Demand for HubSpot Developers Is Steadily Rising
In September 2024, HubSpot announced a compound annual growth rate of 31% over the past five years. The third quarter of 2024 was particularly strong, with revenue increasing 20% year-over-year in constant currency and total customers reaching 238,000. Its steady growth highlights its reputation as a trusted marketing, sales, customer service, and CRM resource for businesses. With tools that are scalable and adaptable to a variety of business needs, the platform continues to drive operational efficiency and measurable results across the organization.
With more organizations turning to HubSpot, the demand for skilled developers has increased. Finding the right candidate, however, is not always easy. Candidates must be proficient in the platform and its business workflows, data integration, and user-centered design. This combination of technical expertise and strategic insight is crucial to unlocking the technology’s full potential.
This guide provides actionable strategies to help you navigate the hiring process. From identifying the key skills and attributes to refining your hiring approach, you’ll gain the tools to find a developer capable of delivering customized solutions that drive success.
What Attributes Distinguish Quality HubSpot Developers From Others?
Good developers are essential to maximizing HubSpot’s capabilities for businesses. They design custom solutions, optimize workflows, and ensure seamless integration with other tools to meet the unique needs of organizations. Here are the core skills and attributes that set exceptional candidates apart:
HubSpot CMS and CRM
HubSpot experts have extensive experience with the platform’s content management system (CMS) and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. With HubSpot’s drag-and-drop areas feature and custom-coded modules, they can develop and manage websites, blogs, and landing pages. By leveraging CRM data, skilled developers can create tailored marketing campaigns, automate workflows, and enhance the customer experience. Consider candidates with a portfolio showcasing innovative CMS designs and CRM optimizations.
API Integration and Development
HubSpot is commonly integrated with third-party tools and used in web development projects. Expert developers have experience connecting HubSpot APIs with external applications to enable seamless data exchange and advanced functionality. To streamline operations, they may integrate HubSpot with e-commerce platforms such as Shopify or ERP systems. A strong candidate will discuss how they address common integration challenges, such as managing API rate limits and ensuring data consistency.
Front-end Development
Developing custom templates, themes, and modules requires a solid understanding of front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and HubL (HubSpot’s proprietary language). Developers with these skills can produce personalized, responsive designs aligned with your brand’s identity. Understanding frameworks like React or Vue.js can enhance the user experience by providing a more dynamic interface.
Marketing and Automation
HubSpot specialists use HubSpot Workflows and Marketing Hub to design automated processes that align technical solutions with marketing goals. By creating custom workflows, they streamline lead nurturing, automate email campaigns, and segment audiences according to their behaviors and lifecycle stages. They also use Marketing Hub’s tools to track performance metrics, optimize campaigns, and ensure that automation supports a broader marketing strategy.
SEO and Analytics
Given HubSpot’s role in driving inbound marketing, a great developer understands the importance of SEO and analytics. They can configure tools like HubSpot’s SEO recommendations and integrate Google Analytics or similar platforms to monitor and improve site performance. Seek developers who can demonstrate how their work increased traffic or conversion rates.
Adaptability and Continuous Learning
HubSpot is constantly evolving with new features and updates. Developers should pursue certifications, attend training programs, or participate in user communities to remain current. Only by leveraging the latest tools and technologies can they deliver solutions that meet their clients’ needs.
How Can You Identify the Ideal HubSpot Developer for You?
Hiring the right developer involves evaluating technical expertise, marketing alignment, and project-specific experience. Review portfolios and project examples to assess the candidate’s ability to create custom modules, themes, and integrations.
It’s also important to consider what kind of developer you need. Are you optimizing an existing setup, developing custom modules, or integrating with third-party tools? Defining these objectives will help pinpoint the skills and experience level your project requires and help you determine whether you need a junior, mid-level, or senior developer on your team.
Junior developers are well suited for basic customizations, such as creating templates or managing content updates. Candidates should have at least one year of experience and be familiar with the core features of HubSpot. Junior developers can provide significant contributions, but may need guidance from more experienced leads.
Mid-level developers can independently manage more complex projects, such as setting up advanced workflows or integrating with external systems. They often have two to four years of experience and demonstrate hands-on expertise with the HubSpot API and tools like Workflows or Marketing Hub.
Senior developers provide strategic insight and technical leadership. They can design and implement large-scale projects, such as building multi-faceted CRM integrations or overseeing full website migrations to HubSpot CMS. Look for candidates with five or more years of experience, certifications, and a proven record of successful projects.
How to Write a HubSpot Developer Job Description for Your Project
An effective job post will attract suitable candidates by clearly outlining key responsibilities, such as developing custom modules, setting up integrations, and optimizing workflows. Specify the technical skills required, including proficiency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, HubL, and the HubSpot API, while emphasizing soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and cross-team collaboration. In addition, you should provide detailed information about the project’s scope, for example, enhancing automation or migrating to HubSpot CMS, so that candidates understand what the position will entail.
Beyond technical capabilities, the candidate should possess complementary skills that enhance effectiveness and adaptability. Here are three critical skills to look for, along with their applications:
Marketing Strategy
As HubSpot is deeply integrated with marketing operations, developers who understand marketing principles can create solutions that support campaign objectives. Developers with this skill can configure automation workflows, design customer segmentation models, and create lead-scoring mechanisms that align with marketing objectives. For example, they might integrate HubSpot’s CRM with an email campaign to increase open rates by delivering personalized content. Look for candidates with experience collaborating with marketing teams and understanding tools like HubSpot’s Marketing Hub or Workflows. A lack of familiarity with these aspects may suggest a limited ability to align technical solutions with broader marketing strategies.
Project Management
The ability to prioritize tasks and coordinate effectively with stakeholders is one of the benefits of developers with solid project management skills. There are often multiple teams involved in HubSpot projects, including sales, marketing, and IT. An experienced developer can contribute to effective collaboration and prevent scope creep. For instance, they might oversee the phased rollout of a new HubSpot CMS, ensuring minimal disruption to ongoing campaigns. Ensure that the candidate is familiar with Agile methodologies, project management tools such as Jira, and examples of managing cross-functional teams. It may be difficult for developers to manage complex, team-driven projects without these tools.
Data Analytics
Analytical skills enable developers to measure and optimize the performance of their solutions. These developers can set up dashboards, track key performance indicators, and make data-driven recommendations. For example, they may use HubSpot’s reporting tools to analyze the effectiveness of an inbound marketing funnel and identify opportunities to increase conversions. Ideally, candidates should have experience integrating Google Analytics with HubSpot’s analytics features, and presenting actionable insights to stakeholders.
What Are the Most Important HubSpot Developer Interview Questions?
The right questions will help you evaluate a candidate’s technical expertise, problem-solving approach, and ability to align development with business goals. Technical interviews should explore the candidate’s knowledge of HubSpot’s proprietary tools, APIs, and coding languages like HubL and JavaScript. The best responses will not only demonstrate the candidate’s technical skills but also provide insights into their communication and collaboration style.
Here are three key interview questions to ask, along with what to look for in their answers:
Can you describe a HubSpot project you worked on?
Candidates should describe the project’s purpose, role, and challenges encountered. Strong answers will highlight their approach to problem-solving and the outcomes they achieved. For example, a candidate might discuss how they developed a custom module to support a unique lead nurturing campaign, boosting conversion rates. Avoid vague answers, lack of specific examples, or an inability to quantify results, as these may indicate limited experience.
How do you approach integrating HubSpot with other tools?
The ideal candidate will describe a clear, step-by-step approach, from gathering requirements to implementing and testing solutions. They might explain how they used the HubSpot API to integrate the Salesforce CRM, enabling real-time data synchronization. Answers should also address typical challenges like managing API rate limits, ensuring data security, and maintaining system reliability post-integration. A lack of familiarity with API tools or insufficient detail about troubleshooting integration issues may reveal inexperience.
How do you ensure that your HubSpot solutions are scalable and secure?
Strong answers will include examples of designing modular, reusable components and implementing role-based access control. A top candidate might discuss how they optimized workflows to handle increasing user loads or configured HubSpot’s GDPR tools to ensure compliance. Look for evidence of proactive risk management, such as identifying and addressing potential vulnerabilities before deployment. Overlooking critical aspects like scalability testing, compliance standards, or user permissions can suggest limited expertise.
Why Do Companies Hire HubSpot Developers?
Developers enable businesses to unlock the full potential of this versatile platform. Their customized solutions streamline marketing and sales workflows and improve customer engagement, resulting in measurable growth for their clients.
With the help of experienced developers, companies can reduce operational inefficiencies, improve user experience, and achieve their strategic objectives. With the right developer, you can ensure that the platform evolves in accordance with the business’s needs.
