To hire a Go developer successfully, first, you need a planned approach and a concise job ad before moving forward with the other hiring stages. We'll guide you through technical skills to check, interview questions to use, and more.
About Go
Go represents an open-source, statically-typed programming language that is compiled, readable, and high-performing. It was created and released in 2012 by Google to simplify the codebases of search engines.
Since then, Go is famous for its efficiency, simplicity, and running multiple tasks simultaneously. It has a lean syntax and a rich ecosystem of APIs and tools for an easier building of services and scalable, secure systems.
Developers like to work with Go because of its simple learning curve, readability, and multiple uses – it is used for backend (server-side programming), cloud-based programming, Data Science, and even game development. It is also applied for both mobile and web app building.
Sourcing and interviewing a Go developer
Before you start the hiring process, pay attention to two significant factors: strategies for hiring developers and having a roadmap for all stages.
Technical skills checklist
An excellent Go developer will have experience and knowledge of the following:
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Go's programming language; its constructs, idioms, and paradigms.
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Goroutine along the channel patterns
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Code versioning tools (SVN, Mercurial, or Git)
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Solid knowledge of GraphQL
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Solid knowledge of REST (e.g., the framework Gin)
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Writing clean Godoc comments
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Go tools and frameworks:
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Go's templating language
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Code generation tools (Stringer)
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Dependency management tools (Sitr or Godep)
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Router packages (Gorilla Mux)
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Web frameworks (e.g., Revel)
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Scripting and versioning (including semantic versioning)
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Basic authentication (e.g., JWT - JSON Web Token authentication)
We talked about the Go technical skills with a Senior Go & Java Backend Developer, Diego Maia, and he also added:
"It's crucial to pay attention to creating clean code and following the SOLID principle (Single responsibility, open-closed, Liskov substitution, interface segregation, and dependency inversion)."
Checklist of preferred qualifications
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A degree in Computer Science or a related field
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Knowledge of AI and Machine Learning libraries of Go (GoLearn, Goga, Gorgonia, GoMind, Gonum, Hector, gobot, or gocaffe)
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Knowledge in C#, C++, Java or Python
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Experience with relational databases
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ORM (object relational mapping, e.g., the ORM library Gorm, specifically used for Golang)
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Web development and networking expertise (solid understanding of RESTful APIs, HTTP, Echo, or Gin frameworks)
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Knowledge of cloud services (cloud platforms such as Azure, Google Cloud, or AWS are used to deploy Go apps)
Interview questions and answers
Use our list of questions below and their example answers to compare with the candidate's answers.
1. What are Go packages?
Example answer: The Go packages are directories where we store Go source files. These packages contain everything from functions and variables to code. Packages are containers with all the needed functions to perform a specific task. A package can be imported once, containing more functionalities or none. When we want to import packages, we use the import keyword.
2. Can you describe Go Pointers?
Example answer: Go Pointers are unique variables that hold the memory addresses of other variables. They store data for a certain address in the system. Compared to C, Go doesn't have pointer arithmetic.
3. Define Go string literals.
Example answer: The string literal is a string constant resulting from character sequence concatenating. With Go, these literals belong to two types: raw and interpreted.
The raw type is a character sequence between back quotes, such as foo, and any character appears except the back quote marks within the quote marks.
The interpreted type is a character sequence placed within double quote marks, such as "bar." Within those quotes, every character appears except the unescaped double quote and newline.
4. Describe the Go scope of variables
Example answer: The scope of variables is a program area where we find and access variables. These variables can be a class, method, loop, or similar. Scope of variables means we can find and access that variable only in that scope area, not beyond.
5. What is Go goroutine?
Example answer: The Go Goroutine is a simple execution and thread in Go, running simultaneously to other Goroutines or functions. These represent lightweight threads and are used for concurrency (multiple computations simultaneously).
6. Explain the process of concatenating strings.
Example answer: This process represents two (or more) strings added to a single string. The simplest way to add strings like this is to use the + operator or the concatenation operator (+).
Other alternative ways to do this are with fmt.Sprint() for formatting strings, strings.Join() for concatenating a string slice and strings.Builder for efficient string concatenation.
7. Describe the Closure function.
Example answer: Go Closure represents a nested function referring to variables outside of its scope. Closures can exist longer than the scope where they are created, so they can access variables in scope, even after the scope doesn't exist anymore. They can also hold their unique state, and that state isolates itself when we create new function instances.
8. Briefly describe what steps you'd take for testing in Go.
Example answer: We can quickly test packages with Go in an automated way with the custom testing suites. First, we create a suit or a file that ends with test.go, and this suite must have the TestXxx function. Next, instead of Xxx, we insert the feature name we want to test.
After this, we take the whole file of the testing suite and place it in the correct location, which is the same file we want to test. This test file runs if we type the command go test.
9. What would you choose between Channels and Maps if you need concurrent data accessing?
Example answer: I would choose Channels between these two because it's safer. Channels offer the block and lock mechanisms that prevent Goroutine information from leaking when we have more threads. In comparison, Maps lacks the lock/block features, and if I need to protect information when working with Maps, I need special locking features that will also protect data from going through Goroutines.
10. How would you change a specific string character?
Example answer: This is impossible because strings are read-only (immutable) data types, and we cannot change them. We get a runtime error if we try to change some character within the string.
11. Compare and describe the array and slice types.
Example answer: The arrays and slices are two data structures in Go for handling record lists.
The array represents an indexable composite type that stores elements in collections. Arrays always have a fixed length; if we declare this, we can easily specify the number of items in the array.
The slices have a dynamic length and can grow or shrink during runtime.
12. What can you say about the map type in Go?
Example answer: The map type represents a slice or a collection type similar to an array and stores the key:value pairs. The map in Go is what Object is in JavaScript or dict() is in Python. In the map, all values and keys are statically typed. The main benefit of maps is that regardless of the number of entries in the map, the add, get and delete operations take a fixed, constant, and expected time.
13. What’s your opinion on the Object-Oriented Architecture of Go?
Example answer: Compared to the traditional OOP, Go lacks class-object architecture. Instead, the methods and structs hold the data behavior and structures. A struct represents a schema with a data blueprint. Later on, the structure holds this data blueprint struct.
14. What is your take on the data race in Go?
Example answer: Without specific handling, the execution of many goroutines simultaneously creates an error called "Data Race" or "Race Condition." The Data Race occurs when we have two goroutines simultaneously accessing memory, and Race occurs due to access to unsynchronised shared memory access. These two are the hardest to debug.
15. What are some benefits of passing a pointer to a function?
Example answer: Go is a pass-by-value language. If we have a variable type non-pointer and pass it to a function, then the function creates a copy of this variable. Any variable changes now won't be seen on the outside. The pointers can change and mutate data they point to, and if we pass a pointer to some function, the change will be seen on the outside of that function (but only if we go inside the function to change the value where the pointer points to).
Recognizing and selecting the best Go developer
Great Go developers will have many similarities. Still, a skilled developer will solve the technical assessment tests much better and have more years of experience in development, specifically with Go.
Maia also pointed out what else makes a Go developer stand out from the rest of the candidates:
"A great Go developer needs to shine at working with error handling, pointers, and idiomatic Go codes."
And they will also stand out if they have a solid knowledge of PERL/Shell scripting.
Possible challenges when hiring a Go developer
There are a few potential hiring challenges to be informed about:
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Shortage of skilled candidates – The shortage of developers is a common challenge in the tech industry, and a long search for skilled independent developers will cost you a lot of time and money. Instead, a better option is to rely on services to hire developers for you in just a few days.
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Budget issues – Before hiring, allocate enough budget for everyone involved, from hiring managers to the candidates themselves. And be prepared with some additional budget if the process takes longer to complete (if you decide to do this independently without external services).
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Lack of a plan/roadmap – It's essential to have a roadmap and a detailed plan for every hiring stage instead of vaguely trying out things that might not work.
Industries and uses of Go
Go has many versatile uses, but below are industries where it's most popular.
Transport booking
Go's geofence service is most useful for those in the transport industry, providing access to the user's location with great precision and reliability.
Live streaming
Go is applicable in streaming services for the most-loaded systems and is preferred for its efficiency, readability, and security. It's excellent for resolving issues with live video, chats in a live stream, or improving API automation.
Music streaming
Go is described as a WYSIWYG language (what you see is what you get), which is why developers like using it. The motto "one problem – one solution" is another perk of Go, meaning developers don't waste time thinking of the code, and they do better static analyses in real-time. The fast compilation and static typing in Go is the best way to speed up apps.
Cloud-based email services
Go makes it easy to process millions of emails daily by enabling simultaneous asynchronous programming. The Go code is simple, clean, and optimized, allowing for seamless development.
Cloud computing
Many cloud computing services rely on Go to scale their systems quickly and efficiently. Developers using Go in this industry improve the standard error interface and caching, generate SQL statements programmatically, and implement memcache libraries better.
E-magazines
Go is an excellent choice for creating high-performance web apps and working with large-scale workloads. This enables developers to provide readers with breaking news as quickly as possible. The concurrency support of Go is perfect for managing unexpected traffic surges, which is common in the news industry.
Business benefits of Go
This is what you can expect if you rely on Go for development:
1. Easy transition to microservices
Go is very straightforward and easy to use. This makes it perfect for transitioning from old, heavy monolights to microservices, because Go makes iteasy to obtain quick results.
2. Effective app development and maintenance
It's quite simple to develop and maintain an app with Go. The development process becomes streamlined, saving you money and time in the long run.
To stand out from the rest of the industry, having a fast app that doesn't lag or freeze is crucial. Go will keep your apps always at their optimal speed.
4. App scalability
Using Go makes your apps highly performant, reliable, and scalable. The apps can reach many users, which is excellent news for those wanting to grow their business.
5. Streamlined workflow
All industries benefit from a streamlined workflow, but some need more help, such as eCommerce and Fintech. Go helps you get more processes working faster, leading to a better customer experience.
6. Optimizing through multithreading
It is common in programming to need concurrent processing for multiple tasks and large workloads. Go simplifies this with its asynchronous execution and concurrency support. With Goroutines, multithreaded programming becomes more manageable.
7. Functional for various regions
Large companies often operate from various locations, and this could make managing operations challenging. Different company teams would also need to access the same data, which is another challenge. Go enables fast app development, and cross-platform collaboration for multiple regions, so different teams can work together more efficiently.
8. Improving slow websites
In some industries, loading time is a big issue, and companies always look for ways to minimize (compress) code to speed up delivery. Go's codebase is lightweight, and its execution is high-speed.
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