Is hiring language-agnostic developers worth it?

Language-agnostic developers are now gradually coming into the spotlight, thanks to their high level of adeptness with all things technology, and the ability to adapt to changing advancements as and when they happen. In this article, we discuss how language-agnostic developers can be a worthwhile addition to your existing software development team, and what you need to expect from software companies, when trying to source one.

 Looking to hire language-agnostic developers for your software project? At EFutures, we can help you hire remote developers that are both language-specific, and agnostic. Talk to us today to learn which developers may be suitable, following a comprehensive assessment of your business and its development requirements.

Why language-agnostic developers are a great addition to your software development team

The keenness to always be on top of all things technology

Being a language-agnostic developer is a strong indicator of the fact that he or she is always curious about what is happening in the world of technology, what is trending, what works and what doesn’t. It is this curiosity that also subsequently drives one to master as many programming languages as they can, thereby making them proficient enough to understand, write and debug across any of these languages.

This can be a boon for your team, as a language-agnostic developer will be versatile enough to be shifted from one project to another. Constantly evolving projects are a common occurrence within rapidly expanding companies, making a language-agnostic developer all the more indispensable, as a result.

A stronger sense of strategic and analytical thinking

Being in lockstep with all things technology is highly conducive to a mindset that is constantly pondering over how problems can be solved, or how existing processes can be improved. This means that the core competencies of language-agnostic developers extend over to practically all areas of your organisation – and not just remain within the confines of your software engineering department.

This means that language-agnostic developers can serve as strategic advisors to any problems that range within the spectrum of technology, including offering insight on cost optimization from an engineering standpoint.

The competency to lead effectively

In addition to performing any of their core duties, language-agnostic developers can serve as strategic leaders across multiple clients’ projects within software outsourcing companies, while also helping hire engineers who are fit for each role. They are also ideal candidates to embrace IT manager or director roles, including CIO job titles, thanks to their all-round knowledge and continuous interest towards how problems can be solved with the right combination of tools and technologies.

Key takeaways

When you are looking to hire a developer for a project, it is easy to get wrapped up in the nitty-gritties of various technology stacks, and whether your candidates of choice are well-versed in the same. However, consider taking a step back and looking at the big picture pertaining to the end goals your business needs to achieve, via software and application development.

Whether or not your business processes need a language-agnostic developer, or whether a junior developer will do, shall be clear enough once you and your team members assess your current situation based on the end goals that need to be achieved.

In order to stay aligned and in the right path, here are some good rules-of-thumb to always keep in mind, when thinking about the calibre of software developers that you need for your business:

1. Consider soft skills when hiring: While it is relatively easier to source developers with the right combination of hard skills, aim to also observe the quality of soft skills that your candidates present themselves with. This is a good indicator of whether they will be a good fit for your company and the culture of collaboration that you currently have, as well as whether they have the potential to harbour leadership capabilities in the long run.
2. Always keep it simple: If a junior developer that is only familiar with Java is going to suffice for the current needs of your project, be open to hiring this candidate provided they seem to be a good fit. There is no hard and fast rule on only hiring multi-talented language-agnostic developers for your project; if at all, this can be reserved for older, more established projects (more on this below).
3. Hire dedicated developers based on the longevity of your project: Dedicated, senior, language-agnostic developers are going to entail more of your company’s budget, as their long years of experience shall demand a higher salary. So it is wise to hire such senior personnel once you are confident of the longevity and established position of your project.