7 Checklist on Hiring Ruby on Rails Developers for your Next Project!

Ruby on Rails developers are a smart choice for startups looking to get their products out into the market. Businesses looking to scale up their websites need not look any further as the framework provides everything that is needed at the most reasonable cost. Ruby on Rails is a versatile, flexible, fast, secure, and robust framework for web development. Many high-traffic startups such as Netflix, Twitter, and Airbnb have built their apps in Ruby. 

It is a nearly two-decades-old framework and is still a popular choice among startups. If you are choosing Ruby on Rails developers for your project but are stuck, here are 7 checklists that will help you hire better. Let’s get started. 

Checkpoint 1. Project Need

Before you start your search for Ruby on Rails developers you first have to be clear about your project and the requirements. The more clear and thorough you will be, the better decision you can take for hiring the candidates. What are the needs in the front-end department, backend, how the servers are attached, how to connect them, should the app be more user-friendly or scalable, etc things have to be clearly thought about.

Checklist 2: Knowledge of Ruby

When you are hiring Ruby on Rails developers, you need to consider their soft and hard skills to ensure you are making the right choice for your project. The requirements of the tech skills are pretty much straightforward and easy to assess. One of the most important skills is obviously the Ruby language. The developer has to have a good understanding of the language, its syntax, and the principles it is based on to really be able to build software. The Ruby on Rails developers should have an understanding of-

• The syntax. The data structure, loops, classes and modules, and other basics of Ruby programming.
• Object Oriented Programming and related concepts.
• MVC architecture
• Principles such as DRY and COC.

Checklist 3: Knowledge of Ruby on Rails

Make sure the Ruby on Rails developers you hire must have a good practical knowledge of the framework as well. And understands the technical concepts so they can effortlessly create the programs. Some of the important concepts you can test on-

• MVC Paradigm structures the UI programming. Understanding its layers and structures is a must.
• Practical knowledge of template systems such as Haml and ERB to execute Ruby code.
• RubyGems
• ORM and ActiveRecord. One of the most important features of Ruby on Rails programming.
• RSpec is a popular unit-test tool for testing specific features in the application.
• APIs and JSON. How to put different  commands on the data and also the knowledge of REST API
• HTTP Protocol to build interfaces
• Ability to build and configure an app from the scratch. Experienced Ruby on Rails developers should have the skill!

Checkpoint 4. Front-End Skills

Though Ruby on Rails is a full-stack framework the language it is based on is a pure backend. So, even though you can create engaging UI with the framework, having knowledge about the front-end tools is a major benefit. 

• HTML: HTML is a markup language used to structure web pages. It is the language of the pages hence it is essential for Ruby on Rails developers to incorporate it into their front-end skills.  
• JavaScript: Another essential language for web development. The language has lots of frontend frameworks and every one of them is popular in its own right. It has a huge list of libraries, tools, and frameworks that will help create a great UI.
• CSS: If HTML is the skeleton, it is the body, the clothes, and everything. It is essential for Ruby on Rails developers to create better-looking graphics and style web pages.

Checkpoint 5. Knowledge of Databases

Although Ruby on Rails has ORM and gems such as ActiveRecord which can write SQL for databases, still having the rightful knowledge about databases, connecting and creating them is a must. Ruby is a backend language and it helps in creating a robust server-side system.

Ruby on Rails developers should have some basic knowledge of:

• SQL: Basic knowledge is at least required about its basic functions and to be able to understand logs. 
• MySQL/PostgreSQL: They both are commonly used database management systems. Postgre is just a beginner-level version of MySQL. Understanding these two helps in quickly developing the apps.
• NoSQL: This database helps while working with large sets of distributed data.

Checkpoint 6. Soft Skills

Good Ruby on Rails developers has good communication skills because they have to work with clients and users who are not from a technical background and have to explain the solution of the application, talk about some process or give feedback.

• Effective communication skills
• Technical creativity and solution-driven attitude
• Logical and reasoning abilities
• Time management and deadlines handling
• Learning attitude

Checkpoint 7. Hiring Models

While hiring Ruby on Rails developers, what kind of hiring model and contract you seek is essential. 

• The in-house model consists of the regular 9 to 5 office employees. They consist of your core team, are useful during any emergency, and handle every aspect of your project. You can hire them from Linkedin, Indeed, and through your local sources and interviews.

• Remote Model: This model consists of freelancers and remote teams. They are useful when you are on a limited budget and only want to develop the project on a contract basis, fall short on team management, or have limited requirements, then hiring freelancers or remote teams from a marketplace and development companies is a good option. You can hire from companies such as Optymize and freelancer websites such as  Fiverr.

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Conclusion

While investing in the development of a new website or web application, you got to make sure you are leaving the work in safe hands. I hope this guide had given you a clear roadmap about the aspects you should look at while hiring Ruby on Rails developers. For any consultations or to hire developers, consider Optymize. Optymize is a platform that connects expert developers to global clients who want to hire them for their projects. They have a team of experienced and pre-vetted developers who will help with anything you need.