Hire Python Programmer

Tips on how to hire the best Python developer

Pauline Rycombel

Last updated on July 12, 2020 | 16 min read | Language:

• English
  • German
  • Swedish

BackendGuideOutsourcingSoftware development

What skills should you look for in Python programmers?

Great Python developers should know how to crunch their numbers. This person must possess high analytical skills and a thorough understanding of algorithms. Coding can be quite a task to handle which is why your Python developer should be systematic and resourceful when it comes to web frameworks. But above all, this person should possess great communication skills.
Even in a programming role, communicating with a team is an essential skill of a talented Python developer.

Along with the increase of application of Big Data, Python is also becoming popular, too. However, there are other reasons explaining the popularity of Python in 2020, too.
 

Hiring process

Going through resumes of candidates for a Python developer position with listed programming skills is not enough. Here are some practices from which you can learn how to screen freelance Python developers’ skills. These steps will not only help you in hiring for a technical job of a web developer (Python developer) but also in your other recruiting and retaining efforts.

1. Build Candidate Pool

Many organizations receive an influx of resumes whenever they open a job post and they limit their selection pool into that list of applicants. Without their knowledge, they are losing out on the opportunity to find the best candidate for the job. Do not restrict your selection to that file folder on your hand.
The answer is pretty simple: network.
Here are some places where you are to find top Python developers that do not just fit the minimum requirements for the but exceed it.

• LinkedIn
• Job Boards with viewable resumes or profiles
• Recruiters, Executive firms and Placement offices
• Universities
• Industry Events or Conferences
• Referrals from your professional colleagues, friends and current employees

You are now equipped with a batch of competitive prospects. Do not wait for the hiring need to arise before doing this fundamental step. The secret is to build up a candidate pool of freelance Python developers before.

I’ve worked with DevsData on numerous projects over the last 3 years and I’m very happy. They demonstrated a strong degree of proactivity, taking time to thoroughly understand the problem and business perspective. The solutions they designed exceeded my expectations.

Jonas Lee

PARTNER & EXECUTIVE VP OF VERUS FINANCIAL LLC;
INVESTOR & SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR

2. Do not neglect your team

Your biggest asset is your human resource. Give value to your team by providing promotional opportunities and lateral moves where your Python developer can expand his horizons. If you already have a tech team in your organization, find someone who has the potential for the job.
Once you have found someone who seems to be a good fit for a Python developer, sit down with them, and have a short chat. Before discussing your need to fill in a new post you must take some time to listen to their stories as well. Learn more about what your potential Python developer has in mind for their career path and how they want to grow within the organization. It is now your time to do the talking. Discuss with them the organization’s goals and needs moving forward. The best move is to meet in between your hiring needs and your employee’s needs.

3. Be someone who people would want to work for

While being a great boss is ideal, things should not stop there. Take it a step further by building your company’s brand and along with your reputation. People are attracted to companies and employers who they highly respect. The same truth applies to the best Python developers out there. A familiar and undeniable example of this is the company, Google. They frequently top “Fortune’s Best Companies” list which contributes to boosting their brand. As an effect, they receive roughly 2,000,000 applications a year.
Start by observing your employees and analyzing the data in your hands. How many employees are retained? Do you have a positive company culture? Are employees motivated, accountable, and championing best practices? The people within your company are the reflection of your workplace. The impact of testimonials from employees is irrefutable. Sites like Glassdoor are often visited by prospects to check on companies and employee experiences. They will not believe what you are writing on your website if your employee feedback is down the drain.
Reward, recognize, and promote those who deserve it (and a good Python developer definitely does!). Have a great work-life balance and flexibility as well. These are sure to win your employee’s trust and enhance your reputation.
 
A good Python Programmer should know how to crunch his numbers. This person must possess high analytical skills and a thorough understanding of algorithms.
 

4. Top the competition compensation

Pay and compensation is not such a pleasant topic for a lot of employers. But that is only if you are the type of employer who is looking to pay cheap but expecting top-notch results. The saying “You get what you pay for” is nothing short of the truth in the job market. Sure, you can find diamonds in the rough but what are the odds of that? And most likely, if you do find them but compensate them poorly, they would leave you for the first best offer they could find. Treat your Python developers with respect and compensate them fairly. Without a doubt, a paycheck can speak many words that can make the best candidates either stay or leave.
Along with the pay, another attractive aspect for a Python developer (or any web developer) are the benefits an organization can offer. If you can afford it, try to keep your benefits above what the competition can offer. Flexibility and work-life balance are two of the most sought after benefits this year. This is something that each full stack software engineer will appreciate. Of course, you cannot neglect benefits such as medical insurances and retirement benefits.

5. Have a career page on your website

When posting on job boards, do not forget to link applicants back to your website. Your website reflects your company. Let them learn more about how it is to work for your team. It is effective in portraying your mission, vision, values, services, and company culture. Applicants for a Python developer job (or another programming language) who resonate with what your organization is about would be further motivated to pursue working with you. If you prefer to use job boards instead – make sure to check out Jooble.org.

Your project MVP in 45 days

During development, we will focus on essential areas and functionalities, taking engineering shortcuts to deliver maximum business value tailored to your goal, be it investor meetings, marketing launch, fundraising, or internal demonstration. For startups that we work with on MVP, we strive to help them find funding for future development, past MVP stage, by leveraging our network of angel investors and VCs from both the US and EU.

See case studies

6. Hire battle-tested individuals

Hire smart and hire smart individuals. Authors of “First Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently.” Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman recommend hiring for talent. Using Python full time is a challenge and even experienced Python programmers who are familiar with various web applications might struggle.
Hire Python developers based on their strengths and their proficiency in web services. Instead of consuming time to develop who is lacking in the expertise you need, invest in a web developer with the expertise in web services, and build on their talents.
Opt for a software developer who has the experience for the job and would like to do it full time. Authors Bruce N. Pfau, and Ira T. Kay believe in hiring a software developer who has proven their skills in the “exact job, in this exact industry, in this particular business climate, from a company with a very similar culture.” According to them, past behavior is the best way to predict future behavior (this applies not only to Python developers), and this strategy will aid you in finding a gold mine of amazing talents. Save yourself time and focus on a software developer who can truly bring value to your business.

7. Check their references

As an employer, it is your responsibility to keep your business safe. As trivial as it seems, this step is crucial. We live in a society wherein physical attacks are not the only threat you could be facing. Not to mention that it is quite easy to fake information on a resume.
When looking to hire Python developers, do a background check on your prospects before letting them into your workforce. Previous employers are a good place to start. If that is not available then pursue other avenues such as the web, schools they have attended, and of course check what courses they have completed as a stack developer or data scientist.
 
The best move is to meet in between your hiring needs and your employee’s needs.

Exemplary interview questions to ask when you want to hire Python programmer

The purpose of the interview questions is to verify job applicant knowledge (and that is something we really test at DevsData). To find the top Python developers you must be sure that not only they know the language itself but also understand its underlying concepts. So here we present you some interview questions related to Python development to make sure you are talking to the right person:

1. How does multithreading work in Python?

Python (at-least C-implementation) does not support the truest sense of multi-threading. There is a multi-threading package available, but probably you will not be able to achieve results you would like to have. It is caused by Global Interpreter Lock (GIL). It is a construct (flag) making sure that only one thread is executed at one time. So basically thread with GIL does a little work and passes the GIL to the next thread which does his little portion of work. This happens so fast that it might seem like threads are running parallel, but they do not. As a result, using multi-threading might not make your code run as fast as you would expect.

2. Are Python functions first class objects? Explain.

Yes, functions in Python are first class objects which means they can be handled which can be handled uniformly.
Here are the properties of first class objects:

• Can be an instance of an Object type
• Can be stored as variable
• Can be passed as an argument of some other functions
• Can be returned from other function
• Can be stored in lists, sets, or some other data structures.

3. What are decorators and what is their usage?

When it comes do Python development, decorators allow you to inject or modify the behavior of functions or classes. In simple words decorators allow you to wrap a function or class method call and make some execution of code before or after the execution of the original code. And also you can nest them e.g. to use more than one decorator for a specific function.
Usage examples:

• logging the calls to specific method
• checking for permissions
• checking and/or modifying the arguments passed to the method
• measuring execution time

4. How is memory managed in Python? Does Python have a Garbage Collector?

Memory management in Python involves a private heap containing all Python objects and data structures. The interpreter takes care of the Python heap and that the programmer has no access to it. The allocation of heapvspace for Python objects is done by the Python memory manager.
The core API of Python provides some tools for the programmer to code reliable and more robust programs. Python also has a built-in garbage collector which recycles all the unused memory.
Python maintains a count of how many references there are to each object in memory when a reference count drops to zero, it means the object is dead and the garbage collector can free the memory it allocated to that object. So basically the garbage collector determines objects which are no longer referenced by the program frees the occupied memory and makes it available to the heap space.
The gc module defines functions to enable and disable garbage collector:

• gc.enable() – Enables automatic garbage collection.
• gc.disable() – Disables automatic garbage collection.

DevsData in the news

5. What is Mixin? How are Mixins used in Python?

Mixin is a concept in Programming in which the class provides functionalities, but it is not meant to be used for instantiation. They can be used thanks to Python multiple inheritances. The point of their usage is to:

• provide a lot of optional features for a class,
• use one particular feature in a lot of different classes.

 
If you’re looking to boost your business processes then you will need a Python Programmer.

Summary

Hiring a web developer is always a challenging process. However, if you hire Python developers, and hire a good one, your business will thrive. The expertise of a software engineer will allow him to participate in numerous projects, including these connected with web development, machine learning, bots, web application development, and even AI.
Hopefully, the DevsData’s suggestions will help you employ the right candidate. Do not forget to visit Python’s official website to deeper discover the world of Python, data science, and machine learning!