Hire Ruby developers rapidly and remotely without sacrificing quality

Ruby is a general-purpose programming language companies use for web apps, static site generation, automation, command-line tools, and data processing. Its elegance and simplicity over more clunky languages, like Java, make it a desirable, easy-to-learn solution.

Nevertheless, Ruby developers need a high technical knowledge and a deep understanding of the language to know how to implement it in their projects. Because they'll work in teams with other developers and company members, presenting their complicated tasks to less tech-savvy colleagues, these developers will also need excellent interpersonal skills.

As a business leader or hiring manager, if you want to find and hire Ruby developers that will best suit your team, you'll need to assess both applicants' hard and soft skills. This article will give you tips on how to do so quickly and efficiently, from writing a clear job description to asking the right interview questions.

What Is Ruby Development?

Ruby development involves creating software in the Ruby programming language — usually with the associated framework Ruby on Rails. Prominent companies such as Shopify, Airbnb, Goodreads, Kickstarter, and Hulu use Ruby.

As a general-purpose language, Ruby can create many different software applications. Its superpower is its speed of development. Ruby developers can create high-powered applications in about 40 percent of the time it would take developers using other tech stacks.

One disadvantage to using Ruby is its slow runtime performance, which makes it suboptimal for use cases like gaming or streaming that require fast runtimes.

What Does a Ruby Developer Do?

Ruby is a back-end software, so Ruby developers create databases, logic, and libraries that underpin applications. A typical workday for Ruby developers may involve meeting with stakeholders to flesh out requirements for new features, writing code to develop new applications, or testing and debugging existing code.

Ruby Developer Salary

Because they’re highly sought after and highly skilled, Ruby developers are well-compensated. A mid-level Ruby developer with four to six years of experience in the US earns an average annual salary of $94,886, according to Glassdoor.

While Ruby developers in Latin American countries are equally skilled, the lower cost of living means they’re usually paid 30%-50% less than their US counterparts, with salaries varying based on location and experience. Revelo provides a cost-effective solution while offering highly qualified, pre-vetted Latin American developers.

How to Write a Job Description for Ruby Developers

A compelling job description will give you a competitive edge when hiring Ruby developers. A good job description should be concise and include the following sections:

• Job title and description: Use a specific job title, such as “Senior Ruby Developer,” to avoid getting resumes from people who don’t have the necessary experience. Also, include a brief overview of the role.
• Duties and responsibilities: Include a bulleted list of the tasks you expect your new hire to perform in their role.
• Required skills and experience: Use another bulleted list for required proficiencies, such as experience with Ruby and Ruby on Rails and previous work experience.
• Preferred skills and traits: You can also include a bulleted list of the skills, experience, and qualities your ideal candidate should have, but it is not a deal-breaker if they don’t. This should also include soft skills, such as problem-solving and effective communication.
• Company information: Write a blurb about your company, including the perks and benefits of working there to attract prospective candidates.

You’ll also need to determine whether you need a junior or senior-level developer. This will depend on your projects. Most junior developers can contribute to a project but will need guidance from a senior developer. Senior-level developers can lead a team, mentor less experienced developers, and design small projects independently.

Interview Questions for Ruby Developers

Those unfamiliar with Ruby development may feel unqualified to interview candidates for the job. Fortunately, these interview questions can help you determine applicants' qualifications even if you don't have extensive technical knowledge.

What are the main features of Ruby?

This question will give your candidate a chance to go into detail about their knowledge of Ruby. A candidate who deeply understands Ruby should be able to expand on its features and explain them in simple terms.

This is also a great question to evaluate communication skills. A good answer should include the following elements:

• Ruby is a pure object-oriented language, which makes it simple to work with and provides many development options.
• As an open-sourced language, Ruby is free to use and has a strong community of dedicated users.
• Ruby is one of the best languages for metaprogramming, which is the ability to act on code instead of data.
• The syntax of Ruby is simple and limited, allowing you to build complex applications with fewer lines of code.

Can you explain the benefits and drawbacks of metaprogramming in Ruby?

This question will help you gauge a candidate’s depth of understanding of Ruby. Metaprogramming is one of the most powerful tools in Ruby. It allows developers to write expressive, concise code and automate tasks. Developers can use it to affect the behavior of objects and classes at runtime.

However, metaprogramming can make your code brittle, harder to read, and more prone to errors. If the hire fails to do it skillfully, you can end up with unintended consequences and code difficult to debug.

Can you walk me through a recent Ruby project you worked on?

This question lets an applicant take the lead and demonstrate their knowledge and communication skills without requiring a deep level of technical understanding from you. Answers will vary but look for an applicant who can clearly outline the process from conception to delivery, including iteration, testing, and security concerns. Software development is a team endeavor, so a good answer will illustrate collaboration and individual contributions.

Look for examples of problem-solving skills and critical and analytical thinking. Candidates should clearly outline a systemic, design-thinking approach to software development. Regardless of which methodology a candidate uses, they must understand how to work within a framework.

Why Hire Ruby Developers With Revelo?

Hiring Ruby developers can be challenging and time-consuming, especially for managers lacking technical knowledge about this development type. The good news is that you don't have to do everything alone.

At Revelo, we provide an end-to-end platform that streamlines the most significant aspects of the development hiring process. With our talent marketplace, you gain access to a pool of highly-skilled and pre-vetted developers and expert assistance in managing payroll and benefits for your remote team.

Revelo helps you find and hire Ruby developers and other tech talents in Latin America without wasting critical time and effort. We provide a short list of highly qualified Ruby developers, and you interview them and choose the best match for your needs. It's as simple as that.

Reach out to Revelo today to learn more about how we can help you build your tech team.  

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