As the world dives deeper into advanced technology, the need for IT professionals will consistently be on the rise. Also, there aren’t enough competent software developers in the talent pool. This goes for the United States, the UK, and even the rest of Europe. So, how do you hire a team of developers without needing a pesky recruiter to get the job done?
If you prefer to take the traditional route, you might need to go and attend tech events, search online software development hiring platforms or even ask your professional circle for a reference. It will take a bit more time and effort if you don’t have a recruiter at hand to do your job for you, but all in all, this is the better path to take.
The price of hiring services is one of the key issues; in the US, the average hiring charge ranges from 10% to 40% of the developer’s income. The additional cost, which amounts to around 15% of a developer’s salary, isn’t much lower even in Ukraine, a popular offshore location. Additionally, hiring expenses for a development team might seriously deplete a company’s financial resources.
Furthermore, as was previously stated, the lack of software development talent in the US and UK makes it harder for recruiters to fill specific positions. Thankfully, remote developers may assist in meeting demand.
Alternatives to traditional hiring firms: where to find a group of developers
1. Request a reference from your professional network
As professionals in the IT sector often change positions every 3 to 4 years, this is frequently an excellent place to start when hiring. Employers may save time and effort by hiring a team of committed, engaged, and determined programmers based on the recommendations of their peers. Understanding whether applicants have the necessary experience typically puts hiring managers at rest and in a better mood.
2. Visit tech conferences to find competent engineers
One of the finest methods to locate and recruit tech talent is through conferences and fairs. These conferences frequently concentrate on a particular technology or programming language. For instance,
- PyCon attracts the top Python developers.
- Frameworks Days hosts events for PHP developers and web developers, whereas
- Java Day draws top Java engineers.
At these gatherings, networking may lead to the creation of strategic alliances with driven developers.
3. If you’re open to employing remote individuals, check out online software development recruiting sites like YouTeam, TopTal, Upwork and Prodigies
These sites allow you to look for a single software developer or a group of professionals.
- The most popular source for finding freelance developers right now is Upwork.
- TopTal markets itself as an exclusive network of the best independent software developers, who are only accepted to the platform following the rigorous screening.
- Prodigies is a global platform that enables you to hire remote tech professionals from anywhere in the world. The good thing about this platform is that you rarely need to interview candidates. Most of the vetting process is already done and ready so that once you contact them about a recruitment need, they are quick to provide a short list of suitable candidates.
With Prodigies, not only is the hiring process quick and easy but also the following steps are quite smooth. The client generally does not need to worry about paperworks much as they are taken care of by the Prodigies team. Moreover, the remote employees are provided with office facilities in their living area in order to ensure quality and convenience of work and communication.
Alternative areas to find the top developers
GitHub, hackathons, tech blogs, colleges, and other locations provide additional options for finding and hiring a developer team.
■ A Platform for open-source coding
Websites like GitHub are excellent resources for viewing the open-source projects that smart developers contribute to as well as their code samples. Employers must create a GitHub account to look for IT talent on the platform. Employing managers might look for developers by their preferred language, region, or social media following.
Recruiters should focus on a candidate’s projects and look at their public activity on GitHub while reviewing profiles. Employers may send a message to a shortlist of applicants to learn more about them and see whether they are a good fit for their project.
■ Hackathons
Software engineers collaborate to create new software at hackathons. The ideal choice for people looking to learn how to employ engineers for a company is a hackathon. Some hackathons are specifically made to foster networking, which makes it simpler to locate many competent engineers. The majority of these events concentrate on certain technologies so that recruiters may select the ones that are most pertinent to their project.
Sites like Hackathon.io, a platform that presently sponsors over 6,659 hackathons, list these events. Filtering for particular areas, such as fintech, health, IoT, mobile, science, and travel might help you focus your search.
■ Technology related websites
Numerous developers run blogs, which may be a great way to find possible candidates. A blog also enables a potential employer to research a candidate before getting in touch with them. A blog may also show the applicant’s analytical reasoning, problem-solving, and technological skills—all of which are great if they are hired remotely.
• Universities
Employers might be shocked to realize that skilled student programmers can also be found. To promote their top students for paid internships, speak with deans or professors at tech colleges. Despite the possibility that they lack professional experience, they are probably passionate about coding and may be engaged in independent projects. On-campus hackathons are frequently held at universities and may be a wonderful way to meet talented programmers.
Visiting universities to pitch a proposal is another strategy for attracting students. Employers can give students an email address and ask them to bring in code samples or schedule interviews after giving them the address.
Tips to develop the best team of developers
It’s crucial to employ the best team of developers for your company as it will catapult your projects to greater heights and increase your chances of success while working with the most competent and talented group of individuals. So here are a few tips you might find useful.
■ Define the technological stack in step one
Employers must be aware of all project needs, including the tech stack, to hire the finest engineers. They must take into account the objective of the project and what needs to be created.
To ensure that the development team provides a highly functioning product, businesses should also decide to engage QA professionals to conduct tests and find flaws.
For instance, Python is thought to be the finest technology, if the product has anything to do with AI. However, PHP can be a better choice if the project involves creating an online store. React Native is the go-to technology for mobile apps that run on many platforms.
If a business has a project concept but lacks the technical know-how, hiring a technical co-founder or CTO will help to acknowledge the technology more diligently.
■ Market research
To start, we advise going to websites that list development firms based on client reviews. On Clutch.co, for instance, visitors may search by technology or category. The top-rated businesses offering development services in the selected technology or language will be displayed in the search results.
For your convenience, each firm profile includes several areas, including Summary, Focus, Portfolio, Reviews, and Verification. Visitors may read customer evaluations, study case studies, learn about the organization’s sectors, and determine the degree of company verification—bronze, silver, or gold—by perusing those pages. Other websites to look for company profiles include CrunchBase, IT-Suppliers, and the LinkedIn network.
■ Select the business’s location
Anywhere in the world can be the home of a development team. Employers can work remotely by hiring offshore development teams situated in Asia or Eastern Europe, the two most common outsourcing locations. These development teams offer a variety of benefits, including lower prices with excellent quality. Think about additional advantages of employing a remote staff, such as a large pool of IT talent, rapid onboarding, and short-term fixes lasting a few months or years.
Consider a business that is considering outsourcing its software development. They may then learn about offshore locations and select the one that best fits them. Then, you may use that area to narrow searches on websites like LinkedIn, Clutch, or others that are pertinent.
■ Estimate your spending limit
Employers should consider their budget while selecting an agency for a project. Hiring managers may see an agency’s typical hourly rates in search results on Clutch. Please keep in mind that a developer’s fees are based on their qualification, which might vary greatly by area. As we’ve already established, overseas businesses provide rates that are often lower than those of American businesses. For instance, rates in the US vary from $75 to $150 per hour.
The identical services are offered by developers for an average price of $32-90 in Eastern Europe and $24-65 in Asia. Employers should exercise caution when selecting the vendor with the lowest costs since it can end up costing double the amount. It’s always recommended to know the company’s track record before getting involved.
■ Review the ratings
Reviews are a terrific method to determine whether a business is reliable and whether an hourly wage is earned. Employers may see evaluations from actual clients on sites like Clutch.co and Goodfirms.co to get a sense of how a company performed on previous projects. A reliable indicator of an agency is its website’s testimonials from actual clients. It is also feasible to get in touch with previous customers and inquire about their opinions and suggestions.
■ Examine the portfolios
Companies might focus their search by closely examining each portfolio. Developers’ use of specificity while describing previous projects can serve as a valuable signal. Do they discuss the difficulties the customer was having before employing them? Do they describe how they overcome those difficulties and what technology they employed while working on the project? And do they provide a timeframe for when the job was finished? Think about how the portfolio-represented components of your work may be reflected in your project. Additionally, you may browse websites or download applications to locate finished projects and browse client reviews.
■ Select a few businesses
Hiring managers might begin approaching clients with a proposition after reducing the field of potential candidates to three to five organizations. They should also request pricing estimates and a projected completion date. Naturally, all pertinent organizational and legal difficulties need to be resolved.
So how do you pick the top development team?
Despite the huge pool of tech expertise available globally, it is difficult to find a team of engineers for a demanding, protracted project. Do not worry if you are having trouble locating a certain set of skills in your area. We cordially encourage you to utilize the vast talent pool of qualified, experienced software professionals at Prodigies.
Check it out here and good luck with your search!
