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Do you plan to hire Scala developers? Read on since we at DevTeam.Space have just what you need.
Scala is a modern programming language that builds on the strengths of Java. This general-purpose programming language targets the Java virtual machine (JVM). A hybrid language, Scala supports both object-oriented programming and functional programming paradigms.
The name “Scala” comes from the expression “scalable language”, and Scala is indeed highly scalable. Thanks to the organized nature and powerful features offered by Scala, it offers considerable productivity gain.
Organizations can use this versatile programming language for many purposes, e.g.:
- To develop web applications;
- To develop mobile apps;
- Embedded systems development;
- IoT (Internet of Things) application development;
- To develop distributed systems;
- Machine learning development;
- To execute data science projects;
- Big data application development;
- To develop data warehousing applications.
Scala is increasingly popular, which is particularly notable for over a decade now. The following are just a few examples of companies using Scala:
- Sony;
- Accenture;
- Asana;
- Nubank;
- Airbnb;
- Databricks.
The following are examples of organizations that used Scala to develop their mobile apps:
- LinkedIn;
- Foursquare;
- Tumblr;
- The Guardian.
The popularity of Scala makes Scala developers highly sought after. You need to plan well to hire Scala developers.
Some companies might want to hire freelancers, however, that raises the risks for them. We recommend you hire Scala developers from a trusted partner like DevTeam.Space.
Before you make hiring decisions, understand the Scala developer skill requirements. These requirements are as follows:
Primary skills needed by Scala developers
Scala developers should have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or a similar field. They need the following primary technical skills:
1. The Scala programming language, Java, and Java virtual machine (JVM)
Scala programmers should have the following skills:
- In-depth knowledge of Scala;
- Knowledge of the concise syntax of Scala;
- Solid understanding of object-oriented programming and object-oriented design;
- Knowledge of functional programming;
- Understanding of data types and data structures in Scala;
- Deep knowledge of the Scala standard library;
- Familiarity with Scala libraries like Pureconfig, Chimney, etc. that make Scala programming easier;
- In-depth knowledge of Java and how Java code works;
- Proficiency with important Java libraries;
- Solid understanding of Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and Java bytecode;
- Familiarity with important toolkits like Akka;
- Good knowledge of SQL and NoSQL database management systems;
- Proficiency with IDEs (integrated development environments) like IntelliJ IDEA Scala;
- Understanding of unit-testing and system-testing of Scala and Java code;
- Knowledge of source code version control tools like Git;
- Knowledge of deploying applications written in Scala and Java.
2. Scala technical knowledge required for your project
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Depending on your project requirements, Scala developers might need additional skills. The following are a few examples:
- Web development skills including front-end and back-end development;
- Technologies like React Native that help to develop mobile apps;
- Knowledge of developing RESTful APIs;
- Proficiency with particular database management systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, etc.;
- Solid understanding of performance tuning of SQL, Scala, and Java code;
- Knowledge of Apache Spark;
- Proficiency with big data frameworks like Hadoop;
- Important Scala and/or Java frameworks;
- Sound understanding of developing web services;
- Familiarity with cloud technologies and cloud platforms like Google Cloud platform.
Other skills needed by Scala developers
Scala developers need the following other skills:
- Application security skills needed in a Scala project
Scala is a statically typed programming language. The Scala compiler checks for types. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about type safety when Scala runs.
Having said that, Scala developers still need to know how to code secure applications. They should proactively look for bugs and fix them. Scala programming must proactively mitigate security vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), etc.
2. Industry domain knowledge
Scala developers should understand your business needs in the context of your target industry. They need sufficient industry domain knowledge to create efficient solutions for your business problems.
3. Software engineering and software development process skills needed by Scala experts
Scala software engineers should know enough about the following:
- Software development best practices;
- Testing processes, methods, and tools;
- DevOps practices, processes, methods, and tools;
- Code review;
- Software quality management;
- Development methodologies like agile.
4. Competencies needed by the top Scala developers
Scala developers need the following soft skills:
- Strong problem-solving skills;
- Communication skills;
- Commitment;
- Passion for excellence;
- Teamwork;
- The ability to understand requirements from the perspective of end-users.
If you want a Scala development team leader, then leadership skills are important. Team leaders must communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, furthermore, they must guide team members.
How to hire the best Scala developers or the right Scala development team?
Now that you know the skills required by Scala developers, begin the hiring process. Do the following:
- Choose a hiring platform
A few companies might think of hiring freelance Scala developers.
They believe that they can shortlist developers from a large pool of freelancers. This is because many freelance platforms claim to have large communities of developers. Organizations also think that they can get freelancers at a low hourly rate.
We believe the risks of hiring freelancers far outweigh the perceived benefits. These risks are as follows:
- You might not be able to judge the real experience of freelancers. It’s hard to verify the project experience of freelancers.
- Freelancers might not work sufficiently on your project. They often work part-time on many projects simultaneously.
- You might find it hard to manage freelancers. Note that freelance platforms don’t offer any project management support.
- Turnovers might delay your project. If freelancers leave your project in the middle of it, then you need to find replacement developers.
We recommend you hire full-time Scala developers from a trusted and reputed partner like DevTeam.Space. You get the following advantages:
- We offer full-time developers.
- Our developers are skilled, experienced, and motivated. Our rigorous vetting process ensures that you get high-quality developers only.
- Our world-class development processes support our Scala software engineers.
- We offer flexible engagement models. You can hire developers or entire software development teams from us. We can also deliver your project from the beginning to the end.
- You get project management support from a dedicated account manager.
- Interview Scala developers
You decided on a hiring platform and you posted a job ad. Interview the Scala developers who apply for the job.
If you hire Scala developers from DevTeam.Space, then you take advantage of our comprehensive vetting process. The interview will be quick in that case.
You need to take very detailed interviews if you hire freelancers though. Take help from knowledgeable associates if you aren’t a Scala expert. Check out Scala interview questions on the Internet. You can also use our Java interview questions and SQL interview questions if needed.
Ask questions that help you evaluate the hands-on skills of developers. Avoid asking only theoretical questions.
Check how developers solved problems in earlier projects. Describe your project and ask them how they would deliver it. You should expect concrete answers. Avoid hiring candidates uttering only jargon.
- Get the new Scala developers started on your project
You want the new Scala developers to become productive quickly. Effective onboarding holds the key. Onboard them, which should include the following:
- Explaining the project;
- Providing the business requirements, technical solutions, etc.;
- Granting access;
- Explaining the work intake, review, and approval processes;
- Introducing the new developers to the existing team members;
- Explaining the project schedule and iterations;
- Setting up a communication process.
Interviewing and other tips for hiring the right Scala developers
Consider the following tips when interviewing and hiring Scala developers:
1. Evaluate the knowledge of the powerful features of Scala
You chose to develop a software system using Scala since you want tangible value. You could have very well chosen Java otherwise. Now, you should plan to use the powerful features of Scala to gain productivity.
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For example, evaluate the knowledge of candidates in the powerful data processing capabilities of Scala. The following are more examples of skill areas you want to evaluate:
- Lazy evaluation in Scala;
- Pattern matching capabilities;
- Pure functions;
- Singleton objects;
- String interpolation;
- Immutable data structures.
2. Assess the skills of the important frameworks supported by Scala.
The knowledge of powerful frameworks supported by Scala can be useful to your project. Evaluate whether candidates know important frameworks, e.g.:
- Akka
- Apache Spark;
- Play;
- Scalding;
- Neo4j.
3. Hire developers from DevTeam.Space if you choose to hire remote Scala developers
It can be a great idea to hire remote Scala developers. Remote developers can be very good, and they have helped many companies to succeed. Being willing to consider remote Scala developers also opens up a larger talent pool for you. Hire remote programmers from DevTeam.Space though.
Managing remote developers takes longer. You might not have the required project management bandwidth to spare. We provide project management support, which resolves your project management bandwidth-related challenges.
Examples of interview questions for hiring the best Scala developer
Check out the following examples of interview questions to assess the hands-on skills of candidates:
1. Why do Scala developers use the “val” keyword?
Scala developers use the “val” keyword to declare immutable variables. They use the “var” keyword for declaring mutable variables, which allows changing the values. However, the “val” keyword prevents changes to the value of the variable.
The syntax of this keyword is the following:
“
Val Field_Name: Data_type = “value”;
“
The following is an example of using the “val” keyword:
“
Val Organization: String = “DevTeamSpace”;
“
2. With an example, show the restrictions imposed by the “Private” access modifier in Scala.
A “private” access modifier restricts a private member to the class or object within which the member is declared. The following example shows this restriction:
“
Class Outerclass {
Class Innerclass {
Private def f() { println(“f”) }
Class Innermostclass {
F() // This code works fine
}
}
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(new Innerclass).f() // This code doesn’t work since “f” is not accessible outside the class
}
“
3. How to append values to a list in Scala? Provide an example.
Scala developers use “:+” to append a list. The following is an example:
“
Var demoList = List.empty[String]
demoList :+= “DevTeamSpace ”
demoList :+=”has ”
demoList :+=”many ”
demoList :+=”expert ”
demoList :+=”Scala ”
demoList :+=”developers”
“
As a result of the above code the list will have the following: “DevTeamSpace has many expert Scala developers”.
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One of the modern and powerful programming languages, Scala excels in enabling organizations to meet their business goals consistently. Such a heightened expectation often makes Scala projects highly complex though! Now, software engineering excellence is imperative in complex projects. Naturally, you need the best Scala developers or the best Scala software engineering team.
DevTeam.Space can offer top-notch Scala developers. Our transparent hiring process, flexible engagement models, and world-class development processes are the other reasons why organizations trust us.
Hiring Scala developers of impeccable quality can be a breeze if you engage us. Do you want to know more? Fill out the DevTeam.Space product specifications form. An experienced account manager will soon help you.
FAQs
- Do DevTeam.Space Scala developers know enough to suggest to me the best IDE to write code?
DevTeam.Space Scala developers can identify the best IDE to write Scala code. Our developers have extensive experience in Scala IDEs, e.g.:
- IntelliJ IDEA for Scala;
- Microsoft Visual Studio;
- Scala IDE for Eclipse;
- NetBeans;
- Vim;
- JDoodle;
- Sublime Text;
- Scastie.
- Do DevTeam.Space Scala software engineers know about the useful Scala libraries?
DevTeam.Space Scala developers know the Scala standard library very well, furthermore, they know about Scala libraries that offer productivity gain. For example, they know the following libraries:
- Pureconfig;
- Chimney;
- Tapir;
- Quicklens;
- Circe;
- Doobie.
- Can DevTeam.Space Scala developers suggest the right Scala libraries for data science and data engineering?
DevTeam.Space Scala developers can suggest the data science and data engineering library. They know the important libraries, e.g.:
- Breeze;
- Spire;
- Saddle;
- Scalalab;
- Smile;
- Vegas Smile;
- Breeze-viz;
- Apache Spark MLib & ML;
- Apache PredictionIO;
- Deeplearning.scala
