What a software developer does
A software developer designs, writes, tests and maintains the code behind your products and internal systems. Depending on your business, that might mean building new features for a customer-facing application, connecting systems through APIs, improving the performance of an ageing codebase or automating manual processes. Good developers also read existing code carefully, estimate work honestly and flag risks before they turn into outages or missed deadlines.
The right hire shortens your release cycle and reduces the bugs that reach customers. The wrong one leaves behind code that others struggle to maintain. Finch takes the time to understand your languages, architecture and team structure, then screens candidates for the depth of experience you need, whether you want a self-directed senior developer or an intermediate developer who will grow inside an established team.
Typical responsibilities
- Design, write and maintain application code to agreed standards
- Translate business requirements into technical tasks and realistic estimates
- Write unit and integration tests, and fix defects found in testing or production
- Take part in code reviews, giving and receiving constructive feedback
- Integrate with databases, third-party services and internal APIs
- Document technical decisions so other developers can support the code
Qualifications and credentials
- A degree or diploma in computer science, software engineering or a related field is common, though many employers accept equivalent experience
- Professional experience in one or more languages such as Java, C#, Python, JavaScript or TypeScript
- Working knowledge of Git, relational databases and testing frameworks
- Familiarity with agile development practices and issue tracking tools
- Experience with cloud platforms or containers is often an asset
Who hires a software developer
- Software and SaaS companies
- Banks, insurers and fintech firms
- Retailers and e-commerce businesses with in-house development teams
- Consulting firms and digital agencies
- Manufacturers and logistics companies building internal systems
Where we recruit software developer candidates
We fill software developer roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Depth of experience in your primary language and framework, discussed project by project
- Examples of code they wrote that is still in production, and what they would change about it
- Testing and code review habits
- How they estimate work and handle changing requirements
- Eligibility to work in Canada and fit with your on-site, hybrid or remote setup
Interview questions to ask
- Walk me through a feature you built from requirements to release. What went wrong, and how did you fix it?
- How do you decide when code is good enough to ship and when it needs more refactoring?
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with feedback in a code review. How was it resolved?