Back in 2015, over 231 million iPhones were sold globally, so it's no surprise that the demand for iOS app developers is on the rise. To create software for iOS, two main programming languages ​​are used - Objective-C and Swift from Apple. Specialists who are familiar with these technologies have become the most in demand in the labor market. The more popular iOS becomes, the greater the competition between companies that want to hire talented developers who can develop a quality product.

The Talent division of Stack Overflow has published a piece with tips to help you get ahead of the competition in the race for iOS programmers.

It is important to know where developers spend their free time

Since iOS programmers are in high demand, it will be difficult to find a large number of specialists in job search. However, this does not mean that you should not try your luck on thematic forums. One of them, iPhoneDevSDK, is a large community of iOS developers and marketers. Mobile developers can also be found on the MacRumors forum, as well as cocos2d for iPhone and iOS Developer Forums. Users of these resources actively communicate to learn something new and share ideas with like-minded people. Other than the sites listed, the iOS tag is one of the most popular on Stack Overflow. Also, you can use this source to find iOS developers.

It may seem that since there are a number of popular thematic resources where you can find iOS developers, then it will not be difficult to hire them. However, according to a special study by Stack Overflow, for 65% of the programmers surveyed, finding a job is not the only motivation for visiting such sites.

Therefore, the topic of job change should not be dominant in the process of online communications with potential candidates. When communicating with them, a recruiter should demonstrate not only an interest in hiring a person, but also in what he is currently doing, what applications he is currently developing.

It is necessary to understand what difficulties developers face on a daily basis

This does not mean that you need to understand all the intricacies of this process, but it is worth keeping in mind some non-obvious problems that developers solve in the course of their activities:

- Ensuring high quality work even on a small screen. Tyler Lessar, Vice President of Blackberry Global Alliances, notes in InfoWorld that creating software to run on small screen devices is always a challenge for developers. "Because of the small size of the screen, every pixel takes on a special meaning."
- Providing secure authentication. Max Katz, head of Apperi developer relations, wrote in a column on DZone that authentication is the most vulnerable spot in any mobile application, since creating and entering a username and password is the user's task. "It's very difficult to implement a secure authentication system from scratch with limited development time," he adds.
- Understanding how to pass App Store moderation. For those who don't delve into the details, getting your app approved by the App Store may seem like a no-brainer. However, iOS developers often have to negotiate with Apple about the compliance of a particular feature of an application with the rules of the App Store.

It is worth understanding what inspires developers

Basic knowledge of iOS can help recruiters attract new job seekers. Moreover, understanding the expectations and requirements of job candidates will help you hire the “right” developer. Ben Shive, an iOS developer with six years of experience, and Alex Stralger, a junior iOS developer at TWG, commented on what they would like to see in a new potential job.

- Formed mobile development team. “Many companies have only a handful of mobile app developers,” notes Alex Stralger. “One of the main things I look for in a company is to have an established iOS team where you can learn new things from members.”
- Possibility of programming in Swift. Ben Shaive said that although he understands the need for cross-platform solutions in some cases, he especially enjoys building native applications. “The transition to Swift programming was exciting,” he adds. “I used to love programming in Objective-C, but Swift has quickly become my go-to language for developing new projects and enhancing old ones because of its new features.”
- Flexibility in strategy and application design. The development of mobile applications for iOS does not stand still: new approaches, tools, technologies and services are emerging. In this regard, Alex Stralger said that teams that are open to new solutions and design approaches seem attractive to her. She also noted the importance of regular team meetings to discuss technological innovations that could be introduced into project development.