The Java programming language is used by over 9 million developers. More than 20 years after its initial release, Java is still used widely in enterprises, startups, and companies everywhere.
If you’re looking to hire Java developers, the following sections will cover what you should know to find the right candidate for your job or freelance project. We’ll first go over some background information on Java, the tools and frameworks that Java developers use, then go into detail about where and how to find them. Lastly, we’ll cover Java developer salaries and hourly rates.
Java Languages and Development Tools
Aside from the common adoption and use of Java, this high-level programming language has staying power because its creators continue to improve it and keep it relevant to current use cases such as:
- Real-time Java applications for embedded use
- Wireless app development
- Mobile app development
- IoT
These trends help stimulate the demand for Java engineers and make it clear that Java will continue to be used for a very long time. According to Chandraprkash Sharma, Senior Java Developer & Technical Architect:
Java’s ubiquity is unstoppable because it empowers small hobby projects to large enterprise systems, and its immense presence in tiny chips, mobile phones, and computers that run our world daily.
Tools, Frameworks, and Scripting Languages
Experienced, high-quality Java developers are knowledgeable in and comfortable with the following languages, frameworks, and tools. Some popular Java Virtual Machine languages include:
- Clojure. This modern, dynamic dialect of Lisp is used on a Java platform. Clojure treats code as data and uses a Lisp macro system.
- Apache Groovy. As a powerful, optionally-typed, and dynamic language, Groovy has static-typing and static compilation capabilities. Used on the Java platform, Groovy’s concise, familiar, and easy-to-learn syntax helps developers work more productively.
- JRuby. This language is a Java implementation of the Ruby interpreter. Although JRuby has many popular Ruby characteristics, it is integrated with the Java platform.
Java programmers should also be familiar with these frameworks:
- Spring Boot, a new framework from Pivotal, simplifies bootstrapping and the development of new Spring applications.
- Spring Cloud, a collection of tools from Pivotal that provides solutions to some of the common problems Java software engineering developers encounter when they build distributed systems.
- Apache Spark, a fast, in-memory data processing engine. Spark delivers general-purpose, distributed data processing that’s suitable for use in many situations. Spark includes SQL, machine learning, graph computation, and stream processing libraries that run on top of the processing engine.
Java development tools include:
- Git, a distributed version control system that tracks changes in source code during software development. Git coordinates work among developers and tracks changes in any set of files.
- Docker, a tool that uses containers to make it easier to create, deploy, and run applications. Developers use Docker to automate the deployment of applications as portable, self-sufficient containers that can run in the cloud or on-premises.
- Selenium WebDriver, a suite of tools that automate web browser activities across many platforms.
- Jenkins, an open-source automation server written in Java.
Hiring Top Java Developers
The best way to hire the best Java developers is to be clear — clear about the specialized background, skills, and experience you might need in your job description. Also, it never hurts to know where tech talent hang out and how much pay will make your offer competitive.
Not sure where to start with interviewing Java programmers for hire? Here are more than 50 Java interview questions for you to use in your interviews.
Technical Abilities
What profile of knowledge, skills, and experience should your candidates have? It helps to start with the basics.
Foundation knowledge: What should candidates know about Java? For example, should candidates be up-to-date with the latest version of Java, with all its quirks and capabilities? Here are some concepts of what experienced Java developers know:
- Object-oriented programming
- The Java ecosystem
- Concurrency and multithreading
- The intricacies of SQL queries
- Data structures and collections
- JVM and Memory Management
- Cache coherence and fence instructions
- Class loading
- How to optimize garbage collection
Beyond that, think about your specific hiring needs. What will the Java developer be responsible for? What do they need to be able to accomplish with their Java development knowledge? For instance, will the Java developers’ job be til build algorithms, use AI, or create mobile apps? These questions will help you narrow in on the type of Java programmers you need.
You can also consider the types of tasks your Java developer candidate should have done in past projects. Certification can also be a way to learn what candidates can do before they join your project as a freelance Java developer or your company as a full-time member of the developer team.
Soft skills
Although coding ability is often the first thing you look for in a developer, it’s not the whole story. What mix of communication, collaboration, and other non-technical skills do you need?
Should your developer be able to lead meetings? Do they need to work relentlessly until a programming obstacle is overcome? Will they participate in regular scrum meetings or pair programming sessions? Thinking ahead of time helps you better identify the type of developer you need, and also helps them set the right expectations of what your job entails.
Where to Find Java Developers
Since we’ve covered what to look for, it’s time to go into more detail about where to find a Java developer. There’s a knack to finding highly skilled Java developers, and the main thing to remember is, don’t wait for candidates to show up. Take some initiative and look for them — you can refer to these strategies to find developers in addition to the ones below.
Java communities and events
Given Java’s versatility and global popularity, there are plenty of events that Java developers may participate in, giving you many opportunities to meet potential candidates. Here’s a brief list of places to start looking:
Online Java communities
- Subreddits for entry-level Java developers, advanced Java developers, /r/Java, and many others depending on the specific Java tool or framework that you’re using.
- JavaWorld: Java tutorials, tech trends, blog posts, and news
- Q&A and Forums like StackOverFlow, CodeProject, and Coderanch
- StudyJava.org: It’s where developers go to learn a little Java and have discussions with other Java developers
- Codementor Community: You can find all the latest Java tutorials written by members of our community
- JCON Europe (Cologne, Germany)
- QCon (New York, NY)
- ÜberConf (Denver, CO)
Java Developer Salaries & Hourly Rates
Now that you’ve gotten the low-down about where Java developers can be found, it’s time to talk about salaries and hourly rates. Many factors determine a Java developer’s pay, however, there are rules-of-thumb pay rates that will help you entice solid talent.
Salaries
As of 2023, the average annual salary of a Java developer is $104,837, according to Indeed. Salaries can vary widely, depending on many important factors, such as education levels, certifications, additional skills, and years of experience as a developer.
Here are some average annual salaries for Java developers in certain states:
- New York: $133,327
- California: $126,950
- Massachusetts: $147,316
- Florida: $95,739
- Washington: $136,973
- Texas: $113,326
- Colorado: $124,099
Freelance Rates
Hourly rates for freelance Java developers reflect the same, highly variable factors as salaried workers. The average hourly rate of Java developers ranges from $61-80 per hour.
When calculated to monthly and annual pay, this pay range looks like this (for all experience levels with Java):
Average monthly pay: $9,760 to $12,800
Average annual pay: $117,120 to $153,600
Experienced Java developers can earn cost $171,000 or more annually. Keep in mind that the annual salaries from the previous section does not include benefits and other overhead costs.
Next Steps
How can you get maximum value from the time and cost of hiring Java developers? By doing the following:
- Customize your job description. Each job you hire for has its own unique combination of technical and soft skills and experience that matter most for job success. Use this focus on developer success to choose the technical and non-technical skills that should appear on each job posting.
- Engage in face-to-face and virtual events. Java developers (at least the ones you want to hire) share high levels of enthusiasm and often mingle in large groups of their peers. These people can be developers that you eventually recruit.
- Keep your hiring budget in line. Know the average annual salary and hourly pay rates of Java developers. If you want a talented developer, be ready to pay accordingly.