For a long time, Microsoft .NET development has been the popular enterprise web/mobile/desktop/cloud/IoT/blockchain/AI/ML software creation platform. It is for a simple reason that Microsoft .NET has been the king of frameworks.
This has created a constantly rising demand to hire a dedicated .NET programmer with well-rounded skill sets.
Microsoft has single-handedly developed the .NET platform under a single overarching strategy, unlike other open-source community-driven platforms with diversified focus and diversified strategy, that never found a common middle-ground.
Microsoft has augmented .NET’s versatility by constantly adding trending features that perfectly fit into the existing feature-set and never odd ones out.
Being a versatile and comprehensive framework .NET has its perks. .NET programmers don’t crave a highly dynamic outside world full of shiny frameworks with new tools. Microsoft has done justice by mindfully bringing the most relevant features from the trends into the framework.
Organizations like banks, financial institutions, educational institutions, government organizations, businesses of all sizes, and military establishments need a secure application for operations management. And this is where the need to hire .NET programmers has increased.
When hiring experienced .NET developers, there are lots of skills, techniques, tools, and tricks required to be considered.
When talking to an ASP.NET development company about hiring .NET developers for a dedicated project, decision makers should reflect on the level of knowledge and experience of the ASP.NET programmer you are looking to hire.
Due to the rising demand for custom .NET development services, many companies have started to provide custom development services. However, only a few with the right Dot NET experts on-board can fulfil the client’s requirements.
Whenever you choose to hire NET programmers for your project, you must consider some key factors, as mentioned further. They will help you select the right development company that truly holds expertise in DotNET and can help you build innovative applications with confidence.
So, what are these factors?
Being a .NET services provider with 15+ years of .NET development experience, we vouch for these skills to assist you in making the right decision.
Let’s zoom into the top skills your .NET Developer must possess before you can say toodles.
Hire ASP NET Programmers with a Thorough Understanding of Different .NET Frameworks
Amongst the main criteria when hiring a .NET programmer is that they should be well-versed with the latest .NET framework.
It is expected that .NET developers should understand that the framework is not just about libraries; it also contains programming languages and tools for developing, testing, debugging, deploying, and maintaining the application.
An experienced .NET developer should also know .NET Core because it is the latest version of the programming language. It is open-source and used for cross-platform development of services, web applications, websites, and console apps.
Xamarin or Mono is also a .NET implementation used for building and running applications by Dot NET programmers on multiple Operative Systems, namely, Android and iOS.
.NET programmers should know that .NET Standard is not a framework but a specification of how APIs are built across .NET development implementations.
.NET Standard is one of the main reasons why .NET code can run across implementations.
Hire .NET programmers who understand that despite all the complex application development, and the variety of applications built with .NET — The framework can be simplified into just 2 high-level components –
- The Common Language Runtime (CLR) and
- The Class Library
The former is the execution engine; the latter is a set of APIs for doing various things such as establishing database connections, drawing, reading from and writing to files, and more.
Hire a Dot NET Programmer Who Understands the Nuances of .NET Multi-Language Support
Hire .NET programmers who know that .NET is not just about C#. If a .NET developer claims that .NET applications can only be built using C#, it indicates a lack of clear understanding of the fundamentals of the Microsoft NET framework.
.NET supports more than a dozen languages — the most common ones are C#, F#, Visual Basic .NET, and C++.NET.
Hire A .NET Web Developer with Proficiency in Web API
When it comes to web frameworks, there is not just ASP.NET MVC around. There are many more.
A very prominent one is Web API. Hire .NET programmers who have experience using Web API with ASP.NET MVC. Web API is used for building restful web services using the .NET framework.
In MVC, there is no content negotiation — it is fulfilled by Web API that decides which is the best response format among JSON, ATOM, XML, etc.
Hire a .NET Programmer Who Knows that Webforms is Not ‘Legacy’
WebForms are still in the reckoning. Despite being an older framework, a lot of use cases are fulfilled best with this framework. A professional Dot NET developer should not ignore its importance and must acknowledge it.
- Many business leaders still prefer WebForms — Because –
- They have existing web apps built with it,
WebForms allows rapid application development using a GUI-centric, drag-and-drop methodology to create fast prototypes.
Now that you are well-versed in the essential frameworks for expert Dot Net developers, let’s march toward the skills, tools, and best practices that your ASP.NET programmers must possess.
Bare Essential Practices, Tools, and Skills for Hiring Well-Rounded Dot NET Programmers
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a subsystem of the older Windows Forms. It is a GUI framework that is part of the Microsoft Dot NET framework. In older GUI frameworks, there was no specific way to separate concerns.
GUI and GUI behavior were closely coupled and had to be created in the same language. But with WPF, UI elements can be formed separately using XAML, and behavior procedures can be written in VB.NET or C#.
The use of XAML ensures that designers and developers can work together in harmony. Hire .NET programmers only if they understand templates, data binding, media services, control inside a control, and animations of WPF.
IoC Containers
Dependency Injection is not an option anymore. Hire .NET programmers who are well-versed with the techniques of provisioning classes on demand instead of creating classes beforehand.
IoC is expanded as an Inversion of Control. It is the same as Dependency Injection. They are 2 different terms, but they refer to the same technique.
A skilled .NET programmer should know how to spawn the IoC containers, inject dependencies when required, and manage the lifecycle of these created objects. Although application dependencies can be managed without containers, it will result in more management overheads.
The ideal Dot NET programmers must be well-versed in all or most of these IoC containers — Castle Windsor, StructureMap, Spring.NET, AutoFac, Unity, and Ninject.
ORM
Microsoft .NET applications interact with relational databases using an Object Relational Mapper (ORM). Entity Framework is the first ORM for .NET. However, there are other options such as NHibernate, LLBLGen Pro, and Active Record.
Hire NET programmers who are seasoned experts in Entity Framework at a minimum. That is because Microsoft has always backed Entity.
A competent .NET developer must understand the differences between all these ORM tools and which tools lack certain features that are fulfilled by others.
Unit Testing Frameworks
Enterprise applications need sound testing strategies. Hire .NET programmers if they know that .NET application development is only a job half-done; a substantial part of the effort goes into unit testing.
Furthermore, ASP.NET programmers should know the difference between unit tests, integration tests, and load tests.
Testing tools such as xUnit, NUnit, MSTest, and .NET CLI are available to write and execute tests.
Just knowing test types and testing tools is not enough. Learning best practices of unit testing is equally meaningful for experienced .NET developers.
A skilled NET programmer should prioritize code coverage for good development in the long run. A target of 90% to 95% code coverage should be their aim.
High code coverage does not represent the high code quality but represents how much code is under the ambit of tests.
Build Tools/ DevOps
Coding and building a project are only half the story. The keyword nowadays — and a significant one — is to be ‘continuous.’
For an expert .NET developer, CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) is now more integral than ever.
For a start, it’s always good to be at the top of the skill curve with Azure DevOps and Azure Pipelines — a case to consider before deciding to hire .NET programmers.
The latter works transparently with containerization platforms for building complex serverless backends and VM infrastructure. Some other good CI/CD programs that a .NET developer must know are Jenkins, Octopus Deploy, Cruise Control, and Team City.
Code Quality Analysis
It is still not over for Microsoft .NET application developers. When you hire a Dot NET programmer, you should assess their understanding of code cleanliness.
The list gets added with more to-dos. Code quality analysis is a way to quantify good and bad code. Most NET developers use a widespread tool such as SonarCube for this purpose.
After running detailed tests on the code in the repository, the resultant scorecard measures the good code versus the bad code. Hire .NET programmers if they are well-versed in SonarC#, which is the code analyzer for C# code.
The NET developer should be knowledgeable about setting up rule sets as gating criteria for code check-ins.
Coding Credentials
MTA — Microsoft Technology Associate, MCSA: Web Applications, MCSA: Universal Windows Platform, MSCD: App Builder are some of the essential credentials to check before you hire NET programmers.
Some other considerations before hiring Dot NET developers are –
- Whether the .NET programmer has participated in open-source projects?
- What are their latest professional achievements using the .NET framework?
- Do they have experience in dealing with large and complex projects?
- How long would they need to learn a new framework or tool?
- Are they a part of programming meetups?
- What are their best professional qualities?
- Is there any relevant industry experience?
As we come to the end of this insightful resource, we’re confident that you are armed with the right knowledge to hire the best ASP.NET programmers for your company.
Wondering how to find and hire .NET programmers in 2024 with minimal hassle?
Integrative Systems has got you covered.
Integrative Systems: Best Partner to Hire NET Programmers
At Integrative Systems, we are a Chicago-based software development company with 15+ years of Dot NET development experience.
We walk in with a robust team of ASP NET programmers for hire, who prioritize your success, and help you achieve your application development goals.
With our years of experience, technical expertise, and unique strengths, our developers have consistently delivered customized solutions, ensured maximum client satisfaction, and built a robust portfolio of successful projects.
Like every IT leader, you will want the best for your project.
Fortunately, Integrative Systems specializes in helping you make the best choices.
Before concluding let’s have a look at the most asked questions about .NET and Dot NET developers.
