How to hire a .NET developer: the short answer
Hire a .NET developer by matching the assessment to your application architecture: ASP.NET Core, API design, authentication, SQL, background processing, cloud deployment and support responsibilities. Enterprise experience should be demonstrated through design decisions and operational trade-offs, not only framework tenure.
Before interviews, document the current runtime, database, hosting model, integration boundaries, security requirements and first ninety days of work. This separates a maintenance role from a greenfield platform role and makes candidate comparison fairer.
.NET developer responsibilities
Typical ownership includes APIs, domain logic, database access, authentication, integrations, scheduled jobs, logging and deployment support. Senior roles may also define service boundaries, review pull requests and guide migration from older .NET applications.
Skills to check with project evidence
Ask the developer to walk through one system from request to database and back. The discussion should expose validation, authorization, transaction handling, failure recovery and observability choices.
| Capability | Evidence | Risk it helps control |
|---|---|---|
| ASP.NET Core | API endpoint with validation and error handling | Unstable contracts |
| Data access | Query and transaction example | Slow or inconsistent data |
| Security | Authentication and authorization design | Incorrect access control |
| Operations | Logging and deployment example | Difficult production support |
| Architecture | Reasoned boundary or migration decision | Unnecessary complexity |
ASP.NET Core and Web API judgment
The candidate should understand dependency injection, middleware, model validation, asynchronous work, API versioning and consistent error responses. Ask how they would change an API without breaking existing web or mobile consumers.
SQL and database understanding
Review indexing, query shape, transactions, migrations and concurrency at the level required by the role. An enterprise developer does not need to be a database administrator, but should recognize when an application decision creates data risk.
Azure and cloud basics
Cloud experience should cover the services your product actually uses. Useful evidence includes environment configuration, managed identity, deployment pipelines, secrets handling, monitoring and rollback rather than a memorized catalogue of Azure products.
Security and authentication basics
Assessment should include role and permission checks, token handling, input validation, sensitive logging and dependency updates. Compliance requirements still need to be defined by the client and qualified advisers for the relevant jurisdiction.
Hiring model and GreenAlpha support
A dedicated .NET developer suits a changing backlog with internal technical leadership. Managed delivery is more appropriate when GreenAlpha must coordinate architecture, frontend, QA and deployment around a defined release.