the front-end of your app can get a consistent framework to access the back-end. Look to hire Python experts with experience developing APIs. Developers need to know the following:
- How to use prominent API development and documentation tools.
- How to host APIs using the cloud computing platform.
- Using databases to develop the backend.
- How to create effective rules for API requests and responses.
- How to secure APIs using techniques like authentication token, encryption, etc.
- Designing API endpoint URLs smartly.
E. The competencies, skills, and necessary experience required for a software development project
While programming language and database skills are very important, effective developers need more than that. Competent Python developers need the following capabilities:
- Collaboration: A software developer needs to collaborate with testers and DevOps engineers. This is crucial for building an effective CI/CD environment, moreover, this helps in security/compliance testing.
- The knowledge of software architecture: Python experts don’t need to be software architects. However, they need to know how to align their code with the architecture decisions made in the project. This helps while developing web services.
- The familiarity with UI design principles: A software engineer with Python skills doesn’t need to be a UI designer. However, they need to know how to code in line with the UI design principles used in the project.
- Code review: Experienced developers can review code, and this makes a big difference. Code review can detect bugs earlier. It plays a key part in unearthing certain types of bugs like security vulnerabilities.
How to find the best Python developers?
Now that you know the required skills, you can turn to the hiring process. Take the following steps to hire Python developers:
1. Decide what kind of platform to hire Python developers
Your choice of the hiring platform will have a significant impact on your project.
The wrong choice can result in you hiring incompetent Python developers, which could put your project schedule, budget, and quality objectives at risk. It takes a lot of work to turn troubled projects around, therefore, think carefully before choosing a hiring platform.
You can hire through a general-purpose freelancer site and hire Python developers via their transparent contracting process. While this could help you to find a programmer at a low hourly rate, this approach comes with big risks.
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Freelancers mostly work remotely and they might only work part-time on your project. They also have up to 20% of their earnings deducted by the platform, You also might find it hard to manage the work of a freelancer in India while you are based in the United States, for example.
The alternative is freelancer sites that focus on software development. Such sites can provide you with experienced Python programmers. The screening process of this platform ensures that only top developers can join this community.
You can get high-quality Python developers with these platforms. However, these platforms don’t provide any management support though and you need to mitigate all risks concerning working with freelance programmers.
The best option is to hire developers or dev teams through hybrid software development companies such as DevTeam.Space.
Our community of full-time vetted developers is on hand to help with any kind of project that you might have. We guarantee the quality of work produced by all of our developers so you don’t need to worry. We offer NDAs to give you the peace of mind that all your intellectual property is protected.
2. Interview the shortlisted candidates to find top Python developers
After you choose your hiring platform, you need to interview the shortlisted candidates. You can interview them yourself if you are a Python expert.
If you aren’t an expert, then you can get interview questions from Stack Overflow or similar sources on the Internet. If you have an associate with expertise in Python, you can ask them to interview the shortlisted candidates.
You need to cover all the technical skills that we have mentioned. Find out about their experience with common source code management tools like Git.
Pay attention to the project experience of the candidates, and ask them to show you apps that they have developed. Check whether they have the experience of working on complex Python projects. Pick complex projects from their portfolio and ask them how they approached various complex problems in those projects.
Explain the business requirements of your project. Ask them for specific suggestions on how they would approach your project. Shortlisted candidates should provide specific responses and high-level statements.
3. Provide all relevant information about your app development project
You need to provide all the key information about your project so that the new developers can succeed. Start with the project documentation such as business requirements, technical solutions, architectural decisions, test plans, etc. Explain your project in detail.
Introduce the developers to your larger team. It’s especially important to introduce them to the people they will work closely with, e.g., testers, UI designers, and DevOps engineers. Establish a communication process. Give access to the technical environment of your project. You will need to point them to the code repository of your project and other such tools.
Explain the project plan and schedule to the developers. Provide details related to the iterations and explain your milestone review process. Explain the payment T&Cs and establish accountability measures.
How to interview Python programmers
We recommend the following best practices for hiring Python developers:
A. Tailor the interview to your project
Why do you want to hire a Python developer? Take a look at other open Python developer positions and isolate exactly why you need them.
Do you need software developers for scripting? Is your Python project for web development, and do you need a full-stack developer? Do you need skilled Python developers for machine learning (ML) development?
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Python is an incredibly versatile language. You can do a lot with it. However, even the most talented Python developers might not be experts in ML development, data science, web development, and scripting simultaneously!
Make sure that your requirements are specific. Interview Python developers with the relevant experience.
This is why we don’t recommend hiring freelance Python developers. You might think that you are interviewing the top freelance Python developers, however, it’s hard to assess their relevant experience. You will find it harder in the case of remote Python developers.
B. Assess the ability to code bug-free programs
Judge the ability of the candidate to code error-free Python programs. Python is a dynamically typed language. That offers flexibility. However, some developers inadvertently introduce type-related bugs. You need developers that know how to avoid this.
C. Assess the knowledge of Python libraries
You should check if the candidate has sufficient knowledge of Python libraries. Python has excellent libraries that offer productivity. Many AI/ML and data science project teams use Python due to the extensive libraries. Qualified Python developers should have a thorough knowledge of Python libraries.
Examples of Python programming language coding questions
Ask questions that help you to gauge the hands-on knowledge of the Python developers. The following are a few examples:
Question 1: How to reverse a list in Python?
Answer: Programmers can use the Python method called “reverse()” to reverse a list. The following is an example:
def reverse(s);
str = “”
for i in s:
str = i + str
return str
Question 2: How can you convert an integer to a string in Python?
Answer: Python developers can use the built-in “str()” function to convert integers to strings. Programmers can use it to convert any Python data type to a string. The following example shows how it works:
num = 10
converted_num = str(num)
Question 3: What are the distinct characteristics of the “Lambda function” in Python?
Answer: The “Lambda” function in Python is an anonymous function. Programmers can use many parameters with it, however, they can have only one statement. The following example shows how the “Lambda” function in Python works:
a = m,n : m+n
print(a(10, 11))
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Python lets you do a lot thanks to its powerful features and excellent libraries. Having said that, Python development projects can be complex. You should look to hire Python developers with years of experience in complex projects so that you ensure they have all the skills your project needs to succeed.
Why not take a few minutes and fill out this DevTeam.Space product specification form. One of our dedicated account managers will soon contact you and explain how our experienced Python developers can help you.
