The USA Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the demand for web developers will grow by 17% by 2032. A half of the European companies, which are seeking web developers, find it difficult to fill this role.
For now, the number of web developers in the world is about 28 million, and it is growing by nearly 1 million each year, according to Statista. At the same time, finding web developers with strong expertise can be a challenging task. We'll provide you with the top 5 takes on how to find web developers and seamlessly integrate them into your tech team.
Take 1. Define Your Needs Clearly
When finding a web developer, it's crucial to understand that different projects require different development types, domain expertise, and seniority levels.
Finding a Web Developer by Project Type
If you need someone to ensure your website or web app looks visually appealing, front-end developers are your go-to choice. They are skilled in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making them perfect for creating the user-facing part of your software products or services.
If your project requires database management, server operations, and complex business logic, you'll need back-end developers. They specialize in back-end frameworks, for instance, Python and Ruby on Rails.
For a one-stop solution, consider hiring full-stack developers who are proficient in both front-end and back-end development.
According to the tech recruitment trends in 2023, back-end developers top the popularity chart of all the tech positions, and their front-end colleagues rank second.
Evaluating Domain Expertise
The web development tech stacks for different industries may have just a few points in common. Yet, the key tech requirements for the candidates include mastering the domain-related tools and standards.
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If your project involves creating an online store or e-commerce platform, consider hiring a web developer with experience in e-commerce solutions like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento.
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For healthcare-related projects, it's essential to hire a web programmer with the knowledge of healthcare compliance standards like HIPAA and expertise in healthcare software development.
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To ensure security and compliance for your fintech applications, find web developers who have experience in this niche and are well-versed in financial regulations like KYC and AML and have passed PSI DSS certification.
Deciding on a Seniority Level
Here are hiring cases where each of the seniority levels will be just to the point.
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Junior developers are a great choice if you have a tight budget and are open to mentoring and training.
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Mid-level developers have some experience under their belts and can work with minimal supervision. They are a balanced choice for most projects.
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Senior developers bring a wealth of experience, can lead complex projects and mentor junior colleagues.
Take 2. Know Where to Find a Web Developer
Use Multiple Platforms for Job Listings
To find web developers, you need to cast a wide net.
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Utilize online job boards, like Glassdoor or Indeed, to post job openings and contact with candidates.
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Use LinkedIn advanced search to find a web developer who matches your criteria.
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Posting your job listing at Stack Overflow ensures that it reaches tech-savvy individuals.
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Browse through GitHub profiles, repositories, and contributions to identify potential candidates.
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Join web development-related groups and forums on socials (Reddit, Twitter, etc.) to discover hidden talent.
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To connect with independent contractors for freelance or short-term projects, you can surf through Upwork and Freelancer.
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Contact an outstaffing agency to get shortlisted candidates matching your new team role. This option is suitable for long- and short-term hires and comes with ongoing HR support.
If you're looking for web developers, update your social media profiles (especially LinkedIn) with the corresponding statuses and notify your connections about your hiring plans.
Advertise Your Job Opening Correctly
It doesn’t matter if you are posting for free or utilizing paid LinkedIn Ads, choose a job title that accurately reflects the position. Avoid using internal jargon that may not be widely recognized.
Leverage Referrals
Referrals can be a goldmine for finding web developers. Offer incentives for those existing team members who promote their tech friends for your roles.
Attend Tech Events and Conferences
Look for virtual events that align with your project needs. Attend tech meetups, hackathons, and developer conferences. Many tech conferences have moved online, making it easier for you to attend from anywhere.
Take 3. Prepare an Outstanding Job Offer
Offer Competitive Compensation
How to find web developers when top talent is in high demand? You must offer competitive compensation packages. Research industry standards for target regions and adjust your offers accordingly. Negotiate compensation to fit into your hiring budget, even when the competition for tech talent is intense.
Think what additional perks you can provide to captivate web developers, as they typically consider several offers at once. Flexible schedule, remote mode, and upskilling options would be up to the point. Offer performance-based bonuses and, if applicable, equity in your company to motivate developers to stay and contribute to your long-term success.
Showcase Your Brand
When writing your job description or presenting your vacancy to web developers, highlight your company's culture and values. Candidates are looking for the right team.
Support a positive brand reputation and arrange a user-friendly application process.
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Use an applicant tracking system (ATS), so that you can keep all the necessary data at hand.
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Be open to candidates with diverse backgrouns (like with and without degree in computer science).
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Clearly set the timeline for the hiring process. For instance, add the list of the interview stages to your job description and announce them on the first interview. This helps manage candidate expectations.
Take 4. Make Data-driven Hiring Decisions
Here’s how to find a web developer compatible with your business DNA.
Review Portfolios and Conduct Technical Assessments
After picking potential hires, it’s time to assess their skills and experience.
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To find a web developer for hire who's worked on projects similar to yours, look at their portfolio.
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Ask for code samples or GitHub repositories to evaluate their coding style and adherence to best practices.
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Evaluate a developer's proficiency with the tech stack. Tools like HackerRank or LeetCode can be helpful when you are creating coding tests.
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Ask scenario-based questions relevant to your project if you want to analyze problem-solving abilities and adaptability to new challenges.
Evaluate Soft Skills
In web development, soft skills matter not less than tech skills, as web development projects require collaboration.
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Assess a candidate's ability to communicate ideas clearly.
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Make sure that the candidate can work well in a team environment.
Take 5. Compare Team-scaling Models
The first step is to understand if you need third-party professional help. If you see that the benefits of this approach can be a valuable asset for your business, you might need time to pick a compatible partner.
Finding Web Developers: Should I Engage Agencies?
There are 2 alternatives to traditional hiring — outsourcing and outstaffing. Outsourcing suggests you contact a web development agency and ask them to provide you with a completed task.
If you need to assemble remote tech teams for specific projects, consider partnering with outstaffing agencies. Outstaffing companies specialize in web developer recruitment and have access to a pool of candidates with diverse tech skill sets.
It means they know not only where to find a web developer, but also how to find a good web developer within the global talent base, sticking to your unique project requirements.
Below, you can compare team-scaling options of the 3 popular tech hiring models.
3 Popular Models of Hiring Web Developers: Options Available
OPTIONS
Tech talent market analysis
In-house hiring
IT Outstaffing agency
Web-development agency
Available expertise in tech hiring may be limited
Specialized skills
In-house hiring
IT Outstaffing agency
Web-development agency
Depends on your location and available expertise in tech hiring.
Skill sets available within a partner company may be limited
Integration of web developers into your team
In-house hiring
IT Outstaffing agency
Web-development agency
Hiring abroad
In-house hiring
IT Outstaffing agency
Web-development agency
It becomes available only when you create legal entities in target countries
The agency may partner with clients and developers within a limited list of countries
Flexible team scale
In-house hiring
IT Outstaffing agency
Web-development agency
May depend on agency’s terms.
Setting hourly rates for developers
In-house hiring
IT Outstaffing agency
Web-development agency
Clients may have no influence in the hourly rates of task performers.
To sum up, when your project needs scaling your own team, there are 2 suitable options — traditional in-house hiring and outstaffing, which also doesn’t end after hiring new team members. For instance, post-hiring outstaffing processes for Outstaff Your Team clients include arranging payrolls, well-being check-ins and milestone talks.
FAQ
Do I need to hire a web developer?
Hiring a full-stack developer is a good option when you need to turn your business solution into a competitive prototype, create a website from scratch or build and maintain an application, including API integrations, performance optimization etc. Specifically, a front-end developer can make your software product or service more user-friendly, and a back-end developer is responsible for robust databases and responsiveness. In case you have no designer in your existing team, then you will likely need to hire both a designer and a developer.
Analyze your project requirements to decide what kind of web developer to hire and craft the job description which reflects your demand. If you are looking to strengthen your team with specialists proficient in certain technologies, clarify this right in the job title, like React developers or Node.js engineers.
How do I connect with developers?
There are several ways to join a developer network. 1. Attend tech events announced at Meetup.com or Eventbrite. 2. Contribute to online communities for developers like Stack Overflow and GitHub. 3. Leverage platforms like Reddit (subreddits like r/programming), LinkedIn, and Twitter. 4. Join developer Slack or Discord channels. You can find these communities through invitations or public directories. 5. Participate in hackathons, developer workshops or coding challenges both locally and online.
How do I find a developer to work with?
Option 1. You should post job openings, filter candidates, hold interviews, share feedback, send an offer. Option 2. Web developer recruiters can engage experienced developers in your projects. If you have no in-house recruiters with relevant expertise or don’t plan to hire developers directly, you can ask your outstaffing partner to find a web developer for you. In this case, you will get pre-vetted profiles aligning with your goals. After you’ve approved the suitable candidates, an outstaffing company takes over official hiring, payroll, and retention of web developers.
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