Go for HR Professionals: Summary of Caissa's Breakfast Event

Caissa Recruitment recently hosted the Go Breakfast for HR Professionals. In an effort to give back to the sector, our event brought together three international experts in Go, otherwise known as Golang, pooling their knowledge and experiences for a presentation that gave key insight into this efficient, effective and increasingly popular development language. The event was a massive success thanks to the collaborative efforts of all who attended, our esteemed panel, and Caissa's team working hard behind the scenes. Here's a look at what we learned from our brilliant panel of speakers.

What We Learned About Go

We want to thank our three brilliant panelists for their time, input and invaluable Go industry insight. L. [YellowShirt] who works in Developer Relations at Tilt, a New York-based software tooling company, Natalie [BlueShirt] organizer of GopherCon and staff member in Developer Relations at Aerospike, a US-based database company, as well as Ronna, the organizer of Women Who Go Berlin, were each instrumental in providing a complete overview of what makes and breaks Golang from Google. Their combined knowledge rewarded with a treasure trove of valuable information integral to anyone considering moving towards Go development.

Simple Easy-to-Learn Coding

Go is a programming language designed to make writing simple, readable code straightforward, benefitting from countless parallels to a broad range of applications. With simplicity and efficiency at its core, Go is clean to code and interpret with a basic structure involving 25-functions. This makes it equally easy to learn, a leading, motivating factor for developers.

Highly Affordable Coding Environment

Go is affordable to run, standing as one of the cheapest development environments available. Coders from other platforms can take immediate advantage of the simplified environment, facilitating rapid development times across a massive scope of potential applications. Compiling time is also far faster than on platforms based on C++ or Java.

Practical Similarity to Other Languages

A significant motivating aspect for at least one of our experts, and a common reason for many developers choosing Go, is its similarity to other mainstream programming languages. It's actually extremely close to C-style languages which means that developers proficient in C++ or C# will find it really easy to learn. Most programmers will be able to pick up Google's Go programming language and master it within just a few months. 

Coding Free From Convoluted Syntax & Functions

While it looks, feels and has notable constructs and functions in common with languages like C, Java and Javascript, it is also free from all the convoluted complications. Functionality that makes learning and applying the language far more difficult than Go, with a steep learning curve that can only be grasped over an extensive period of time, training and use.

Standardized Coding with Extensive Customizations

Go has an interface and display that's highly customizable. GoFMT formats your code so that it only displays in one, single correct way. There are no aesthetic differences to disagree about, and if you aren't completely comfortable with the way that your code is displayed, you're free to change anything that doesn't affect the semantic foundation to your code. There is no simpler nor more flexible foundational technology available to handle a range of 

Go Considerations & Criticisms

One of the largest criticisms of Go is its suitability for project managers arriving with experience in other languages. Those who aren't technically inclined and knowledgeable in Go often encounter definite hurdles navigating and overseeing the responsibilities and workflow of a team of coders. Despite the prevailing similarities, Go is its own platform which management will need to grow accustomed to. Fortunately, the simplistic design & quick, easy learning-curve make onboarding and training a short exercise for most. 

Generic Solutions Not Offered but A Smart Library Is There

A second issue encountered is how Go doesn't offer generic solutions but rather requires one to generate specific code to specified problems. The relative newness of Go also translates to a narrower knowledgebase. Instead of being able to find code-based solutions to many commonly encountered problems through a simple Google search, developers will need to solve their own hurdles and develop custom code. However, one can't forget that Go does, however, come with a smart standard library that gives simple single-line code for a range of tasks which makes complicated tasks infinitely easier. 

Key Recruitment Advice from Go Development Professionals

Interviewers and their potential candidates are encouraged to handle the interview as a collaborative discussion rather than an adversarial one. Maintain total transparency and present any questions openly while providing clear reasoning. If the candidate appears unsuitable from the start, raise this sooner rather than later. Candidates need to discuss their needs plainly in order to assess their placement and growth.

Staying Objective & Grasping Rejection

Failing to be able to provide an answer should never be pinned down as the prime reason for not being hired. Everyone will face questions in their career to which they have no answer or experience - this doesn't mean that they're not qualified to figure it out, learn and grow. It is important to remember that being refused is an assessment of your total suitability - not always a 'no' based on one single factor, question, or failed technical assessment.

Honest Technical Interviews

This being said, technical interviews must be used for actual technical analysis rather than using it as an excuse to refuse a candidate based on an inability to deliver on-the-spot answers. Recruitment within technology often presents interview questions that candidates have no experience with whatsoever. This is a fair assessment when used objectively to determine a candidate's ability to handle the unknown but under no means should technical questions be used as a front for a pretense to refuse the hire.  

What Are You Waiting For? Get Go-ing!

Go is going places, and quickly. To learn more about this cutting-edge advancement in programming, join more Go events, workshops and discussions. Berlin's Go community has its own user group, and numerous companies are using the platform already. All the info and first-hand testimonies are out there for those who want to step forward and connect to open up a whole new world of development and staffing opportunities. Caissa Recruitment and a wealth of talent are there to support your journey through this exciting expanding avenue of software & technology.