A Python developer job description is your first step to choosing a qualified developer for your next project.

Why Python? In January 2021, Python was named the language of the year by the TIOBE Index, for the fourth time in history. 

Essentially, this means that Python has gained more popularity this year than any other language. And this is for good reason. Python is a favorite for data science and machine learning undertakings. 

Its range also spans the likes of web development and mobile app development. Not to mention, backend developers and larger embedded systems are taking advantage of Python’s prowess. 

All in all, Python can be a great addition to your business’s tech stack.

Stay right here to learn how to write a Python developer job description and other steps related to hiring a Python developer. 

Python Developer Job Description: Template

Hiring developers, just like hiring in any other industry, typically starts with a job listing. This job listing should include a Python developer job description that goes into detail about what you’ll need from your potential hire.

Here’s a template to get you started. 

Company Background

The first part of your listing should include some background about your business.

This should be a short and concise overview of what your company offers and its mission, encapsulated in a paragraph or two.

At Trio, this section appears like so:

Trio is more than just a group of software engineers solving problems. We are people who believe in innovation, global responsibility, and fair business. We are passionate about overcoming challenges by using software engineering, forward-thinking, cutting-edge technology, and creative ideas to produce amazing products.

We value intelligence, professionalism, and integrity among other values in our team members, and are constantly looking for like-minded people to join Trio. We believe that we do more than allocating software engineers for our client's projects – we contribute towards technological progress and innovation by helping businesses achieve their goals for growth by providing users with bespoke software.

Job Description

At this point, leave a base explanation of who you’re trying to hire and why.

For example, a job description for a Python developer looks like this:

Our company is looking for a Python developer to work with a team of several other Python developers, both on the backend and frontend. The development will primarily take place on the backend and you will be responsible for managing server-side logic. You will also have a role in implementing frontend elements from co-workers into the application. 

Roles & Responsibilities

Next, leave a point-by-point list of what your job candidate might expect to do.

Make sure this isn’t vague. Potential hires want to know what their day-to-day will look like.

Something like this will suffice:

• Write clean and maintainable code
• Stay on top of emerging tech trends and new IT technologies 
• Integrate effective security and data storage solutions into the project
• Work with APIs to efficiently add functionality 
• Use relevant Python frameworks to optimize code

Skills & Qualifications

Finally, you can weed out the last bit of applicants by delineating the minimum qualifications or requirements you want your developer to have.

It’s important to be specific about the experience that will qualify someone to work on your project.

This can also be a bullet point list looking similar to the following:

• 3-4 years experience working with Python professionally
• Comprehension of how to operate code versioning tools such as Git or Mercurial
• Can write exceptional unit tests to ensure the delivery of high-quality software
• Has strong debugging skills
• Knowledge of popular Python frameworks like Flask and Django

4 Steps on How To Hire a Python Developer

Now that you have a template for your job listing, it might be worthwhile to take a look at the other steps you’ll have to go through to hire a qualified Python developer.

1. Understand the Roles and Responsibilities of a Python Developer

This goes hand-in-hand with the Python developer job description template. Before hiring a Python developer or even writing a job post, you must understand what exactly you want your Python developer to do.

Writing Python code is one thing. But there are a bunch of other specifications that truly describe what your potential hire will be doing for your business. List them. 

Related reading: A Side-By-Side Comparison Between Python and Ruby

2. Evaluate the Skills Required for Python Developers

Similarly, you need to understand what skills are required for your future Python developer.

While this may seem synonymous with roles and responsibilities, skills specify certain criteria or knowledge that a developer must have while roles and responsibilities more likely encompass daily tasks. 

3. Evaluate the Costs of Hiring Python Developers

The PYPL Index is another measure calculating the popularity of programming languages. Unlike the TIOBE Index which largely calculates popularity based on search engines, the PYPL Index records how often language tutorials are Googled. 

According to the PYPL Index, Python is ranked number one across all languages stealing a 30% share of the tutorial market. In other words, Python is in high demand. 

Naturally, this means Python developers are paid well for the work that they do. According to Indeed, a Python developer makes a base salary of $110, 447 per year on average as of January 20, 2021. This equates to an hourly wage of $53.10. 

4. Consider Outsourcing Talent

Outsourcing developers abroad is one way to cut costs and save time.

This is when you recruit global talent to work on your software development project. Because of economic differences outsourcing is typically cheaper than using an in-house team. 

Some prime locations for outsourcing IT needs include Brazil and other countries in South America. South American outsourcing is desirable because the region subsidizes technological development and educational resources for developers. 

The result is an increased presence of companies based in the United States that offer a stable source of capital. Businesses working with South American developers get the talent they want for a reasonable price. 

The 25 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions for Python Developers

After writing your job listing and hearing from job applicants, it’ll soon be time to start conducting interviews. Your first interview will be a larger inquiry into what your potential hire knows.

It should include some of the questions below. 

1. Does Python perform best for frontend or backend web development? 
2. Why would someone choose Python over JavaScript for web development? List several reasons. 
3. What is the difference between lists, set, and dictionaries in Python?
4. Is Python multi-platform?
5. Does Python support structured programming?
6. In what situations would you choose to use a For loop versus a While loop?
7. How are arrays used in Python?
8. Describe what the init() does. 
9. How can you implement threading in your server-side code?
10. Differentiate between the Lambda function and a normal function in Python. 
11. How does the ‘self’ parameter work and when is it necessary?
12. Explain how exception handling works in Python. 
13. What Python modules can be used to measure performance?
14. How would you go about parsing strings to find patterns in Python?
15. What is pip and how is it used?
16. Which tools can you use to create a unit test in Python?
17. How can JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) be integrated with Python?
18. List some of the most relevant Python modules. 
19. What is the defined starting point for executing Python code?
20. Which databases does Python support?
21. Describe how to launch subprocesses in Python alongside the main process?
22. How would you build a GUI based application with client-side functionality in Python?
23. To destroy allocated memory in Python, must explicit methods be called?
24. How many bytes do int and float data types hold?
25. What are the most popular integrated development environments (IDEs) for Python?

Conclusion

The outlined steps are crucial to helping you find the right developer.

Along with a Python developer job description, make certain you take into account the other routes you have for the same goal. Looking for developers yourself is not the only way to hire a Python developer. 

Instead, you can choose to outsource your talents and reap the benefits of reduced costs in addition to a diverse and highly qualified developer team.

Contact Trio now to hire qualified Python developers for your project!