Dart Developer Hiring Guide

Hiring Guide for Dart Engineers

Ask the right questions to secure the right Dart talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

Dart is a general-purpose programming language initially developed by Google in 2011. It was created to address the challenges in web development, presenting solutions for speed, safety, and ease of use. Dart's design was inspired by several other languages such as JavaScript and Java, with the aim of optimizing performance for both client-side and server-side development. It gained prominence with the introduction of Flutter, Google's UI toolkit for crafting beautiful applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase. Today, Dart continues to be maintained by the Dart Team at Google, ensuring its relevance and growth in the modern programming landscape.

First 20 minutes

General Dart knowledge and experience

The next 20 minutes of the interview should attempt to focus more specifically on the development questions used, and the level of depth and skill the engineer possesses.

How would you handle exceptions in Dart?

Exceptions in Dart can be handled using 'try-catch' blocks. The 'try' block contains the code that might throw an exception, and the 'catch' block contains the code to handle the exception.

What is the difference between final and const in Dart?

In Dart, both 'final' and 'const' keywords are used to declare a constant. The difference is that 'final' is evaluated at runtime, while 'const' is evaluated at compile-time.

How would you define a function in Dart?

A function in Dart can be defined using the 'void' keyword followed by the function name and parentheses. For example, 'void myFunction() {}' defines a function named 'myFunction'.

What are the different types of variables in Dart?

Dart has several types of variables including int, double, String, bool, and dynamic.

How would you declare a variable in Dart?

You can declare a variable in Dart using the 'var' keyword followed by the variable name. For example, 'var name;' declares a variable named 'name'.

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What youre looking for early-on

Is the candidate familiar with version control systems like Git?

Version control is a standard practice in software development. Familiarity with systems like Git indicates they can effectively manage and track changes to the codebase.

Does the candidate have experience with test-driven development?

Test-driven development is a common practice in Dart programming. Experience with this methodology suggests they can produce high-quality, reliable code.

Is the candidate able to work in a team?

Software development often involves teamwork. The candidate's ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively is a key indicator of their potential success in the role.

Can the candidate solve problems efficiently?

Problem-solving skills are essential for any developer. If they can demonstrate their ability to solve complex problems, it indicates they can handle the challenges of the job.

How well does the candidate understand Flutter?

Since Dart is often used with Flutter for mobile app development, a good understanding of Flutter is a strong indicator of their ability to develop robust applications.

Does the candidate demonstrate a strong understanding of Dart language?

This is crucial as Dart is the primary language they will be working with. They should be able to discuss its syntax, structure, and features with ease.

Next 20 minutes

Specific Dart development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should attempt to focus more specifically on the development questions used, and the level of depth and skill the engineer possesses.

What are mixins in Dart?

Mixins in Dart are a way of reusing a class's code in multiple class hierarchies. They are defined using the 'mixin' keyword.

How would you implement inheritance in Dart?

Inheritance in Dart can be implemented using the 'extends' keyword. For example, 'class ChildClass extends ParentClass {}' creates a child class that inherits from the ParentClass.

What is the difference between == and === in Dart?

In Dart, '==' is used for equality comparison, while '===' does not exist. Dart only has '==' for equality comparison and it checks both the type and value.

How would you create a class in Dart?

A class in Dart can be created using the 'class' keyword followed by the class name. For example, 'class MyClass {}' creates a class named 'MyClass'.

What are Futures in Dart?

Futures in Dart represent a potential value or error that will be available at some time in the future. They are used for asynchronous programming.

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The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the Dart engineer at this point.

A skilled Dart engineer should have strong problem-solving skills, deep understanding of Dart language and Flutter framework, and experience with asynchronous programming. Red flags would be inability to explain complex concepts, lack of practical experience or difficulty in solving coding problems.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with Dart.

What does the following Dart code do?

void main() {
  print('Hello, World!');
}

This code prints 'Hello, World!' to the console.

What will be the output of the following Dart code?

void main() {
  var num1 = 10;
  var num2 = 20;
  print(num1 + num2);
}

The output of this code will be 30. It adds two numbers, num1 and num2, and prints the result.

What does the following Dart code do?

void main() {
  List numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
  numbers.removeAt(2);
  print(numbers);
}

This code removes the third element from the list 'numbers' and prints the updated list.

What does the following Dart code do?

import 'dart:async';
void main() {
  Future.delayed(Duration(seconds: 4), () => print('Hello, World!'));
}

This code prints 'Hello, World!' to the console after a delay of 4 seconds.

What does the following Dart code do?

class Car {
  String color;
  Car(this.color);
}
void main() {
  Car myCar = Car('Red');
  print(myCar.color);
}

This code defines a class 'Car' with a property 'color'. It then creates an instance of 'Car' with color 'Red' and prints the color of the car.

What will be the output of the following Dart code?

void main() {
  var numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
  var mappedNumbers = numbers.map((n) => n * 2);
  print(mappedNumbers);
}

The output of this code will be '(2, 4, 6, 8, 10)'. It applies a function to each element in the list 'numbers' that multiplies the element by 2, and prints the resulting list.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Dart role questions

The final few interview questions for a Dart candidate should typically focus on a combination of technical skills, personal goals, growth potential, team dynamics, and company culture.

How would you optimize a Dart application for performance?

Optimizing a Dart application for performance can involve several strategies, such as using the 'const' keyword for values that don't change, using compile-time constants, minimizing the use of reflection, and using effective Dart packages.

What are isolates in Dart?

Isolates in Dart are independent workers that are similar to threads but don't share memory, communicating only via messages. They are used for concurrent programming.

How would you use async and await in Dart?

In Dart, 'async' and 'await' are used for asynchronous programming. The 'async' keyword is used to declare an asynchronous function, and the 'await' keyword is used to pause execution until a Future is resolved.

What is the difference between a Stream and a Future in Dart?

In Dart, a Future represents a single asynchronous response, while a Stream is a sequence of asynchronous events. A Stream can be thought of as an asynchronous Iterable.

How would you create a singleton in Dart?

A singleton in Dart can be created by making the class constructor private and defining a static instance of the class that is returned by a factory constructor.

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Dart application related

Product Perfect's Dart development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your Dart engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in Dart projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.