How to Hire a Clojure Developer to Get Your Project Done Right the First Time

Clojure continues to climb among developers and is seeing a steady increase in use by companies with over 1000 employees. 

As a JVM language, it has access to all the Java libraries and tools that have been created over the years. And with its Lisp roots, Clojure provides developers with a powerful toolset for building applications.

With its rising station among developer languages, you might find yourself needing to hire a Clojure developers in the coming months, and not know where to start. That’s where we come in!

Below, we’ll walk through the language roots, determine why you may need to hire a Clojure engineer, define some of the different roles you may be looking for, and then help you find the best candidate for your needs. Before we go, we’ll also walk through a handful of challenges you may face, and provide some advice on how to avoid them. 

Sound good? Let’s dive in.

What is Clojure?

Clojure, developed by Rich Hickey and introduced in 2007, is a modern Lisp dialect that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). 

Clojure is a functional programming language that helps developers write code that is easy to reason about and maintain over time. It also provides features for building concurrent applications, making it an attractive option for companies who need to handle large amounts of data or traffic.

Java developers may be attracted to Clojure because of its JVM compatibility and the fact that it runs on the same platform as many other popular languages. They may also appreciate the functional programming features, which can help make code more concise and easier to reason about.

Lisp developers may also appreciate that fact, and have a deeper understanding of the language’s roots. They may find Clojure’s approach to data structures and concurrency to be particularly appealing.

Who is using Clojure and Why?

If you shop online at Walmart’s Black Friday sales or spend time on a few little websites like Facebook and Amazon, you’ve already likely interacted with Clojure code in some way. The language continues to rise in popularity for a few reasons: 

• Excellent tooling
• A growing number of libraries
• First-class concurrency support

As the language becomes more popular, the pool of developers with experience using it grows as well. You may find yourself in a position where you need to hire a Clojure developer for one or more of the following reasons: 

• To work on an existing Clojure project 
• To migrate an existing Java project to Clojure 
• To build a new project from scratch using Clojure

With these projects in mind, let’s take a quick look at some of the different roles you might be looking for.

Contract developer

Perhaps you have an existing Clojure project that needs some maintenance or additional features built. In this case, you might want to hire a contract developer who can come in and help you out for a specific period of time.

When looking to hire a contract developer, it’s important to consider their level of experience with the language as well as with the tools and libraries you’re using. You’ll also want to make sure they’re comfortable working on projects remotely, as many contractors are not based in the same city or country as their clients.

Full-time engineer

A full-time engineer is someone who can work on a project from start to finish. They’ll usually have a solid understanding of the language and its ecosystem and be able to work on both the front-end and back-end portions of a project.

In most cases, you’ll want to hire a full-time engineer if you’re starting a new project from scratch or migrating an existing project to Clojure. When looking for one, make sure to pay attention to their previous experience and see if they have any projects you can take a look at.

Senior consultant

If you’re looking for someone to come in and help you assess your options, a senior consultant is a role you’re looking for. 

A senior consultant should have a deep understanding of not only Clojure but also the JVM and Java. They should also be able to understand your specific needs and recommend the best way to move forward with your project.

For companies that aren’t sure if they want to invest in Clojure long-term, or are on a critical timeline, a senior consultant can be a great option to get expert-level advice without making a full commitment.

How to choose the right Clojure developer

If you want to hire a Clojure developer that will be able to finish your project on time and within budget, there are a few things you should keep in mind. 

First, you need to make sure that the developer you’re considering has a strong understanding of the JVM. This will be important for compatibility and performance reasons. 

Second, because Clojure is a Lisp dialect, your candidate must have a strong understanding of functional programming concepts. This will be key to writing maintainable code that can handle concurrency and scale. 

Finally, it’s always a good idea to ask for code samples or take a look at a developer’s GitHub profile before making your decision. This will give you a better sense of their abilities and whether they will be a good fit for your project. 

Here are five questions you can ask to get a better idea of their qualifications:

• What inspired you to use Clojure?
• What are your favourite features of the language?
• Do you have any experience with other Lisp dialects? If so, how do they compare to Clojure?
• Can you share an example of a project you’ve worked on where Clojure was particularly well suited?
• Do you have any thoughts on the best ways to learn and use the language effectively?

Remember that you don’t necessarily need to limit your search to your geographical area, or even to developers who list Clojure as their primary language. Many Java and Lisp developers are familiar with the language and may be able to pick it up quickly if they’re a good fit for your project.

Challenges you might face

Nothing comes easy though, and there are some challenges you may face when trying to hire a Clojure developer:

• Fewer Clojure developers: As we mentioned, Clojure is not as popular as some other languages, which means there are still fewer developers with experience even if this is slowly changing. 
• Lisp syntax can be challenging: For those who have never worked with a Lisp dialect before, the syntax can take some time to get used to. This challenge is compounded by the fact that there are few resources available (though this is changing, with programs from ThorTech) to help new developers learn.
• Functional programming can be intimidating: For those who are used to working with an imperative style, functional programming can be daunting. It often requires a different way of thinking about problem-solving and can take some time to get used to.

These can be remedied though with a little bit of planning. Make sure you give your candidates enough time to get comfortable with the language and syntax. It may also be helpful to hire a Clojure mentor, who can help new developers ramp up more quickly if they come from a different background.

Final thoughts

You might still have some reservations about hiring a Clojure engineer. If so, we understand! That’s why we’ve made it easy to contact and vet highly-skilled experts with just a few clicks. If you find yourself in need, start interviewing experienced Clojure developers today!