How to Hire Full-stack Developers: Best Practices and Tips for Senior Recruiters

Latest industry reports indicate that the demand for full-stack developers for hire has been going up by 35% every year since 2015. What’s more, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics points out that businesses will hire full-stack developers to fill in over 853,000 vacant job positions by the end of 2024.

Full-stack development is a go-to strategy for many companies that want to improve customer experience, scale swiftly, enhance efficiency, or even reduce time to market for digital products. Hiring a full-stack developer means you can build quickly while matching the needs of your target audience.

But how do you find the right person for the job, or optimize the hiring process to save costs? Keep reading to learn more from our latest guide on finding full-stack developers for hire.

Reasons to Hire Full-stack Developers for Your Project

A full-stack developer is an engineer with a background in a wider discipline that involves building the front end (client-side) and back end (server-side) of an application or system. The primary role of this expert is to design websites, full-web applications, or any custom-built system to match specific business needs.

Here are some of the reasons that might prompt you to hire full-stack programmers, whether remote or full-time:

When Starting a Complex Project from Scratch

Getting a large, complex project off the ground might require you to hire dedicated full stack developers. Typically, a complex project features a network of multiple related, but diverse elements. It takes a full stack to understand the intricate relationships between these elements and design an optimal system.

When Upgrading Business-critical Applications

Finding full-stack developers might be critical when upgrading an old legacy system to modernize it with the latest technologies. Full-stack experts will ensure quality and reliability when integrating features into the newly upgraded system.

When You Want an Expert to Join Your Existing Team

You might want to hire a full-stack coder to join your current team of software developers. Bringing in this professional helps you handle tasks that require in-depth technical skills with close supervision, given that you can hire the talent to exclusively work on your project.

If You’re a Bootstrapped Startup with Slim Budget

Companies with small budgets and self-funded, time-sensitive projects can always hire full-stack app developers remotely to save on costs. For instance, hiring one remote developer means you can complete several tasks, such as front-end and back-end development, which would have otherwise required you to hire multiple candidates.

Offshore developers often come from countries with moderate standards of living, such as Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania, enabling them to charge relatively affordable rates. Moreover, they can work part-time or full-time.

Profile of a Good Full-stack Programmer: Hard and Soft Skills

Now that you understand the reasons to hire full-stack app developers, what makes the profile of the right person for the job? Here are the core skills to consider if you’re going to find and hire the best candidates in global job markets.

Technical Skills

Full-stack developers are broadening their technical skillset to stay competitive and attract employers who want to get the best out of modern technologies. Here are some must-have qualifications that shouldn’t miss in your job description when looking for a full-stack developer.

A Good Understanding of Front End Technologies

Top full stack developers for hire should demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the multiple tools, technologies, frameworks, and programming languages used in front-end development. The front end, otherwise known as client-side, is the application’s part that is accessible to end users. With that in mind, interaction with the front end of your application should culminate in an excellent user experience, with unparalleled speed, quality, and efficiency.

Your ideal candidate should have qualifications in:

HTML and CSS

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are excellent coding languages for websites. A developer with skills in HTML, CSS can help you build websites that deliver seamless user experience across multiple browsers, platforms, or devices. Programmers use HTML to optimize what the browsers show on your website, and CSS to optimize how the end users will see the site.

JavaScript

A remote candidate who understands JavaScript will use this programming language to design, integrate, and maintain various interactive elements that enhance user experience on your website. The developer should also be able to combine JavaScript with its numerous libraries and frameworks, such as Next.js, Vue.js, and Node.js. Talents with this tech stack combination can build a best-in-class web application or any other optimized system.

Angular

The angular framework enables full stack developers for hire to build robust, dynamic, high-performance applications that are deployed for mainstream use on a large scale. The framework is instrumental for optimizing client-side communication, as well as enhancing regular upgrades and maintenance.

React

React is managed by Meta, originally Facebook, making it an open-source framework for companies that want to optimize the view layer of their applications. As a JavaScript framework, React offers unmatched speed, quality, and efficiency for designing intuitive user interfaces of an application.

High Proficiency in Back End Technologies

The back end represents the server side of your application, which includes multiple parts and components that the end user doesn’t interact with. A well-optimized backend will facilitate seamless API integration, query management, or even database management.

A full-stack developer for hire should be proficient in the following backend technologies:

Python

A majority of software developers herald Python as an all-purpose programming language, thanks to its relatively standard syntax. Applications written in this language can seamlessly integrate with multiple devices, browsers, or even systems.

PHP

PHP is a server-side scripting language that enables front-end engineers to perform various functions in the backend, such as reading, writing, deleting, controlling access permissions, or even data encryption.

C++

C++ is a popular programming language that comes in handy when optimizing backend performance without interfering with the front-end user experience. C++ is also objective-oriented and can be applied to a wide array of use cases.

Java

As an objective-oriented programming language, Java enables full stack experts to write code with as fewer class instances as possible, without compromising the application’s robustness. Moreover, Java is highly scalable.

Django

As an open-source Python framework, Django comes with a model template view for reliable web application design and development. It allows web development experts to view their projects from idea to final design, thanks to its relatively high speed.

Express.JS

Express.JS framework is synonymous with mobile and web applications development. Primarily, the framework serves as a middleware for facilitating communications between Express applications and HTTP requests.

Backend programmers should also be proficient in SQL, especially if they are going to optimize the process of managing, accessing, recording, or manipulating databases.

Soft Skills

Knowing how to hire a full-stack engineer also extends to various soft skills that will enable them to work alongside other people on the team and stimulate productivity.

• Creativity, especially for web design roles
• Patience, in writing clean, accurate code
• Written and oral communication proficiency for better collaboration
• Problem-solving mindset for designing products that offer solutions to real-world problems
• Time management for punctuality
• Initiative and self-responsibility

How to Hire Dedicated Full-stack Developers: Tips and Best Practices

Hiring tech talents is a challenge that many businesses face, given that it’s not something that they do often. To help you get started, here are some of the tips and best practices on how to hire a full stack engineer.

Create a Detailed Job Description

A detailed job description should include attributes that describe your company goals, objectives, as well as expectations when it comes to tech employees. It’s also prudent to include minimum qualifications so that you can save time and attract the best candidates. Also, it will help if you highlight salary offerings in the job description to attract people with clear expectations.

Know Where to Find Innovative Talents

Another crucial tip is knowing where to find full stack developers, especially if you are hiring at an in-house or remote level. Innovative freelance talents for hire can be found on reputable platforms, such as Upwork. Guru, or global advertising job boards.

You can also contact outsourcing agencies in the local countries that you are looking to hire from. Alternatively, you can reach out to Newxel and hire full stack experts in any part of the globe.

Prepare for Pre and Post Hiring

Knowing how to find a full-stack developer extends to the kind of experience you’ll have with the candidate pre and post-hiring. With that in mind, you would want to optimize the person’s experience as much as possible. For instance, you can create onboarding guides that reveal to the candidates what to expect from the start to the end.

Interview Questions to Ask When Hiring Full-stack Programmers: How to Check the Developers’ Expertise and Mindset

Some of the interview questions to ask potential candidates during the vetting process include:

• What is the biggest technical challenge that you solved in your previous job position?
• What are some of the tools that you prefer for testing applications?
• Elaborate on a typical full-stack development process and key factors to consider
• How do you manage conflict or misunderstanding among team members?
• Are you comfortable working while engaging in ongoing learning activities to hone your skills?
• How can you prevent a bot from manipulating an integrated API?

Step-by-step Recruiter Guide On Successful Hiring of a Full-stack Expert

You can successfully hire full-stack developers and get the best out of them in N simple steps:

1. Prepare a detailed job description and share it on global job boards
2. Shortlist relevant candidates from the initial list of applicants
3. Conduct the first interview for familiarity and assessment of soft skills
4. Conduct a second interview for technical assessment
5. Issues a test project
6. Onboard training
7. Facilitate ongoing training, seminars, and education

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Full-stack Developer?

The median  cost of hiring a full-stack developer is about $77,200 per annum, especially if you want talents for short, one-time projects. However, an experienced full-stack engineer may charge as high as over $100 per hour, whether it’s short or long-term projects.

However, it’s worth noting that various factors can drive this cost upward or downwards, including:

• Location of hiring for remote talents
• Technical skills qualifications
• Years of experience in the industry
• Education background
• Framework knowledge

How Newxel Can Help Find and Hire Dedicated Full-stack Developers for Your Project

As a full-service company with deep Ukrainian roots, innovation runs in our bloodline when it comes to finding full-stack developers in any location of your choosing. With our combined years of experience in the industry, we can hire full-stack programmers with any tech stack combination that your project needs. We take 3 to 5 weeks to assemble them in teams, helping you get started faster and reduce the time to market of your digital solutions.

To save our clients the time and hassle of juggling multiple companies, we offer turnkey services to help dedicated teams settle quickly and work in an ample business atmosphere. They include full finance, legal, HR, administration, and IT support, or any other service that you may find complementary.

Conclusion

The role of a full stack expert is more demanding than that of front-end or back-end developers, imploring you to exercise great patience and in-depth technical assessment when hiring talents in this field. Leverage the insights from this guide to hiring a full stack web developer who meets your business and goals. Alternatively, contact us to hire dedicated full-stack developers in any global location of your choice.

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