Find out the top 10 core skills you need to master as an application developer and what hard skills you need to know to succeed in this job.

An application developer is tasked with the primary role of developing and testing application software that meets client needs using programming languages and source codes. He or she can use one language or more to develop the application software after identifying an idea or meeting a customer's need.

In addition he or she will get to perform the following duties; develop user interfaces, testing and documenting developed software and programs, develop technical designs, debugging software application issues, offer technical advice on the application development processes, test and revise applications to ensure they are working perfectly and undertake application development training to young developers.

Core Skills Required to be an Application Developer

Core skills describe a set of non-technical abilities, knowledge, and understanding that form the basis for successful participation in the workplace. Core skills enable employees to efficiently and professionally navigate the world of work and interact with others, as well as adapt and think critically to solve problems.

Core skills are often tagged onto job descriptions to find or attract employees with specific essential core values that enable the company to remain competitive, build relationships, and improve productivity.

An application developer should master the following 10 core skills to fulfill her job properly.

Developing Others:

Developing others is an unremitting process that focuses on the broader, longer-term growth of individuals to nurture them to their potential and promote future development.

An Application Developer needs to support, coach, positively impacts and effectively aid in developing talents of their staff by motivating them to become outstanding in their behavioral change and performance improvement that opens up development opportunities in the organization.

Work Attitude:

Work Attitude is one's feelings towards and beliefs about one's job and their behavior that can tell how it feels to be there.

An Application Developer ought to encourage his workers and provide all the requirements for the workplace to ensure a positive attitude is maintained by the employees that can help them get a promotion, succeed on projects, meet goals and enjoy the job more.

Evaluating Others:

Evaluating others is the capacity to see the individuality in others and recognize a person's unique point of view.

An Application Developer must master the skills of evaluating others to help his staff members to identify their talents and match those talents to the proper job without trying to judge them by their actions that can create a misinterpretation of who they are.

Personal Commitment:

Personal Commitment is an obligation that you have voluntarily agreed to fulfill without being cajoled or threatened and are willing to be held accountable for the results.

An Application Developer ought to understand that though adopting new policies and procedures will be met with resistance, the approach by which safety standards are implemented and enforced influences employee's attitudes and commitment towards the organization.

Personal Drive:

Personal Drive is a combination of desire and energy in its simplest form directed at achieving a goal in whatever you have set your heart to accomplish.

An Application Developer needs to creatively design ways that drive the staff to carry out their work without wasting time by helping them understand and develop their self-motivation skills that assist them to take control of many different viewpoints of their life.

Goal and Objective Setting:

Goal and Objective Setting is the strategic plan that is set and laid down identifying how goals should be accomplished, by who and by what time.

An Application Developer must detect and schedule each employee's goals, strategy, and objectives and keep motivating them to ensure all of them are met within the set time bringing growth to both the company and the employee.

Meeting Management:

Meeting Management is the skill to know and understands the reason why an official meeting should be held and who should attend.

An Application Developer must learn how to properly organize and conduct meetings to contribute to organizational effectiveness by determining situations that require a meeting, understanding types of meetings, planning the meeting, running the meeting to the close and managing people after the meeting.

Training others:

Training is the ability to expand the knowledge base by learning new truths that are useful in the workplace.

An Application Developer needs to creatively schedule training for his employees in a focused manner that will allow the employee stay useful in the workplace and get new knowledge so that both the business and the worker not suffer from delays and work related stress.

Computer Skills:

Computer Skills are the necessary computer working skills that each employee need to have while seeking to get admitted into the professional world.

An Application Developer ought to be technologically oriented and hire employees with strong computer skills because they fare better in the job market than their tech-challenged counterparts bringing a high level of quality employees in the job seeking category.

Programming Skills:

Programming Skills is the ability to use technical languages, tools, and operating systems professionally in the workplace.

An Application Developer ought to value digital competencies in the workplace, being the third core subject and treated with the same respect as numeracy and literacy because they are the future of the company and very vital to the growth and productivity of the business.

Hard Skills Required to be an Application Developer

Hard skills are job-specific skill sets, or expertise, that are teachable and whose presence can be tested through exams. While core skills are more difficult to quantify and less tangible, hard skills are quantifiable and more defined.

Hard skills are usually listed on an applicant's resume to help recruiters know the applicant's qualifications for the applied position. A recruiter, therefore, needs to review the applicant's resume and education to find out if he/she has the knowledge necessary to get the job done.

An application developer should have a good command of the following hard skills to succeed in her job.

Application Developer: Hard skills list

Ability to Analyze Complex Technical Information
Analyze Business Requirements and Assess Impact With Existing Database Architecture
Analyze, Design and Implement Database Structures
Conduct Research
Consistently Seeking and Learning New Technology
Detail Oriented
Enhance the Functional and Technical Aspects of Products
Excellent Problem Solver
Experience Building Software Applications
Experience With JavaScript
Experience With Source Code and Version Repository
Experience Working With Linux/Unix, Perl, or Shell
Familiar with UI Toolkits and Frameworks
Hands-On SQL Experience
Java, Ruby, PHP or Python Experience
Lead and Deliver Complex Software Systems
Manage Multiple Projects in a Deadline-Driven Environment
Microsoft ASP.NET MVC, Web API Experience
Node.js Experience
Participate in Source Code and Design Reviews
Passion for Developing Engaging Consumer Experiences
Previous Experience Working Within an Agile Scrum Team
Provide Development and Testing Support of Other Engineers
Ruby on Rails Experience
Solid Knowledge of Java
Strong Oral and Written Communication
Strong Problem Solver
Thorough Understanding of Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, and Data Structures
Thrive in Dynamic, Fast-Paced Environments
Transform Requirements into Design Concepts and ERDs
Troubleshoot and Debug Issues
Understand Software Engineering Best Practices
Work Well Independently and Within a Team Setting
Work Within an Agile Scrum Team
Working Knowledge of C, C++, and C#
Write Clear and Detailed Technical Specifications and Documentation

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