How to Find Programmers for Your Startup & Hire Them?

As an entrepreneur, you probably struggled with how to recruit developers for a startup. And it’s no wonder. In North American and Western European markets, especially, there is a severe talent shortage for software application developers of all levels.

In fact, the latest numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that about 1.4 million software development/engineering jobs go unfilled, with only 400,000 IT graduates entering the market every year. That’s only about a third of what’s needed and creates a real problem for hiring a programmer for a startup.

The challenge is even greater when it comes to finding local talent, especially in the IT sector, as the scarcity of qualified professionals makes it hard for startups to hire quickly and cost-effectively in a highly competitive, digitized market.

If the talent shortage continues to make it harder to find web developers for startup companies, the Bureau reports that the US could be losing $162 billion in economic growth each year just from a lack of talent to implement and keep innovation going.

Competition for finding and hiring web developers, developer partners, and software developers is intense, especially for startup companies. Why? Because startups are high risk ventures—not just for the founders but for everyone in the company’s employ.

Whether a company succeeds or fails at this stage is often tied directly to issues of site performance. To find web developers for startups, you need to find talented team members who are fast, highly skilled, and have an appetite for the roller-coaster world of startups. Building a strong tech team is crucial for startup success, as the right group of technical professionals can make all the difference in developing and managing your technology projects.

We can help. At ProCoders, we’re a Portugal-based IT outsourcing company dedicated to matching startups to the talent they need to succeed. To show you how it’s done, we’ve developed this report that will show you step by step how to find a software developer for startup companies you’re building.

With the research we’ll give you, you’ll see that finding and hiring developers as partners, software engineers, or designers is not nearly as scary as it sounds. The secret is having a plan. In this case, it’s a simple 8-step plan that will help you think through the considerations that will help you find an app developer for startup companies, no matter how small. Let’s get started.

How to Find a Developer for Your Startup in Eight Easy Steps

Whether you’re hiring programmers for startup purposes (maybe you are thinking about how to make an educational app) or looking for information on how to find a developer partner for a startup, this guide takes you through your decision-making process in a very specific order.

Why? Because wrong hiring decisions can cost you. And wrong hiring decisions often happen because company leaders neglected to anticipate their needs, didn’t know what they were looking for, or went looking for help in the wrong places.

Success, after all, comes not just from conquering how to find a software developer for startup companies, but also from making a hire. Success comes from hiring the right talent, developing the right project parameters, and setting up the right project management system for your business.

By following these 8 simple steps, you’ll be guided through the entire process of hiring and integrating developers for your startup and have a smooth and comprehensive experience from start to finish. Stepping through this process will show you how to find a developer for your startup that will not just do the job but help you meet your goals.

Step One — Define Your Scope:

Is your upcoming project a high-tech project or a low-tech project? This may seem like an obvious question, but it’s one you must answer before you can even begin. How you answer this question will determine everything about your project and help you find an app developer for startup conditions that match the difficulty level required.

Having some basic tech knowledge is essential for founders to accurately evaluate project requirements and make informed decisions about the technical needs of their startup.

How do you know the difficulty level of your project? Ask yourself these questions before hiring software developers for a startup:

• Can my website or mobile application be developed without extensive back-end data systems being developed?
• Can my project be developed using off-the-shelf tools such as Wix, WordPress, WooCommerce, or other widely available platforms?
• Is my site small, needing not that many pages? This will affect how to find a web developer for a startup and how you should set your budget parameters.
• Do I have a long lead time that would allow just one developer to do most of the work?
• Can this project be completed without needing extensive customized programming, design, or imagery?

If you’ve answered yes to these questions, then you’ve most likely got a low-tech project on your hands. In this case, you should be able to outsource app development and hire mobile app developers and other experts without the need to find a senior-level developer partner or take on a CTO co-founder.

If the answer to these questions is no, then you have a high-tech project on your hands, one that will have you hiring software developers for startup development teams, maybe even in multiple groups.

At ProCoders, we’re familiar with working on the difficult and not-so-difficult jobs. When you’re ready to vet a consulting firm, make sure to ask them about the projects they’ve done lately. You’ll need a firm that can rise to your level.

Step Two — Determining the Need for a CTO Co-Founder:

Before discussing how to find a developer partner for a startup, consider whether you need one. If your company’s success heavily relies on technology, having a CTO or tech partner could be invaluable. This person should be able to think strategically about the product, constantly iterate on new tech offerings, and lead the development process.

In many cases, having a senior developer in this role brings significant benefits as their experience and insights can help you avoid common pitfalls and improve project outcomes.

Finding a developer partner is more challenging than hiring a developer. It’s not just about technical skills; you need someone who can lead people and projects and align with your company’s vision and culture. Start by networking: attend startup events, industry conferences, and engage with tech leaders on social media. Building relationships with technology professionals in your field can help you identify potential partners.

Once you have a shortlist, approach candidates with your business idea. This isn’t just about finding someone to develop your

Step Three — Define the job:

When starting a company, structuring your initial project, such as building an application, is crucial. Providing a clear job brief for your developer team is essential. Here’s what to consider:

• Project Features: What should your application do, what benefits will it bring to users, and do you need developers with specific industry knowledge? This will help determine the required expertise level, such as senior or junior developers. Creating detailed job descriptions at this stage is important as they will help attract suitable candidates and streamline the hiring process.
• Database Considerations: Decide where the application will source its data, how it will be accessed, and how it will be manipulated. This will help you in hiring backend developers for the project.
• Schedule: Set a project completion timeline to determine how many developers you need and plan the hiring process accordingly.
• Budget: How much seed capital do you have for development, and are you looking for a CTO willing to invest in the project?

Understanding these aspects will give you a solid foundation to find the right developers. At ProCoders, we guide you through these decisions so all necessary information is considered before starting a project. The questions asked by your prospective development firm will also show their diligence and thoroughness in project planning.

Step Four — Define the skillsets you need:

Whether you need to find and hire a web developer, software developer, app developer, or developer partner, how you do that will be largely determined by the skillsets you need. And now that you know what features you need, you’ll be able to build that list more concretely.

Here’s an example: If you are building a tech platform that must work equally well on mobile or the web, then you’re going to need to know how to find a developer for your startup that’s proficient in hybrid technologies for development. Make an expertise wish list that includes:

Here are some popular frameworks and languages used in mobile app tech stacks:

• Flutter
• Ionic
• Xamarin
• React Native
• JavaScript
• And others

Use this wish list to vet developers you interview or seek out on job boards. Or if you’re going to an IT consulting firm, this will be a critical piece of the project brief you’ll need to supply for them to match the right developers to your needs. When vetting candidates, make sure to assess each candidate’s tech background to ensure they have the technical experience and qualifications your project requires.

Understand your tech needs, and it’s perhaps the most important step you can take to find web developers for startups.

Step Five — Hire Internally or Use Consultant/Freelance Help

When building your software development team, one of the most important decisions startup owners face is whether to hire developers as full-time, in-house employees or to leverage consultant or freelance developers for specific needs. Each approach has its own advantages and challenges, and the right choice depends on your startup’s unique requirements, project scope, and long-term goals.

Hiring developers internally means bringing talent directly onto your team, giving you more control over the entire software development process.

In-house developers are often more integrated into your company culture, business processes, and ongoing projects. This is ideal for startups with long-term software development projects that require close collaboration, consistent communication, and a deep understanding of your product and vision.

However, hiring internally can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, often requiring a significant investment in recruitment, onboarding, and employee benefits.

On the other hand, using consultants or freelance developers offers more flexibility and can be more cost-effective, especially for startups with limited budgets or short-term projects. Freelance developers and consultants can bring specialized technical expertise to your team for specific tasks such as building a new feature, fixing bugs, or providing technical consulting.

This model allows you to scale your development team up or down as needed without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire. However, it may require more effort to manage remote developers and ensure alignment with your startup’s goals and standards.

To make the best decision for your software development project, consider:

• Project Duration and Complexity: Long-term, complex projects may benefit from in-house developers, while short-term or highly specialized tasks are well-suited for freelance developers.
• Budget and Resources: Weigh the costs of full-time salaries and benefits against the flexibility and potentially lower costs of hiring freelance or consultant help.
• Technical Expertise Needed: If your project requires niche skills or experience with a specific tech stack, hiring freelance developers or consultants can fill those gaps quickly.
• Team Integration and Company Culture: In-house developers are more likely to become invested in your startup’s mission and values, while freelance developers may need extra onboarding to align with your processes.

Ultimately, the choice between hiring internally and using a consultant or freelance help should be guided by your startup’s current needs, future plans, and available resources. By evaluating these factors, you can build a development team that supports your business goals and drives your software development success.

Step Six — Managing Your Developers: Direct vs. Indirect:

When choosing a consulting firm to find web developers for startups, consider how you want to manage your developers. Consulting firms vary greatly in their approaches and costs, often based on location. Some firms provide a hands-off experience where account executives and project managers handle daily interactions, which can be beneficial if you lack in-house IT leadership.

However, this approach may lack transparency and direct communication. Having a structured process for managing developers, especially when working with consulting firms, helps to ensure quality, smooth communication, and effective candidate selection.

If you prefer a more hands-on role, firms like ProCoders offer direct access to developers. Clients can communicate with developers daily, direct their tasks, and integrate them into their project management systems. This approach suits clients who have internal IT resources and want more control over their projects, ensuring seamless collaboration and integration of outsourced developers into their team.

Step Seven — Conduct a Thorough Interview

Once you have a short list of candidates, your interviews will be key. This may not seem as important, especially if you’re working with an IT consulting firm that is vetting candidates.

But don’t skip this step. Finding the right fit is a critical part of hiring software developers for startup companies. In addition to interviews, technical assessments play a crucial role in evaluating candidates’ technical skills and ensuring they meet your project requirements.

Here are some questions to consider asking:

• Have you worked with any other companies in our industry vertical?
• Tell me about projects you have completed that are similar to ours.
• Where did you get your programming education?
• What, in your mind, does an ideal collaboration between consultant and client look like? This allows you to check to see if your prospect thinks like you do on management issues and ensure you find web developers for startups that understand the unique pressures you face.
• Knowing what you do about our needs, what do you think will be the key areas we should focus on with this project?
• What are your additional areas of expertise? Do you know additional programming languages or have experience with other libraries or platforms we might find useful? Consulting firms that know how to find a developer for your startup should automatically factor this into the candidates they suggest. Staffers with extra capabilities, after all, are always able to work on the next, more challenging project.

Step Eight — Negotiate a Trial Period

Now that you know how to find an app developer for startup teams and you’ve found a developer you’d like to work with, negotiate a trial period if you can. Not every developer is a perfect match, and it makes sense to reverse course if the talent you’ve hired isn’t the right fit.

This is especially important if you are working with an individual consultant, so you don’t have to get out of a long-term contract. Also, consider checking references or testimonials from previous employers to further ensure the candidate’s reliability and skills.

A good IT consulting firm should be able to do this, quickly swapping out developer resources if you need a different staffer.

Whether you’re hiring a web, app, software, or developer partner, get flexibility baked into your deal, no matter how you have to negotiate for it.

Using Job Boards to Find Programmers

Job boards are a powerful tool for finding developers for your startup, giving you access to a huge pool of tech specialists and software engineers from around the world.

Whether you’re looking to hire full-time developers, freelance programmers, or remote developers, job boards and freelance platforms can help you connect with the right candidate for your software development project.

To get the most out of job boards, start by crafting a clear and compelling job description. Highlight your startup’s mission, the tech stack you’re using, the specific programming languages required, and the soft skills you value in your team.

Include relevant keywords such as “software development”, “hire developers”, and “remote developers” to get your job post to appear in search results and attract the right developers for your startup.

Some of the most popular job boards and platforms for finding programmers include:

• Stack Overflow: Favorite among developers, Stack Overflow’s job board allows you to target candidates with specific technical skills and experience.
• GitHub Jobs: Leverage GitHub’s search bar and community to find programmers with a proven track record of contributing to open-source projects and collaborating on code.
• Dice: Specializing in tech careers, Dice offers advanced filters to help you find skilled developers with the right technical expertise.
• LinkedIn and Indeed: These general job boards have huge networks and advanced search features, making it easy to find developers with the experience and background you need.

In addition to job boards, freelance platforms like Upwork, Toptal, and Gun.io give you access to a global pool of talented freelance developers. These platforms streamline the hiring process, offering flexible hiring options, secure payment systems, and the ability to review previous projects and client feedback.

When using freelance platforms, make sure to provide detailed project requirements, clear timelines, and defined deliverables to ensure a smooth collaboration.

Recruitment agencies like Toptal, Gun.io, and Upstack can also help you find developers for your startup, especially if you’re looking for highly specialized skills or need to fill multiple positions quickly. These agencies have huge networks of vetted tech candidates and can match you with the right developer for your startup’s needs.

Don’t forget the power of professional networks and social media. Attend industry events, join online communities, and connect with other startup founders and tech specialists to find potential candidates. Showcasing your company culture, values, and growth opportunities will help you attract developers who are passionate about your business idea.

When hiring remote developers or freelance programmers, prioritize clear communication and set defined expectations from the start. Use project management tools like Trello, Asana, or Jira to collaborate, track progress, and ensure everyone is aligned on project milestones and deliverables.

By using job boards, freelance platforms, recruitment agencies, and your professional network, you can find skilled developers who are the right fit for your startup. Remember to stay flexible, communicate openly, and focus on building a strong company culture to attract and retain top talent in the competitive world of software development.

Hiring Developers for a Startup: The All-in-One Solution

Is there a perfect solution for finding web developers for startups that seamlessly integrates them into your project? The answer varies based on your budget, management, and timeline, but generally, yes. At ProCoders, we believe an ideal team should be:

Building your dream team is much easier when you have access to an extensive network of vetted professionals. This broad talent pool allows you to assemble the right mix of skills and experience to ensure your project’s success.

Flexible: Able to scale up or down based on your needs, something difficult with internal hires but feasible with consulting firms. Ensure your contracts allow for flexibility to adapt to changing requirements.

Affordable: Cost is a major concern for startups. Offshoring development can save up to 50% compared to North American or Western European talent, offering more value for your investment. Consulting firms also cover additional costs like healthcare and benefits, making them a cost-effective choice.

Capable: Look for developers with expertise that closely matches your project’s technical needs and industry. Experience in your specific field ensures that they can deliver high-quality work without the risks associated with on-the-job training.

Comprehensive: Include specialized roles such as product managers and data engineers in your team. Product managers help align development with business goals, while data engineers manage data infrastructure and support your software development projects.

Manageable: Choose developers who are collaborative and integrate well with your team, rather than those who work in isolation. This approach maximizes productivity and ensures that the developers are valuable contributors to your startup’s success.

Benefits of Hiring Offshore Software Developers

At ProCoders, we recognize the unique advantages offshore IT developers offer for startups:

• Scalability: In Central Europe, IT consulting is rapidly growing, with many fresh IT graduates entering the workforce annually. ProCoders can quickly help you scale your team by tapping into this talent pool.
• Cost-Effective Quality: Developers in Central Europe provide world-class programming at about half the cost of developers in other regions. You can see it yourself if you compare the app developer cost per hour in different regions. ProCoders clients often save 40% or more on hourly rates, maximizing startup budgets.
• Round-the-Clock Service: Offshore teams can provide continuous development cycles, with work continuing as your local team ends their day, speeding up project timelines. Some offshore providers also offer enterprise solutions tailored for startups that need advanced support and specialized services.
• International Perspective: Offshore teams bring diverse, global perspectives, enhancing your product’s appeal to a worldwide audience. By working with ProCoders, you gain access to insights and best practices from industry leaders in the global tech community. ProCoders’ staff, fluent in English, ensures smooth communication and integration with your team, no matter your location. This international outlook is crucial for startups aiming for global reach.

Find a Developer for Startup: Conclusion

Finding the right developer partner for a startup is crucial, and ProCoders can help you navigate this process effectively. Doing thorough research and partnering with the right consulting firm can ensure you quickly find and hire software developers for startups who will propel your business from concept to successful launch.

Whether you need web, app, or software developers, managing the team-building process well is key to your success. Invest in partners that can make a significant impact on your project’s outcome.