How To Hire Web Developers? [Q&A 2022]

This blog post will guide you through the points of hiring challenges, including the basics, average web developer rates, and talking points for the interview. We will also dwell on the top countries that are well known for their web talent pool and agreeable price-value ratio.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

3 Types of Web Developers. Which one to choose?

Among the most important things to consider when hiring a web developer is their field of expertise. For many outside the tech arena, it is not commonly known that there exist various types of web developers.

Web engineers literally have dozens of titles based on their skill sets and expertise.

Below, we’ll focus on three main types of web programmers with each one fulfilling a unique need.

1. Front end web developer

Front end developers are responsible for a website’s user-facing code, i.e. the side that the user interacts with. Over the past few years, the demand for this specialty has been growing as more and more companies want to hire frontend developer.

Everything that you see when you’re landing a website or an app, from fonts and colors to dropdown menus and sliders, is a combo of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that are essential tools in the front end arsenal.

Therefore, if you need to provide an engaging experience to your users and build an eye-pleasing interior of your solution, such as animated UI elements and interactive web page modifications, hiring a good front-end developer is what you need for professional web development company.

2. Back end web developer

On the contrary, back end engineers work on the server-side of your web application, thus being responsible for the web application logic and integration of the front-end processes.

They build and maintain the technologies that manage all the components of the site. This also includes writing web services and APIs used by front-end developers. To make the server and databases work together, the developer uses server-side programming languages like PHP, Ruby, Python, Java, or .Net, MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server tools.

So, if you need to build the actual functionality of your website or web application, you should be looking for a dedicated back-end web engineer.

3. Full stack web developer

As the name implies, a full stack web programmer is a person who can develop both client and server software, meaning the full stack of technology that powers a solution.

They are well-versed in both front-end and back-end languages and frameworks, including server, network, and hosting environments as well as business logic and user experience. If you’re looking for an all-in-one programmer, you should consider hiring this breed of web developer.

However, if you are building a highly visual product, opt for a full-stack developer with significant frontend knowledge. At the same time, if your product relies heavily on backend technologies, give preference to full-stack engineers majoring in the back-end.

Is There A High Demand for Web Developers?

If anything, the web development job sector has proven to be growth-friendly and pandemic-proof. Over the last few years, there is an ever-increasing demand for this workforce, as more and more companies struggle to find the answer on how to hire web developers.

Thus, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of web developers and digital designers is expected to surge up to 8 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.

So, if you’ve been waiting for a cue to whip your web performance into shape, there has never been a better time.

Where To Find A Top Web Developer for My Company?

An increasing number of organizations experience a talent shortage, which means that the job position of a web engineer may go unfilled. As the need for tech talent continues to outpace the supply, companies seek tech talent outside their office, thus relying on outsourcing service providers and freelance workforce.

With that being said, below you will find a list of the most popular freelance destinations that create net-new tech talent.

1. Toptal

Toptal is one of the most sought-after freelance talents’ networks of developers, designers, and financial experts. This platform boasts a meticulous screening process that helps them identify experts in their domains and measure subject matter expertise.

Pros

• Fast hiring
• Strict process of verification that allows cherry-picking the best tech talent
• User-friendliness
• IPR protection
• A trial period of up to two weeks

Cons

• Not the best fit for small projects

2. Fiverr

Fiverr is a unique online marketplace that provides freelancers with direct access to the global demand from customers worldwide. The platform facilitates interaction between employers and highly-qualified freelancers who can assist them in brand building, marketing, software development, and a gamut of other services.

Pros

• Ability to leaf through portfolios without a profile
• Intuitive interface
• A wide array of freelance destinations and hourly wages
• Fit for all types of industries

Cons

• Not suitable for long-term projects
• No screening procedure

3. People Per Hour

People Per Hour is an online community of freelance talent that helps companies farm out their projects to external employees on demand. This cloud-based platform backs up the advanced searching system with a geo-targeting feature that helps companies choose a specific region. And vice versa, freelancers can filter projects by region and connect with local employers.

Pros

• Local/global freelance directory
• Invoicing
• Ease of use
• Suitable for both short-term and long-term projects

Cons

• No free trial
• Competitive pricing

Upwork

Upwork is the world’s largest freelance marketplace bringing together millions of businesses with remote talent across the world. It’s a true mecca for independent professionals of all stripes who aid both start-ups and Fortune 100 companies. The destination takes pride in earning more than $2 billion in 2019 across more than 8,000 skills, including web development.

Pros

• Quick hiring
• Accessible on mobile
• Intuitive interface
• Great talent variety
• Secure payments
• 24/7 customer support
• Built-in time tracker

Cons

• Hefty fees

Gun.io

This freelance destination caters exclusively to tech talent. Gun.io is known for a stringent vetting process that involves an automated coding exam and an interview with the CEO of Gun.io.

Pros

• Seasoned freelancers with proven competency
• Quick recruitment (within two days)
• The web engineers are focused only on your project
• Ease of use

Cons

• Extensive registration process
• Client feedback is disabled
• Lack of customer service

Codementor

Codementor is also among the go-to websites to hire web developers. This online marketplace connects professional developers (mentors) and employers who need live programming help, filling the tech gap and providing expert services.

Pros

• Speedy hiring (up to 3 days)
• High-quality services
• AI-enabled screening and matching process
• Risk-free probation period

Cons

• Not suitable for frequent and long term help
• Glitchy system

Guru

This flexible platform provides employees with the tools to locate committed freelancers all over the world. Guru has a verification process and publishes feedback scores to help companies find time-tested professionals for a wide range of services, including programming.

Pros

• Built-in time tracker
• Easy hiring
• Fit for long-term cooperation
• Suitable for all customer types, including enterprises

Cons

• No free trial period

Freelancer

Freelancer is one of the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplaces that unites more than 50 million employers and freelancers from almost 250 destinations. The platform offers a wide range of hiring opportunities, including web development, web design, and much more.

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Competitive pricing
• Vast tech talent
• Built-in time tracker

Cons

• Lack of customer support
• Not suitable for long-term cooperation and enterprises

X-team

X-team is another source of independent tech talent geared towards the software development sector. It provides freelancers for companies to help add scalability to their in-house workforce. Employees can either ramp up their capacity with dedicated teams or hire individual programmers.

Pros

• Quick hiring
• Simple application process
• Each developer is tailored to your company’s needs
• Industry knowledge

Cons

• Higher pricing compared to other freelance platforms
• The minimum contract duration is 3 months

What Are The Best Countries for Hiring Web Developers?

The proliferation of IT outsourcing across the globe prompts a dynamic move towards outsourcing. Therefore, companies that lack web development talent don’t have to frantically seek where to find a web developer in-house.

When hunting for global talent, your choice of outsourcing location should be guided by your business targets. If you are in the market for scaling, you should have your choice of a country with a vast talent foundry. In case you are limited by the budget available, go for a location with lower hourly rates. And if you want to avoid offsets, you should pick a country based on your timezone.

Let’s have a peep at the best countries to hire web developers from:

Ukraine

If you are looking where to hire web developers, Ukraine can be rightly considered the Eastern Holy Grail of web development talent and tech skills in general. Offering high-quality IT services at a cost-effective rate, this country can go toe-to-toe with other established tech destinations thanks to the combo of high-quality standards and cost-efficiency.

Advantages:

• Affordable development rates
• High level of competence
• High-quality code
• Amount of IT professionals
• Cultural compatibility

Disadvantages:

• Time zone (GMT +2) might be inconvenient for some countries

Poland

Moving on to Central Europe, we have another emerging technological hub, which is Poland. Its fast-growing economy has led to a rise in the number of talented developers available for hire and a growing startup scene. All these have made Poland an attractive IT market in the region.
Advantages:

• Strategic position
• Experienced programmers
• Convenient time zone (UTC +1)
• Latest technologies

Disadvantages:

• Higher hourly rates (compared with other locations mentioned here)

India

The Indian tech ecosystem is at its prime today, experiencing an uprise and driving the local economy. Over the last few years, this country has become one of the digital capabilities hubs and is expected to add another million new hires in 2021.

Advantages:

• Budget-friendly
• Unlimited workforce
• Good outsourcing infrastructure

Disadvantages:

• Time zone differences (GMT+5:30)

Philippines

Last but not least is the Philippines. This Asian country is gaining traction in terms of providing web development services. The country has already established itself as a key player in the outsourcing landscape and continues to gain popularity in this direction.

Advantages:

• Diverse talent pool
• Cost-effective labor
• Reduced legal liabilities
• English proficiency

Disadvantages:

• 13th-month and 14th-month pay

How Much Does It Cost to Hire A Web Developer in Different Countries?

When looking for the best place to hire web developers, web development rates are relevant factors that underpin the final choice. Consequently, by tapping into remote talent, a customer can reduce costs twofold without sacrificing quality.

So let’s have a quick trip to the most popular hiring locations to find out how much it will cost to hire a web developer by country. According to the largest job and recruiting sites, an average annual salary is as follows:

• USA – $76,600
• UK – $73,100
• Canada – $67,100
• Australia – $91,000
• Switzerland – $121,500
• Norway – $63,400
• Ukraine – $25,200
• Poland – $19,400
• Russia – $14,000
• Philippines – $9,300
• India – $4,500

As you must have noticed there is a significant cleft in average yearly wages in each IT location. Let us break down the main factors that tot up the remuneration:

1. Region – the costs of hiring a web programmer in Switzerland are different from hiring prices for a web developer in India due to the standards of living.
2. The size of an IT services company – software salaries are significantly less in smaller companies compared to huge tech agencies.
3. Soft skills – IT specialists who boast a whole host of personal attributes important for work success tend to charge higher than those with tech skills only.
4. Technology – if you’re looking to build a complex project that is powered by a gamut of technologies, you’ll need more specialists and a bigger budget.
5. Experience – the level of seniority directly translates into the earning potential, meaning that a junior-level web coder can render services at a lower rate.

If you want to dig into the matter of development costs, here we have an insightful article on hourly web development rates by country with a large sample of tech destinations.

How To Hire Web Developers For Startups, SMBs, and Enterprise?

Finding the right specialist is an uphill struggle – we can mirror the sentiment. That is why we have prepared a succinct checklist when hiring a web developer to guide you through this overwhelming process.

1. Write the project description

A well-written description of your project facilitates finding the best fit for the project and helps the candidate understand the concept and context of the proposed project. Project description also allows you to grasp a set of goals for the project and the overall objectives.

2. Choose the recruiting model

In the tech world, recruitment models have the reputation of trial-and-error methods and call for a thorough understanding of your company goals, project budget, and the employee’s career prospects. Thus, you have the options of outsourcing, outstaffing, independent hiring, or hiring with the help of a vendor.

3. Assess the need for staff recruitment

Before making any hiring attempts, measure the workload your project requires. A clear assessment will provide a clue on the number of web developers, their specialty, and speed to market.

4. Get to grips with job requirements

Finding a dedicated web engineer goes hand in hand with a list of skills, experience, and attributes your candidate should possess. To set expectations for you and your future employee, you should compile an excessive directory of core and auxiliary competencies you need for your project.

5. Choose the hiring procedure

When it comes to outsourced hiring, you have two options – independent recruitment or outsourcing vendor services. In case you can spend a month or two on landing the right fit for your project, you can go for independent hiring.

On the contrary, hiring with a vendor allows you to spare time and effort and eliminate the hiring headaches.

6. Shortlist the candidates

During this stage, you need to identify the candidates from your applicant pool who make the best match for the open req. When you’re working with an outsourcing vendor, you hand over the screening process and get a candidate database handpicked by professional recruiters within 1-2 weeks.

If you choose to take over the screening process, you will leaf through all candidates’ resumes on your own and run the initial interviews. In this case, the process may take up to several months.

7. Conduct job interviews

Interviewing is your next step in the employee selection process. A personal or online meeting allows you to determine if an applicant’s skills, experience, and personality address your company’s needs.

Vendor recruiters will fine-tune the interviewing schedule for you and the candidates. If you are in charge of this time-consuming process, you’ll have to negotiate the interviewing windows with each candidate on your own.

8. Settle legal technicalities

Employing a well-suited candidate is the pinnacle of the hiring procedure. However, this stage comes with a number of recruitment hassles such as arranging a contract, setting up records for withholding taxes, reporting new hires, and others.

If you are hiring from an outsourcing vendor, the recruitment process is smooth and convenient, since the vendor shoulders all legal responsibilities and technical nuances like software and hardware.

Top Interview Questions To Ask Job Candidates

It’s time to cover that vacancy of a web programmer on your team and the pressure is on to sniff out whether a job candidate is the right fit for your company. The good news is that you can elicit that from the interview provided you pose the correct questions.

With that being said, here are the best questions for the employee to cover this base. We have split them into categories based on the field of interest.

Questions to evaluate soft skills

Although soft skills might not be quite as tangible or quantifiable as technical qualifications, it is still important to gauge them. Having workers with relevant soft skills can help your team expand, perform efficiently, and stimulate healthy company culture. So let’s see what questions you can bring to the table.

Motivation

Finding employees with the right skills for your job is challenging, but discovering candidates with intrinsic motivation is even harder. Nevertheless, motivation and commitment questions are the best predictors for future performance that can lead to some of the best hires you’ll ever make. Consider asking questions like:

• What would you most like to improve about your current position?
• Have you ever worked on a project that didn’t interest you and how did you stay motivated?

Communication

Communication is key in a collaborated software development atmosphere. Also, a developer’s ability to make decisions and communicate those decisions to other colleagues is a major success factor in the tech world. You can test the candidate’s communication skills with the following questions:

• Have you ever been in a situation when you hit a rough patch with your colleagues?
• What kind of people do you find it hard to work with?

Teamwork

Assessing the level of teamwork is among other important things to think about when hiring a web developer. You need to make sure that the future team member will have no difficulties articulating his or her thoughts to others and complete projects successfully while on a team. Consider posing questions like these:

• What role do you take on a team and how do you contribute to effective performance?
• Could you describe your dream team?

Learning ability

Learning ability is more than just intelligence and education. Assessing a candidate’s ability to continually learn new things and enrich hands-on experience is what you need to focus on in an interview. Here are the examples of such questions:

• What strength do you strive to amplify and how?
• What did you learn from your last project?

Leadership

Leadership potential translates into the candidate’s ability to find the best way to solve an issue and then execute on that solution. Therefore, leadership is a universal trait present in all successful and high-performance employees. Let’s see how you can get a feel of it:

• Who is the leader in your opinion?
• Have you had any experience in leading people? What did you like and dislike about it?

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Ringing on new workers is no mean feat, especially if you are trailing this blaze on your own. The pitfalls may vary from applicants lacking the fundamental skills to expensive and lengthy hiring processes.

However, you can address this plight by contacting a reputable and experienced vendor like DevoxSoftware. We assist businesses in hiring the right employees according to job descriptions as well as provide ready-to-go teams to jumpstart your development process.

Drop us a line and we will guide you through the process of recruiting a web developer or all-in-one development team.