How to Hire the Best DevOps Engineers? Follow this Ultimate Guide!

A Quick Roundup: Welcome to our blog, where we'll guide you to mastering the art of hiring DevOps engineers. Explore their versatile skill set, discover the challenges you might encounter, and get insights into a winning strategy. We'll also discuss the value of partnering with experts like Radixweb to hire DevOps engineers. Read till the end to learn how to build a dynamic DevOps engineering team that fuels innovation and growth!

Although there's no elixir to improve development efficiency and create quality software, DevOps (Development+Operations) has been helping organizations do so without fail. It has started meeting market demands and user expectations, leading to the regaining of trust that it struggled to achieve over many years.

As a result, more and more companies are leaning towards the DevOps methodology for productive and faster deliveries while leaving enough room for creativity. The global DevOps market is expected to generate $30 billion by the end of 2028 at a CAGR of 20%.

And this phenomenon quickly turned into the emergence of a new skill set in the software industry. Instead of specializing only in Dev or Ops, software engineers have started designating themselves as DevOps engineers with expertise in both fields.

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However, the high demand for these professionals in the face of a limited number of accomplished candidates has become a big challenge for businesses.

How can you find the perfect DevOps developers whose interests and skills align with your unique needs? Even though we don't have a direct answer to this question, the best we could do was jot down a few battle-tested tips and tricks on hiring DevOps engineers and keeping your development game thriving.

But first up, some basics!

Who is a DevOps Engineer?

People often have a vague idea of what a DevOps engineer does daily. Let me spill it out for you:

The role of DevOps engineer is one of the most talked-about professions right now. It has been recognized as the most in-demand IT role for the future and ranked #2 on Glassdoor's list of the 50 Best Jobs in America. In an effort to improve their capabilities and differentiate themselves from the competition, many IT firms are incorporating this skill set into their recruitment strategies.

DevOps engineers don't work directly on the software code (the developer is responsible for it). However, they are constantly innovating and tinkering with modern resources, such as the DevOps methodology and software development approach, keeping in mind the software team's demands and customers' needs.

Why Should You Hire DevOps Engineers?

If you employ DevOps engineers in your project, they will be an active part of the whole mission, with a great deal of listening and judging. But all for the sake of the final product.

Because integrating DevOps into software development has yielded optimized results in the software development life cycle that are hard to ignore. Your product development cycle will be more coordinated with fewer hassles of adding new features, testing, fixing bugs, and so on if you have a competent DevOps team. With constant feedback, you can drastically raise production quality while enhancing user experience.

As a matter of fact, according to the latest DevOps statistics, dealing with support-related issues takes 60% less time through the DevOps lifecycle.

Therefore, hiring DevOps engineers is practically a requirement for you if you are in the tech industry and your development projects are getting more complicated. This implies that you'll need to either upskill your current team or consider adding more DevOps specialists.

What Do DevOps Engineers Do? An Overview of Required Skills and Qualifications

The secret to successfully hiring a DevOps engineer is clearly defining what you want from them. It's crucial to realize that you can't simply "hire a DevOps engineer," as DevOps is a field that covers a wide range of expertise.

Hence, finding people with fundamental skills is a smart way to start. Depending on your company's demands, you can further narrow down on the skills and resources of a DevOps engineer.

DevOps Engineers Technical Skills

Here are the must-have technical skills required for DevOps engineers:

Infrastructure Management

DevOps engineers should have in-depth knowledge of the latest infrastructure planning and management techniques and cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP.

System Administration

SysAdmin is the ability to work in multi-user IT environments and manage them in order to streamline processes. You want your DevOps team to create and maintain file servers, applications, and infrastructure.

Storage and Network Management

These features should always be reliable, scalable, and high-performing. Focus on 'how' rather than 'what' when recruiting candidates with these DevOps engineer skill sets.

Testing and Diagnostics

Look for specialized diagnostic and testing skills for your software, systems, and platforms. Learn about the software testing and automation tools they use and how they troubleshoot and resolve issues after a diagnosis.

Virtualization

In virtualizing servers and other process components, you can hire a DevOps engineer with more specialized DevOps roles, such as network or server virtualization.

Other than the skills required for DevOps engineers, a competent candidate should be proficient in cloud technologies, DevOps release management solutions, IT security, IaC toolchain, and more.

DevOps Engineers Interpersonal Communication Skills

Since DevOps engineers work as a link the development and operation teams, they must excel at communication with cross-functional teams, with the below-mentioned skill set:

Collaboration: Working effectively with developers, operations teams, and other stakeholders is crucial. Being open to sharing ideas, listening to others, and contributing to team discussions helps create a smooth workflow.

Conflict Resolution: DevOps engineers must address disagreements constructively, find common ground, and reach resolutions that benefit everyone.

Effective Listening: They must be good listeners to gather insights, identify issues, and develop appropriate solutions.

Empathy: Empathy is a valuable soft skill, and recognizing and understanding team members' perspectives helps build stronger working relationships and overcome challenges.

Feedback Exchange: Giving and receiving feedback helps improve both individual and team performance. Providing constructive feedback respectfully and being open to receiving it helps foster continuous improvement.

Problem Solving: Your DevOps engineer must be able to communicate their thoughts and contribute to problem-solving discussions to make informed decisions.

DevOps Engineers Soft Skills

While technical and communication skills are vital, these soft skills truly differentiate a successful DevOps engineer who can work effectively within a team and contribute to the overall success of a project.

Curiosity - The DevOps world is very dynamic. A DevOps engineer must be daring when testing and implementing new technologies and insatiably curious about the latest trends.

Assertiveness - The DevOps vs SRE is an ongoing debate. You might sometimes need to convince your fellow engineers to agree with your ideas and strategies. And let me tell you, it's not always simple!

Creativity - DevOps calls for a great deal of flexibility. Some may find this exciting because they won't get bored. But it can be unfortunate for others since being strategic has no place here. What more can a DevOps engineer do than unleash their inner creativity?

Teamwork - Get ready for a lot of teamwork because it takes a village to make a genuinely excellent tech product. Hire DevOps developers who can impart their knowledge and skills to the other team members.

Strategic Mind - When planning infrastructure upgrades, for instance, if your business requires more computer resources, this skill is crucial.

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What About the Roles and Responsibilities of DevOps Engineers?

A DevOps engineer’s roles and responsibilities are a mix of management and technical roles. They are multi-faceted, and developers should be proficient in leveraging different technical skills and managing operations simultaneously. Okay, it's time to explore DevOps engineers' roles and responsibilities in a project.

• Establishing version control, managing release cycles
• Automating processes and optimizing development costs
• Communicating between developers and QA/testers
• Managing containerization in DevOps
• Monitoring development life cycle and running security audits
• Maintaining continuous integration and delivery
• Understanding project KPIs and customer requirements
• Setting up the required infrastructure and tools
• Planning the project management activities, team structure, and tasks
• Reviewing, verifying, and validating the software codebase
• Incidence management and root cause analysis

As part of the DevOps roles, you must always be ready for the unexpected, which is why the list is incomplete. I like to think of DevOps teams as the unit that handles the impossible, finds solutions to the most unsolvable problems, and essentially handles anything the development side throws at them.

Where to Find and Hire DevOps Engineers?

Finding and recruiting DevOps engineers can be an exciting journey, and here are the four key ways to consider:

Collaborating with IT Companies

An IT consulting company often offers DevOps services as part of their expertise. Partnering with them can provide you with a ready-made team experienced in DevOps.

You can quickly leverage their knowledge and experience without going through the hiring process. But ensure that their team's skill set aligns with your needs and that they follow well-established communication channels.

Hiring Recruitment Agencies

Recruiting agencies can save you time by helping you find DevOps developers quickly. They can access a pre-screened talent pool and match candidates to your specific needs.

Recruiting firms is beneficial if you have urgent hiring requirements or lack the resources to conduct extensive searches independently.

Working with Freelancers

Freelance DevOps engineers offer flexibility and specialization. You can tap into their expertise for specific projects or tasks without the commitment of a full-time employee. This option works well for short-term projects or when you need specialized skills for a limited time.

Creating an In-House Team

Bringing DevOps talent in-house gives you direct control over their work as you can focus on building a cohesive team with a deep understanding of your company's culture and processes.

It's a great option if you're looking for long-term commitment and want engineers who are fully dedicated to DevOps implementation services. However, remember that this option requires significant time and effort for recruiting, onboarding, and team management.

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How to Hire DevOps Engineers? A Step-by-Step Process

The process can be quite challenging if you want to hire DevOps engineers. There are many factors to consider when finding a suitable candidate. Hiring isn't just about filling a role; it's about welcoming a new member to your team's adventure.

So, in this section of our DevOps engineer hiring guide, we will explore a personalized roadmap to employing DevOps engineers through a foolproof process:

1. Lay the Foundation

Start by really understanding what you're looking for in a DevOps engineer. What tools and skills are essential for your projects? This clarity will guide your search.

2. Write a Compelling JD

Think of the job description as a story about your company and its role. Highlight the cool projects, the team's camaraderie, and the growth opportunities that await.

3. Search the Web

Tap into the digital treasure trove of job boards, DevOps communities, and even a DevOps automation company. You might just find your gem hidden among the solutions they offer.

4. Meet the Team

Prepare for interviews and get ready to chat. This is your chance to learn about their journey, favorite tools, and quirks that make them unique.

5. Assess Skills

Put on your technical glasses and present a challenge to test their mettle. Ask about their experiences collaborating with others, how they handle critical situations, and get them to tackle a real-world DevOps task.

6. Start Onboarding

Plan a smooth onboarding process introducing the new DevOps engineer to the team, tools, processes, and company culture.

7. Set Feedback Loops

Regularly communicate with the new hire to provide feedback and ensure their integration into the team is going smoothly.

What are the Benefits of Hiring DevOps Engineers on Board?

DevOps is a vast concept comprising a range of fields, from automation and security audits to continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD). Hence, there are many side effects to implementing DevOps methodology and hiring its practitioners for your business.

Here are the most important ones:

Endless Scalability

Scalability matters. When there is higher traffic, your app must flawlessly handle it. You can always scale up or down an app with a DevOps engineer. If your app is slow, users won't care about the reason; instead, they'll delete it and stop using it altogether. Hiring a vetted DevOps engineer is always better than playing for a laggy app that eventually damages your reputation, right?

IT Modernization

You can modernize your company's IT ecosystem by deploying a DevOps team and leveraging Infrastructure as Code solutions. The system's efficiency, output, scalability, and reliability will increase. In comparison to non-DevOps processes, it will also cut down on the time needed to release new products in the market.

Fast and Frequent Delivery

Automation always comes with speed. DevOps engineering skills include the end-to-end automation of development and release pipelines, resulting in a faster product delivery cycle. This empowers you to fix bugs quickly, release new features, respond to your customers' needs, and gain a competitive edge in your business niche.

Unparallel Security

Building software faster does not mean you have to compromise on security. DevOps hiring does not sacrifice your data's integrity as you work with DevSecOps principles, standard configuration management techniques, fine-grained security measures, and automated compliance policies.

SEO Credibility

SEO is an additional factor. The speed of the website is something that DevOps engineers never ignore. No matter what you do, your page will always appear low in search engine rankings if it has a slow loading speed. So, even if you have the best app, potential buyers won't find it if it's buried deep in search results.

Questions You Must Ask DevOps Engineers During an Interview

Since the position of a DevOps engineer holds significant importance, the interview process is rigorous. Hence, you should carefully tailor your interview questions to the DevOps roles you're trying to fill.

You'll need to delve deeper to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their skills and expertise.

So, let's explore a set of technical questions you must ask during the interview:

• How do you incorporate security into your DevOps processes?
• Can you talk about the code quality and coding standards you follow?
• Could you outline your typical approach to identifying the root cause of frequent server crashes?
• Share a few strategies for cost optimization within Amazon S3 Buckets.
• In your own words, please elaborate on the distinctions between CI/CD and DevOps.
• Define the steps you'd take to troubleshoot issues within a MySQL Database.
• Could you talk about the procedure for linking two VCPs (Virtual Cloud Platforms)?
• Highlight the variances and parallels between DevOps and Agile methodologies.
• Describe some of the DevOps tools and technologies you find challenging.

After addressing the technical aspects, it's essential to explore other topics to understand their career aspirations and alignment with your company's work culture:

• What was the motivation behind a project you worked on in the past to improve business operations? What was its impact on the company?
• As you step into the role of a DevOps engineer within our organization, what modifications would you introduce to the overall Software development life cycle?
• Tell me about the most challenging automation task you have ever implemented. What was the challenge?
• How do you envision your problem-solving abilities contributing to our team?
• Identify three key challenges you need to prioritize, considering that we don't have DevOps architecture within our company.
• Share insights into the everyday challenges you typically face within a DevOps ecosystem.
• How long do you estimate it will take for the team to adapt to the DevOps transition?

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a DevOps Engineer?

The cost to hire DevOps programmers can vary significantly based on several factors, including experience level, location, and specific skill sets required.

Let's break down each of these cost considerations in detail:

1. Experience Level

Junior DevOps Engineer: The average annual salary for a junior DevOps engineer in the United States can range from $60,000 to $90,000.

Mid-Level DevOps Engineer: A mid-level DevOps engineer might command an average salary of $90,000 to $120,000 annually.

Senior DevOps Engineer: Highly experienced senior DevOps engineers can earn salaries ranging from $120,000 to $150,000 or even higher.

2. Geographic Location

United States: A senior DevOps engineer might earn around $150,000 in tech hubs like San Francisco. In cities with a lower cost of living, the exact role could earn around $130,000.

Europe: A senior DevOps engineer could make around £70,000 in countries like the United Kingdom. In Germany, salaries might range from €60,000 to €80,000.

Asia: In India, salaries for senior DevOps engineers can range from ₹1,200,000 to ₹2,000,000 per year.

3. Additional Factors

Industry Demand: Regions with a higher demand for DevOps engineers may see higher salaries due to competition.

Remote Work: Remote work opportunities might lead to more flexible compensation structures.

Company Size: Larger companies may offer higher salaries and additional benefits.

Skill Set: Specialized skills in cloud platforms, DevSecOps as a Service, and automation tools can impact salary levels.

For a better view, here's a simplified table showcasing the potential salary range for different experience levels in different regions:

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Tips for Building Top-Notch DevOps Team

After discussing all the other essential aspects, we have accumulated some tried-and-tested tips and tricks for building an expert DevOps team.

So, whether you plan to extend your in-house team with new specialists or create a self-sufficient DevOps engineering team, these tips will help you navigate the path and choose the best-fitted talent for your organization.

• Embrace versatility and look for candidates who thrive at the intersection of coding and infrastructure management.
• Cloud fluency is of utmost importance. Hence, prioritize DevOps engineers with hands-on experience in cloud platforms.
• Build a team proficient in automating processes to streamline operations and boost efficiency.
• Hire DevOps engineers who excel in setting up continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines.
• Identify problem-solvers who approach challenges with innovative solutions and adaptability.
• Assess cultural compatibility to ensure seamless integration into your team's dynamics.
• Collaboration is crucial, so search for DevOps experts with solid teamwork and communication skills.
• Review candidates' project portfolios and gauge practical experience and technical achievements.
• Lastly, remember, it's not just about skills; it's about building a DevOps team that understands your company's goals and values.

Why Choose Radixweb to Hire DevOps Engineers?

We take the DevOps culture exceptionally seriously and are certain that we must be able to provide the client with what they require, not just what we are capable of.

We constantly study and make stringent efforts to ensure that trends and techniques in infrastructure management are updated so we don't just stick to what has worked in the past. We take every project individually and handle the infrastructure, support, and maintenance problems flexibly.

However, taking care of the team comes before taking care of the client. We highly focus on open communication, knowledge sharing, mentoring, and team members' ongoing development. Additionally, we enjoy testing our abilities by resolving technical issues for fun.

Over the past 25 years, more clients have approached us for assistance after their internal development teams became overwhelmed by challenging projects. Usually, things can get resolved after some wrangling, but our pro DevOps recruiting tip is to leverage our industry-leading DevOps services at the beginning.

When planning the future and creating a resilient architecture for your entire system, these people are magicians!

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The Bottom LineHiring DevOps engineers is a daunting task that requires a perfect balance of technical prowess, cultural alignment, and a knack for identifying innovative problem solvers. As we've explored the benefits, challenges, and strategies in this blog, it's clear that finding the right DevOps talent involves more than just matching skills – it's about nurturing a collaborative ecosystem that drives efficiency, innovation, and growth.Most importantly, watch for candidates with automation skills and a continuous learning mindset. As you search for the ideal DevOps engineers, consider contacting Radixweb to ensure a successful hiring journey and drive your business forward. Ultimately, the right DevOps engineers will enhance your technological landscape and contribute to a culture of innovation and excellence. We hope the insights this blog shares help you make smart choices and take your DevOps team to the next level!