You are a startup! You know that the future of your company depends on the quality of the developers you hire. We know this because 70% of startups that survive past the 3-to-5-year mark struggle, and 25% of those startups fail because they hired the wrong people. Your ability to find talented tech people can determine the difference between becoming the next Slack and getting lost in oblivion.
In this guide, I will show you the exact strategy that companies such as Slack used to go from a failing gaming company to a $27 billion platform. I will show you how to find developers who will be motivated to work with you, feel a sense of purpose, and help you grow.
The other issue with hiring the right developers is properly testing them. This is not an issue if you have a technical leader or CTO on your team or if you yourself have the technical ability to test the developers. If you don’t, this process is much more complicated. You can work with an agency such as DistantJob that will help you find, test, and properly onboard excellent developers who will be motivated to work with you and help your startup grow. And if you are not satisfied with your developer, you get your money back. But if you want to hire on your own, here are the 7 main steps to hiring developers for your startup:
1. Define Your Vision & Build in Public
Every startup wants to hire great developers, but here’s what most founders miss: Before you dive into hiring, you need a compelling story that developers want to be part of. Today’s top technical talent isn’t just looking for a paycheck – they’re looking for interesting problems to solve and missions they can believe in.
Let’s flip the traditional hiring approach. Instead of keeping your project under wraps, start building in public. Share your journey openly on platforms like X, LinkedIn, and Reddit. Talk about the technical challenges you’re tackling, the architecture decisions you’re making, and most importantly, why you’re building what you’re building.
Here’s how to merge your vision with public building:
- Document your technical decisions and why you made them
- Share the real problems you’re solving for users
- Be transparent about your technology stack choices
- Post about your development challenges and learnings
- Engage with developers who comment on your posts
- Ask for feedback on your technical approach
This approach serves two purposes: It clarifies your own vision while naturally attracting developers who align with your mission and technical direction. When developers see you building thoughtfully and transparently, they’re more likely to want to join your journey.
Remember: The best technical hires come from authentic connections, not just job postings. Build in public, and let developers see the exciting problems they could help solve.
2. Prioritize Finding Talent
When you are starting up your business budgets can be tight, and the temptation to hire cheap rather than exceptional is strong.
But in 2020, the financial impact of poor software was estimated at over $2 trillion. You don’t want even a small part of that—hire well. According to CareerBuilder, 3 out of 4 employers (74%) revealed that they’d hired the wrong person for a position. What does this mean in terms of money? The average cost of one bad hire is $15,000! So take the time to find the real talent and dedicate a significant part of your time to sourcing and recruiting candidates.
My advice: don’t just post job ads. Contribute to technical discussions, share your startup’s challenges, and build genuine connections. I’ve seen startups find their best developers through meaningful community engagement.
3. Understand the Technicalities
There’s a lot of nuance in software development.
Don’t be tempted to write an unreal, exciting job description; be honest. If this role involves long hours of solo coding, there will be developers who think they’ve just been offered a place in heaven.
If it’s a multi-skilled role where they will be talking to clients, doing a little bit of tech support, and pitching in with product design, that will be someone’s idea of Nirvana, too.
The bottom line is, it does no one any favors if there aren’t clear expectations, The worst thing you can do is hire someone only to find out they’re not the right fit. That just delays projects and destroys morale.
Additionally, is key for you to understand the role itself. You could sit two developers next to each other with the same job title and skill set, but they do vastly different things. If you’re not technical yourself, call in support to get an exact specification for the developer you need.
4. Try the “Proof of Concept” Approach
Traditionally, companies test a programmer’s skills with whiteboards. However, these are no longer your best option as it’s proven that they don’t help you successfully measure a developer’s knowledge.
Instead of traditional interviews, create a small paid test project (4-8 hours max) and make it relevant to your product challenges. This approach identifies developers who can actually solve your specific problems, not just those who interview well.
Keep in mind that hiring developers for your startup is not only about their skills and capabilities. It’s also about the passion and the value they will bring to your team. Scaling your startup will be easier if you make good hires from the start.
5. Hire Remotely – Expand Your Talent Pool
If you live in one of the centers for technology like Silicon Valley, you might just have the best talent on your doorstep. If you don’t, you might have to consider going further afield and building a distributed team.
You could get lucky and find a developer who’s willing to take a bet on your company and relocate. But you’re much more likely to attract great talent if you accept applications worldwide. You’ll attract developers who value flexibility.
Hiring remote developers makes sense in many other ways, too. It can take as little as two weeks to have your new developer on board, helping you respond to opportunities as they occur—and it saves you money.
With most startups ‘headquarters’ being someone’s home or garage, for cost and convenience, knowing that you don’t need to get bricks and mortar premises and all the costs they bring with you is a major bonus. Hiring developers for a startup doesn’t mean taking on more debt.
6. Avoid Freelance Marketplaces
One of the most demanding aspects of building a startup is managing everything initially. When looking for developers, you have many different options, from freelancing marketplaces to recruitment agencies. Your job is to find which place can help you find the developer you need at an affordable cost.
There is a place for freelancers in the world of software development, but it isn’t as a full-time employee of a startup.
You might (might) find the right person on a marketplace, but boards are usually chaotic places. There’s often a race to the bottom in terms of price, which impacts quality. Freelancers can overpromise and underdeliver, leaving you worse off than you were before they started.
7. Find The Right Partners – Equity Offers
While offering high equity and low salaries to preserve your runway is tempting, this approach often backfires. Even the most passionate developers have bills to pay and financial responsibilities. The most successful startups understand this and offer a balanced compensation package combining meaningful equity and competitive base pay.
Think of equity as a partnership proposal, not a replacement for salary. When you offer substantial equity (paired with reasonable compensation), you’re not just hiring a developer – you’re bringing in a long-term partner who’ll be invested in your startup’s success. This approach attracts developers who believe in your vision but also need financial stability to focus entirely on your product.
The best developers have options, and they’ve likely heard plenty of “get in early for the equity” pitches before. What sets successful startups apart is their transparency about equity value, clear vesting terms, and most importantly, their understanding that equity is a bonus for believing in your vision, not a substitute for fair compensation.
Best 7 Places to Hire Remote Developers
Successful remote hiring will first require you to explore various recruitment methods to find developers for your startup in the right places. This should all be guided by your company’s needs and budget. It will put you in a better position to easily find and hire developers suited to your startup.
Here are the top 7 places to find and hire remote developers for your company, each and one of them with their pros and cons.
1. DistantJob – Ideal for Senior Full-Time Remote Developers
DistantJob is a remote IT recruitment agency dedicated to helping companies of all sizes find senior software engineers that align with your needs.
We headhunt globally to find the best full-time remote developers that match your company’s core values and culture. Our comprehensive HR solution covers all legal, payroll, and administrative tasks, making it a hassle-free experience. Working with us for your next recruitment means achieving high-quality results at an affordable rate.
Main cons of remote recruitment agencies? As the name says, they only specialize in remote talent. If you’re looking for people to attend the office, this isn’t the solution for you.
2. Toptal – Exclusive Network of Vetted Freelancers
If you have an upcoming important IT project that you want to be handled diligently, then look no further than Toptal freelancers. They boast a vast network of freelance software developers, designers, and product managers, among other professionals you need.
At Toptal, the focus is on providing a competitive and transparent hiring process, enabling you to acquire the talent your company requires quickly. Their top freelance developers are all carefully assessed in line with industry experience, skills, and availability—you can rest assured you’ll get the right developer for the role you advertised for.
Main cons of freelancing platforms? Although there are a lot of offers, getting real talent is hard. You may see a freelancer offering cheap rates; that could be because they are trying to gather reviews to prove their worth, or they could not be great at what they do.
Freelancers can’t focus 100% on your project because a) they run their businesses and may be involved in or looking for other projects and b) they are not fully integrated into the culture of your company.
3. Arc – Best for Hiring Remote Developers Faster and Efficiently
Arc allows you to find and hire top developers globally that match your ideal specifications. This AI-powered platform excels at screening the available candidates and matching them to your business’s technical requirements.
They manage all the technical assessments, ensuring you get the best from a global pool of more than 300,000 developers. If you’re looking to upgrade and scale your globally remote developer team while reducing costs and saving time, Arc provides the best solution.
Cons: Arc focuses on remote developers, which may limit your options if you’re seeking local talent or developers with specific on-site requirements.
4. Dice – Your Gateway to Project-based or Freelance Developers
Hiring the right developer for your startup can be tough, and Dice provides the ideal employer solutions to simplify the entire process.
With a large database of 5.1 million resources and a special focus on Tech experts, Dice steps up time-to-hire your next project-based developer, ensuring you get the best fit for your needs.
Cons: Dice’s database may have a regional bias, so finding candidates from different locations might be more challenging.
5. Job Boards like LinkedIn
Organizations and even recruiters use job boards when they are looking for candidates, listing for your roles means you need to handle all the applications, though.
Main cons of job boards? Too many candidates give you a lot of admin and the job of creating a shortlist. Unfortunately, there is no vetting, meaning you will have to verify each candidate yourself.
6. Stack Overflow
Stack Overflow stands as a premier online hub for developers, renowned for its vibrant community where tech professionals and industry leaders converge to exchange knowledge and insights. Echoing the functionalities of platforms like LinkedIn, Stack Overflow also features a job board.
This platform enables employers to advertise positions and recruit skilled developers, fostering a dynamic space for both learning and professional opportunities in the tech world.
Cons: While Stack Overflow provides technical expertise, evaluating practical skills for a startup role may still require additional assessments and consideration of competition for popular contributors.
7. GhitHub
GitHub stands out as a prime destination for startups looking to hire developers due to its numerous advantages. As a platform with millions of users, GitHub hosts a diverse and vast community of developers, covering a wide array of fields and expertise levels. This makes it an ideal place for startups to scout for talent with the required skills and experience. The platform also serves as a showcase for developers to display their projects and contributions, providing a clear picture of their technical abilities and work history.
Remember, when reaching out try to be respectful and personalized, valuing the developer’s contributions and aligning with their interests.
Cons: GitHub profiles often lack comprehensive professional information, requiring additional validation of skills and experience. Popular developers may receive numerous recruitment inquiries, making it challenging to stand out.
Now You Know
And that’s a wrap. You have all the information you need to find the ideal software developer or software engineer for your startup business. It is just a matter of figuring out which one suits you best, based on the budget and resources you have.
If you need to hire remote developers, we’re here for you. We are a recruitment agency that specializes in headhunting the world’s top IT talent. We know how to recruit and source qualified remote IT experts at a fraction of the usual cost.
We can provide you with top remote developers who also have the skills and the personality to integrate successfully into your company.
- Do you want to find a talented developer?
- Do you want real talent in your company?
- Do you want it fast?
If the answer is yes, hiring globally is the strategy you are looking for. And at DistantJob, we can help you! Get in touch today online or visit our Montreal offices!
