Java is one of the most popular programming languages in the world — according to the 2020 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, it's used by approximately 38.4% of professional developers. There are multiple reasons for that: as a general-purpose language, virtually any type of product can be built with Java; it’s great for web back-end; it’s scalable; it’s mature and most of the issues that arise while using Java can be easily and quickly fixed thanks to the huge, helpful community.
One of the best ways to leverage this potential of Java and make the development of your product more efficient is by choosing Eclipse as part of your tool stack. It’s a popular IDE (integrated development environment), providing developers with a digital workspace and plug-in system which significantly speeds up the development process.
How can Eclipse power up your company and how can you hire Eclipse developers who truly fit your business? We dive deep into the topic in our guide below.
Why hire Eclipse developers?
While Eclipse has been designed primarily as an IDE for Java, throughout the years it has become a platform supporting most of the leading programming languages and other technologies — from the most popular ones, like Python, C++, or JavaScript, to the more unusual picks like Haskell, Julia, or Erlang. This means that Eclipse can easily become your go-to environment for all your digital projects, streamlining the work of your developers.
While Eclipse can support many types of various projects, there are a few areas in which the technology is especially useful. The Eclipse Foundation, people responsible for the development of the IDE, personally highlight seven such areas:
- Enterprise Development
- Embedded and Device Development
- Rich Client Platform
- Rich Internet Applications
- Application Frameworks
- Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
- Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
This means that Eclipse is especially useful for large projects, including ones developed by enterprises and utilizing multiple languages, not necessarily only Java.
The most important hard skills for Eclipse developers
The first thing you want to review when you hire Eclipse developers is whether they have all the technical knowledge needed to truly deliver the results you need. While the required skill set will vary depending on your unique need, there are some specific areas to consider that are applicable for most cases. These are…
- Previous experience with Eclipse
Your candidate should have professional experience in working with the IDE to fully leverage its potential. This includes both being able to utilize existing Eclipse plugins as well as the development of own plugins, covering functionalities unique to your project.
- Proficiency with Java
When you want to hire Eclipse developers, you are most likely looking for a Java expert. Be aware that you should hire a person with previous experience in developing solutions similar to the ones you require — they will have the knowledge of steps that need to be taken to deliver the desired results.
- Proficiency with other relevant programming languages
This one will depend on your product’s and project’s unique specification. Consider the programming languages that you will be utilizing and hire Eclipse developers who are proficient with them.
- Knowledge of control version tools
Control version tools allow to easily store the product’s code and track changes in it. Virtually all modern development projects are utilizing this technology, with Git being one of the most popular such solutions.
- Experience with any other relevant technology
Once again, this will highly depend on the unique requirements of your project. You might want to have onboard people with experience in database management, for example. If you are unsure what exactly should you require from your candidates, consider analyzing your needs with the help of a professional IT project manager or a software consultant.
Leveraging the power of soft skills
The value of technical knowledge is clear — at the same time, for many, the idea of soft skills is vaguer. Hiring Eclipse experts with the right set of these can, however, significantly power up collaboration and innovation across your whole company.
When you want to guarantee top efficiency of the development process at your company, hire Eclipse developers with the following soft skills…
- Attention to detail
To deliver great-performing solutions free of potentially downturning issues.
- Expert time management
To handle multiple daily objectives smoothly and easily find time to fix urgent problems.
- User empathy
To always design products with the end-user in mind — whether it’s a less tech-savvy customer or another developer.
Hiring Eclipse developers who truly fit your company
Besides the hard and soft skills, there is one more important element that you should take into consideration when hiring virtually any developers, including Eclipse experts — the company fit.
How to distinguish whether your candidate really fits your business? Review carefully the following three areas…
- Product fit
As there are so many different things you can build with Java, you should hire Eclipse developers with previous experience in the type of digital product you are developing. Try to find as narrow fit as possible — start with the most general aspects of your product (e.g. whether it’s a web app, desktop software, or something else), then go deep into the features that you want to have included (e.g. e-commerce functionality on a website, payment processing).
- Industry fit
Similarly to the product fit, industry fit can also guarantee your business smoother operations and more efficient development of your digital product. When possible, then, hire Eclipse developers who have already worked within your industry. They will have the needed knowledge of technical solutions that businesses like yours require.
- Company culture fit
A group of like-minded individuals working on your project is one of the best ways to guarantee that the final results will be innovative and top-quality. How to get such a group together? Hire Eclipse developers and other experts you need based on how well they fit your company culture. Consider the values that drive your business to success — e.g. your style of management or the work environment you have in the office (startup vs corporate style) — and then pick those candidates who also share these values.
Why hire remote Eclipse developers?
In some regions, finding experienced Eclipse experts may come difficult — and even if you do find them, their salary requirements might significantly affect your budget. For example, in the United States, the average salary of a Java developer is $120k per year; on the other hand, the global average salary of a Java developer is $50k per year. This disparity is, of course, due to the rise of software development in regions with lower costs of living.
But there is a way to leverage this even if you are based in the United States or Western Europe — hire Eclipse developers who are happy to work remotely. By doing so, you are not only able to significantly cut your costs but also get access to true Eclipse experts, wherever they are based.
One of the regions that could be especially interesting for you is Central Eastern Europe. And it’s not only that the IT salary requirements there are relatively low — it’s also that this region is considered as one filled with some of the best developers worldwide. Interestingly, in 2007 IBM opened an official Eclipse Support Center in Poznań, Poland, by partnering with local Eclipse experts at the Poznań University of Technology.
Building the perfect team
Hiring Eclipse developers is surely a good way to provide amazing technological background for your new project. But there will be more experts you will need to guarantee your product is a true success on the market.
Whether you need to hire Eclipse developers, talented designers, experienced Product Owners or Scrum Masters, skillful machine learning engineers, or knowledgeable data scientists, we can help you hire them fast. At Ideamotive, we run an industry-leading network of IT experts, allowing us to connect businesses with candidates perfectly matching their needs.
Just get in touch with us and — after carefully reviewing your company profile and any unique requirements you might have — we will provide you with a tailored selection of best-in-class IT talents.
