Good iOS developers are hard to find. Attracting iOS development talent is always a task that human resources departments have pondered about. One distinguishing aspect of iOS developers is that they are specialized. Unlike web development, mobile app development needs a specific focus on one set of technologies.
Being Apple’s mobile OS, iOS is just second to Android in popularity. But before writing a job description for an iOS developer, it helps to understand some basics.
What Do iOS Developers Do?
iOS developers develop mobile applications for several or all of Apple’s products that run on the iOS mobile operating system. iOS devices include iPad, iPod touches, and the iPhone. Successful iOS developers are fluent in several programming languages such as C, C++, Swift, and Objective-C.
Additionally, iOS developers may need to know programming languages such as Java, Python, Javascript, Ruby, and HTML5. Code versioning and management tools include Mercurial, CVS, Git, Bazaar, and SVN. Mobile app development frameworks such as AVFoundation, Symfony, Vue, UIKit, Zend, WebKit, Core Animation, Cloudkit, Core Graphics, Laravel, Core Data, React, Core Text, etc.
iOS developers must be well-versed in UI frameworks such as Selenium, Protractor, Cocoa Touch, Karma, Jest, and Jasmine. They must also know several cloud frameworks, including but not limited to AWS, GCP, and Azure.
Why Is There a Strong Demand For iOS Mobile Application Developers?
Even though Android holds a majority market share, iOS has always commanded a loyal user base. With more than a billion iPhones currently in circulation, the demand for iOS apps is more.
Apple is adding more customers to its database with every release of a new iPhone. Therefore, the demand for various types of apps on the App Store has increased. Currently, there are roughly close to 2 million apps on the Apple App Store.
The development of iOS apps is projected to generate over $900 billion. On average, an iOS smartphone or personal digital unit owner uses roughly about ten apps daily. Going by this trend, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics has pegged the growth of iOS developers for the next decade to about 22%.
Why Are Swift and Objective-c Still the Most Desired Programming Languages For iOS Development?
Most recruiters are still confused about why these programming languages still rule the iOS land. iOS developers must be well-versed with Objective-C and Swift.
The latter is a programming language released in 2014 by Apple and is largely used for general-purpose programming. Compared to Objective-C, Swift has better performance, security, and safety. Therefore, Swift is used extensively for app development on not just iOS but watchOS, macOS, Linux and tvOS.
Swift is versatile and backwards-compatible too. Swift apps can run on iOS 7 onwards. Mac OS X can render Swift apps from version 10.9 onwards.
Objective-C was used before Swift was introduced. Objective-C has been used since 1984. It implies a significant portion of the code base is written in Objective-C.
Hence the requirement for Objective-C knowledge from iOS developers, even though they use Swift to develop iOS mobile applications. It is also because Swift can interoperate with Objective-C; there could be daily requirements in the development process to use legacy APIs written in Objective-C.
Apple doesn’t have plans to retire Objective-C. Even if Swift is currently the de facto choice, Objective-C is still a barebones requirement for hiring an iOS developer.
One strong business case is that many frameworks written in Objective-C have yet to be authored in Swift. In the future, Swift doesn’t seem to have a separate runtime. All Swift code will still be compiled into native binaries. Apple doesn’t want surprises and wants everything cutting across eras to work harmoniously.
6 Steps To Write an Attractive Job Description for an Ios Developer?
Follow these 6 steps to write an attractive iOS developer job description.
1. Get Straight Into the Specifics
iOS developers who are looking for a change or the ones looking for challenges are looking for the specifics. So a job description should get into the specifics right from the word go. Outline the technologies that the iOS developer should work with. The list should also include technologies that are good to know.
iOS developers might also aspire to be managers. So, if the position requires leadership skills, mention that too. iOS developers might like to mentor other developers. Teaching is learning twice. By doing this, they are reinforcing their knowledge.
2. Lay Out Expectations Regarding Programming Quality
A job description explicitly mentioning code quality conditions is attractive for iOS developers. They feel that when entering such an organization, they will also work with a team that understands the importance of code quality and cleanliness. One of the main bones of contentions for iOS developers and, for that matter, any developer is readable code.
One of the code quality principles is providing comments for every piece of code to describe its functionality. Another helpful thing is to generate API docs from the code to provide a quick reference to code functionality. Then there are things like code design, reusability, and DRY (Do Not Repeat Yourself).
3. Describe the Team
iOS development is not a lone warrior profile. It involves a team. The iOS developer needs to be briefed about the team. They should know where in the scheme of things they are being placed.
Most iOS developers want to work in companies that have flat hierarchies. It is because the process of development is creative, and it needs the right type of environment to generate new ideas.
Even if a flat hierarchy is not possible, at least there should be a mention that the organization will provide ample opportunities for innovation and growth.
4. Educational Details
Be specific about the educational details. Although education may not define talent, be specific as to whether the educational qualifications are mandatory or flexible. If an iOS developer has no formal educational background in computer science, and if they can demonstrate their programming prowess by way of demonstrable apps, then list that out too.
iOS developers are attracted to companies that do not have rigid educational requirements. They feel that such companies will attract a variety of talents. This will increase the cognitive variety that this organization has. It will inspire the iOS developer to consider joining such an organization.
5. Showcase Youthfulness and Energy
iOS development, as with any software development, requires creativity, imagination, and energy. Developers should feel motivated to come to work.
The organization should present them with a youthful ambience high on energy. The company should ensure that they provide a balanced environment for developers. This is one of the things that attract iOS developers. A work environment that is formal yet with controlled informality.
6. Put Down Details of Career Path
Progression, learning opportunities, and travel are some of the motivators for iOS developers. These give them enough stimuli to keep performing at work and deliver powerful performances.
An organization that can afford to provide these must explicitly state this. If an organization cannot offer this, then do not state that it is non-existent. Just state in the job description that the candidate’s performance directly affects the company’s prospects.
Example of iOS Programmer Job Description
[Company A] is looking for a lead mobile engineer. This talented engineer should be able to wear multiple hats, including that of a lead developer and also a manager.The candidate should demonstrate the ability to build, maintain, and test mobile SDKs in iOS. The selected candidate should have superior design and system architecture skills. They must be self-initiated, creative, and comfortable dealing with the requirements of various stakeholders.
Responsibilities
- A practised engineer who can develop, test, and maintain Unity and native SDKs on various mobile platforms
- Partner with various stakeholders to develop, design, and test new functionality and products
- A strong desire to learn new technologies and a keen sense of detail
- Ability to accurately estimate work and deliver project deliverables on a timely basis
- Ensure code quality, readability, and maintainability. Put in systems to achieve this
- Knowledge of push notifications, C-based APIs/libraries, cloud messaging, continuous integration, back-end services, design principles, and application interface rules
Experience and Education
- A minimum of 5 years of experience in mobile application software development
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science
- Deep understanding and programming proficiency in developing mobile applications from scratch using Swift, Objective-C and Java. Experience in working with multiple platforms preferred
- Ability to quickly learn and implement new programming languages
- Experience in test-driven development and building large-scale mobile applications
- A portfolio of SDKs or Apps, either built or in progress on the App Store or any app marketplace
Conclusion
Creating an inviting iOS developer job description that first lays out the important information creates a compelling reason for iOS developers to apply. But no job description should state non-facts. Because if it is found out, then the word spreads around. So keep it truthful, explicit, and detailed.