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    Mary Yasensky Delivery Manager

    Hiring iOS App Developers: Tech and Soft Skills to Consider

    For any company striving to make its products or services accessible to clients via mobile devices, the task of hiring iOS app developers sits high on its list. In the US, the share of Apple devices among smartphones is around 51% and it’s inconceivable for a business to get a strong foothold on the market without catering to the needs of a large audience. Let’s explore what competencies and knowledge iOS developers should have so that you can effectively find and hire specialists for your project.

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    Hiring iOS developers explained: skills to look for

    What are the main requirements for hiring iOS developers and what skills do they need to fulfill the relevant project roles? If you’re looking to outsource top specialists for your app, make sure the candidates have the qualifications explained below.

    iOS apps by Surf

    Hard skills to look for

    Technical abilities are the primary factor worth considering when you hire iOS programmers. Here are essential competencies to look for:

    Extensive Swift knowledge. Being an open-source language that is the basis of modern apps for iPhone, iPad, iWatch, and Mac, Swift 3.0 should be perfectly familiar to a developer.

    Core Data proficiency. Core Data is a solution used for managing app objects and their relations. Although not always used in simple projects with only a handful of objects, the knowledge of the solution is a must-have for a vetted professional.

    Xcode IDE experience. This tool helps with the development process by providing tools for automation, compilation, and debugging, and is an essential point in a developer’s set of skills.

    Understanding of APIs. Many apps use third-party integrations instead of developing every functionality from scratch, and a developer must know how to interact with APIs.

    Unit testing allows testing of how each feature of an app works right after any code changes.

    Memory management skills are needed for building stable and scalable applications for memory-constrained Apple devices and collaborating with other developers.

    Cross-industrial expertise and an average AppStore rating of 4.71

    iOS development with Surf

    Key soft skills

    While technical competencies are key for an iOS developer to contribute to a project in the best possible way, soft skills together with personality traits should not be overlooked as well during recruiting. For example, we at Surf never hire people who don’t fit our team culture — even with excellent technical competencies, they pose potential high risks for the whole team’s success.

    iOS developer soft skills
    • Expert in communication. Development means a lot of interactions with other engineers, managers, and client’s stakeholders or in-house team, so an ability to have on-point and productive conversations is a must.
    • Adaptive. The fast-paced digital world demands continuous learning and an ability to change a work approach in the course of a project creation if new business specifications appear, for example.
    • Collaborator. Since any application results from a collective effort, a developer must embrace teamwork wholeheartedly. 
    • Critical thinker. An ability to rationally analyze an obstacle and find effective ways to overcome it is also a must.
    • Disciplined. Being punctual is essential for working on development projects with strict deadlines.

    As you see, iOS developers are required to have plenty of technical proficiency as well as a strong work ethic. If you plan to create an app for iPhones and iPads, consider working with Surf, a development agency with more than a decade of experience and tens of successful iOS apps.

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