The world is transforming and prompting new requirements for thriving in the technology sector. According to Upwork, the number of people working remotely will be close to 36.2 million by 2025, (companies reportedly relying on remote talent). Responding to these changes hasn’t been a smooth road for HR/Staffing specialists and CTOs who want to hire remote workers that add value to the companies they work for. With remote work taking center stage, many are asking how to hire app developers the best way.
At first glance, remote recruitment looks very complicated. There are many elements companies should consider in hiring a developer who is right for them. However, there is a formula for simplifying the process from start to finish.
In light of what most hiring managers go through, we have compiled a strategic guide on how to hire app developers that suit your needs. We took a deep dive into the state of remote work in 2024, exploring common challenges.
In this guide, we explore the realities of hiring developers in the post-office era. From our analysis of industry best practices, we will help organizations overcome staffing difficulties.
If your company is struggling with finding a remote app developer – or any other remote tech specialist – keep reading. It’s time to uncover valuable tips on how to hire an app developer the right way. You will also learn how to hire app developers for a startup.
Remote work is a working arrangement that allows employees the flexibility to work from anywhere.
For a long time, this practice had only accounted for a small segment of the workforce, about 43% of workers had worked remotely at least once. However, with the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic, things have changed. Many companies have revised their approach to work, allowing employees to work outside of a central office. Thus, more businesses will need to know how to hire app developers online.
The majority of professionals and entrepreneurs today have incorporated remote work to some degree or in some form. According to Forbes, around 74% of professionals are confident these agile talent strategies will become the default work arrangement.
While some companies are taking strides to engage remote developer teams gradually, others are working on a remote-first model. Remote-first implies that they have the capacity for most if not all employees to work from any location permanently. Top businesses using this approach include GitHub, Zapier, Skillshare and VMware.
With remote work, employees can work from home or from co-working spaces with little need to visit the central office.
Remote-friendly companies are able to have employees work from outside the designated corporate office. However, there is still a need for team members to actually visit the central office occasionally. Good examples of remote-friendly companies include Oracle, Robert Half International and Salesforce.
Fully-remote companies have a policy whereby their entire workforce is remote. As of June 2020, Quora has adopted this particular approach. The CEO Adam D’Angelo tweeted, “We are going fully remote-first at Quora. Most of our employees have opted not to return to the office post-covid, I will not work out of the office, our leadership teams will not be located in the office, and all policies will orient around remote work.”
Other top fully-remote companies include Basecamp, which no longer has any physical offices since 2020.
More and more businesses are going online, making it easier to depend on a remote workforce. Here are a few notable examples who have jumped on the bandwagon this year.
The music site Spotify recently announced it is now a partially remote company as of February 2021. The company’s blogpost said that employees could now work full time from home, the office, or a combination of the two. The exact mix of home and office work mode would be decided individually for each employee in consultation with their manager.
This February, Salesforce also announced that most of its staff will be in the office for one to three days per week. This optional approach also allows for those who do not need to be in the office to be fully remote.
Drift.com Inc also took a similar stance this year in January, choosing to go remote-first. According to their CEO and co-founder, David Cancel, the company embraces permanent remote work, keeping it’s U.S. offices as ‘conversation spaces.’
According to Global Workplace Analytics, the remote workforce has increased by 173% since 2005. Remote work trends are becoming more visible throughout the industry. A study by Upwork suggests 22% of the American workforce will be fully remote by the end of 2021. Several notable companies have been working with remote employees for quite some time now. They have managed to do so successfully and have considerably matured remote work models.
The accounting, consulting and technology firm Crowe formally adopted a remote-friendly work policy in 2016. Similarly, Amazon, Xerox, IBM and Dell have been working with remote app developers over the past decade. These enterprises have mastered the art of how to hire remote workers.
Keep reading to learn how to hire app developers for your business in 2024.
Many companies are increasing their remote development teams due to the competitive advantages this model provides. The following list will help you to better understand how remote work benefits you and your company.
The most prominent benefit for a remote company is cost savings. According to research by Global Workspace Analytics, businesses can save as much as $11,000 per person, per year by allowing employees to work from home.
In 2016, Dell reportedly saved up to $12 million a year in office space rentals. By creating more flexible workspace options and becoming remote-friendly, the company has cut down on the cost of resources needed to run its offices.
Like most companies, you are probably looking into how to hire app developers at less expense. You can find surprisingly more affordable hires in popular outstaffing destinations such as Eastern Europe. This means that your company can hire more highly qualified professionals to get the job done for the same or less than what you’re currently paying in salaries.
The USA, UK, and most western European countries have some of the highest compensation rates. The average rate for a software developer in the USA is about $70-100 an hour.
To save money, you have to know where to find and hire app developers with lower rates. Here’s a brief compensation table showing the cost of hiring remote employees in other countries.
App Developers’ average rates per hour in various countries:
$90-150
$50-80
$50-75
$35-65
Based on this compensation table, Eastern Europe has some of the most reasonably priced talents in the world. You can hire Eastern European app developers to keep your payroll under control.
Today, most IT companies face a talent shortage. Finding qualified app developers in their own cities may not be a successful endeavor. Either they face high compensation rates or the level of experience or expertise they require is in short supply.
The best way to overcome both of these common challenges is to go for remote app developers.
Companies are able to access talent from all over the world. Remote work gives them the opportunity to work with this talent more efficiently, as relocation is not always possible. Companies can opt for nearshoring, which is hiring from within their region. This could be either nearby cities or neighboring countries. Alternatively, they can opt in hiring tech talent globally. This is known as offshoring.
Remote work is now supported by a vast amount of communication and collaboration tools previously unknown to the conventional office. Such tools significantly improve employee engagement. Product development workflows tend to be integrated more smoothly, making it easier for app developers to collaborate.
Companies also end up devising more efficient communication policies within the company, thus increasing efficiency. Around 65% of remote employees report that they are more productive working outside of the office. Owl Labs’ 2019 State of Remote Work report also says that they are more engaged when working outside of the office.
According to recent surveys, the opportunity to work remotely has become one of the most important factors candidates value in a workplace environment.
Employees enjoy more flexibility under this arrangement. They are able to plan their tasks around what works for them. This helps them be more content and productive.
In a survey by PGi, remote workers reported less stress when teleworking. This has been attributed to the more relaxed environment outside the conventional office.
Remote work arrangements have been linked to reduced staff turnover rates in a number of companies. The Cigna COVID-19 Global Impact Study revealed that the introduction of remote work increased job satisfaction significantly. That’s a good reason to start looking into how to hire app developers remotely.
The perks of a remote developer team make it an attractive option for companies. However, many HR specialists and CTOs face unique challenges in implementing remote work successfully. Common problems include the following:
In some cases, companies fail to realize the benefits of working with remote app developers due to inefficient collaboration. This can be caused by poor collaboration strategies.
Thriving through remote work requires effective communication. Companies need to establish clear communication channels and leverage tools that are designed for remote work. This includes software such as Slack and Microsoft tools, among other enterprise tools.
Planning work schedules around time zones also helps improve productivity. For example, a software engineer can write code during regular work hours and while they sleep another employee in a different timezone can review the code.
Knowing how to hire app developers involves the ability to properly assess academic merits. The majority of developers have some kind of qualification certification, the most common being a college degree or diploma in computer science or a related field.
Most remote work recruiters are skeptical of candidates with many professional certifications as most of them tend to lack the experience necessary. It should also be noted that there are many developers who may not have educational qualifications in IT. You need to know how to hire app developers who can get the job done, regardless of their educational qualifications. Assessing developer qualifications in remote work can be even more complex. Hence, assessing a candidate’s technical skills with hands-on test tasks is important so as not to disqualify experienced developers.
Skill assessment continues to be a difficult area to deal with for many hiring managers. It is common for candidates who look good on paper to fail to carry out certain tasks satisfactorily.
Although it is not viable to test one’s capabilities with every developer technology under the sun, hiring managers can still test for the available role’s skills. Technical interviews and programming test tasks are the best way to determine a prospects’ skillset. A good entry-level algorithms C++ programming test should include short, straightforward coding tasks. Such tests will help you identify developers with the most essential C++ skills.
It is no secret that the IT industry is facing talent shortages, especially in North America and Western Europe. There is a rise in demand for cybersecurity skills, blockchain technology, and data analytics to name a few. Hence, remote work culture is becoming more popular in these areas, and it’s crucial to know how to hire app developers suitable for your company.
There are several ways to remedy this situation, including engaging a remote staffing agency that can help you connect with a larger pool of talent. This opens up the chance to benefit from remote work, as it allows you to tap into talent pools in different areas. It is the quickest solution for hiring a qualified developer.
Locating the best remote developers to join your team is easy, if you know where to look. There are a number of places that yield desirable results.
Leveraging your network in the IT community can connect you to high caliber candidates. You can look for referrals through online communities on LinkedIn, DevSkiller, Stack Overflow or GitHub. Alternatively, your company can establish its own employee referral program.
This approach gives you access to developers with a proven work history. This improves your ability to find programmers who have a verifiable work history.
Today social media offers numerous opportunities to interact with qualified developers. Sites like Facebook even support communities and groups of like-minded people. New tools to help you find developers online are also available through the same channels. On LinkedIn and Facebook, you can post vacancies in your company. As users interact with your brand, they can also check for available posts.
You have the advantage of improving your image as an employer on a social media site. That’s why think over your brand voice improvement and a content plan for your accounts. You can also have existing employees engage with your audience to give potential candidates an idea of what to expect in your organization.
Online recruitment platforms also offer a great opportunity to connect with qualified professionals. The majority of job sites also offer functionality that matches your job opening to potential candidates. They match the personal details provided by professionals with your job description. If a developer is looking for a remote work position that matches your criteria, they will be alerted of your available post.
Here’s a brief list of popular platforms you can use:
LinkedIn brings professionals and companies together. Developers create profiles and upload their qualifications, work history, and skills which can be verified by people who know them. Companies also have profiles where they can keep the community updated about their operations. Your company can post a job post and directly engage with potential candidates on the site.
Partnering with an IT staff augmentation company is one of the easiest ways to hire engineers. The bulk of the recruitment tasks fall onto the partner, simply leaving the client to confirm which candidates they want to hire. The IT staffing service provider often performs administrative tasks, vetting candidates and verifying qualifications.
IT staff augmentation partners cut down the time required to hire app developers. Clients also foot limited recruitment costs as they will only pay for the individuals they hire.
Remote staffing companies also tend to already have a large database of qualified professionals. Their experienced hiring specialists can also connect with suitable candidates in different areas.
You will need to research IT staff augmentation companies that can cater to your needs. The best place to start is through recommendations from other companies that use similar services. It is the simplest solution to the question of how to hire software engineers who know what they are doing.
B2B research platforms can provide you with lists of recommended service providers. They carry out the due diligence and verification processes. You can make your choice from the companies they review. Some platforms also help you hire a remote recruiting agency through their platform.
Here are some websites you can visit to find a reliable IT staff augmentation partner to help you hire remote workers:
The readily available pool of developers enables you the ability to shorten the time to hire the best app developers for your company. Tap into an expansive talent pool for teams that meet your project requirements.
DOIT Software services cut down on the HR and administrative tasks you have to do; thus reducing your recruitment costs. Plus you will only pay for the app developers you hire.
Enjoy the flexibility to scale your project where necessary. You can quickly extend or shrink down your development team efficiently.
Get accurate data for your project planning. You will be able to predict, define, and keep your budget under control.
You will get regular updates on how the project is progressing, giving you a clear picture of the remote developer team’s activities. A proactive communication approach ensures smooth collaboration between you and your virtual team.
Augment your team with needed skills by hiring programmers with extensive experience in software development. Whether you need to add more engineers or hire a dedicated team from scratch, turning your idea into a great product will be quite easy. DOIT Software doesn't just show you how to hire app developers, it takes on the task on your behalf.
You will have access to highly qualified tech specialists with the expertise to help you deliver premium quality products. There is no delay between hiring and implementing your projects.
With DOIT Software, you are guaranteed client-oriented service. You will be able to quickly hire app developers for startups to help you achieve your business goals. Once you have handled the subject of how to hire an app developer, you can rest assured that your project will be in safe hands. You are just a click away from a quick, productive consultation with a top IT specialist.
Each project is more than just writing a piece of code or contracting another professional out of a field of many. You can rely on your staffing partner to continuously add more value to your ongoing projects, helping you to deliver superior products with an innovative and dedicated team.
When considering how to hire app developers, there is more to consider besides their experience and expertise. While technical skills indicate how well versed in the field a programmer is, soft skills are also essential. They help you to determine how well a developer will fit in with the rest of your team and their work ethic.
Here are a few characteristics you should consider when hiring a developer that’s right for your business:
Collaboration requires good communication between geographically dispersed team members. In remote work, this is especially important. Excellent communication skills go beyond business-level comprehension of your company’s preferred language. It means that an app developer must be able to share critical information with team members, the project manager and other non-technical stakeholders.
For a project to progress smoothly, it is important that you hire a remote development team with good organizational skills. They must be able to plan and carry out their tasks efficiently within the project’s deadlines. It is difficult to collaborate when there is no clear plan on how duties are being handled.
One of the reasons why companies choose to hire a remote development team is that businesses need flexible people for the job. Ensure your candidate can easily adapt to your project’s changing needs. This is a very important aspect in how to hire a developer for remote work.
A creative approach to resolving issues is an admirable trait in a developer. Such a remote developer can apply innovative solutions to quickly solve any problems that may arise. This could even result in an improved software product.
A self-motivated individual is able to undertake their duties while maintaining high productivity. In a remote working culture, this is important as there are fewer corporate-driven activities possible for motivating employees.
Work culture is another essential consideration when hiring an app developer remotely. It is ideal for the remote developer to be a good culture match with your organization. If they share the same values your organization upholds, it will be easier for them to integrate into the existing team and understand your business objectives.
While not a must, hire app developers with prior remote working experience, as it will be simpler to work with. They are already familiar with the challenges of remote work culture and can navigate them better.
Before you go ahead and approach potential candidates, it’s best to compile a detailed presentation of the available post. That’s how to hire an app developer. It will help you attract the right kind of people.
Here’s what you can do for your preparation stage:
Consider the duties you need the remote developer to handle. What kind of developer are you looking for? Use the summary of the job requirements to determine the level of experience and skills that will be necessary for the available position. You should hire app developers with experience in similar projects as yours, as remote work arrangements make it harder to supervise every move employees make. The simplest approach on how to hire app developers starts with clarifying your company’s needs.
After deciding what kind of developer you want to hire, plan how to market your company to candidates. What resources, tools, and benefits do you provide for your remote staff? Will distributed teams work from home or a shared workspace? These are questions candidates will want to know. Create an attractive employer profile that highlights the best things about joining your team.
You will also need to create a pitch for the job that speaks to the needs of most developers. Break down the responsibilities that come with the job and what will be required of employees. This includes working hours and the approach to software development.
Craft a detailed description for your job ad. You will need to highlight areas critical in remote recruiting, such as the location of the position. Should the remote employee be in a specific region or country? Company culture also matters — are you a remote-first company or remote-friendly, and to what degree?
A good job ad simplifies the process of hiring a developer. It should include the following aspects:
Remote recruitment can be rather tricky as the company may not be able to hold any interviews in person. Remote interviewing needs to address all your questions about the candidate to ensure you hire the right person.
Simplify your hiring process by enacting a structured interview process. That’s the best course to take to hire app developers without breaking a sweat. Make sure you assess all the important areas that determine how well a candidate can perform as a virtual employee. Consider checking for self-motivation, an innovative approach to work, and flexibility. If hiring through an IT staffing partner, provide them with all your requirements.
Make sure you have enough adequate information on each potential remote hire. If you require a detailed curriculum vitae or a cover letter, be sure to communicate this to your candidates.
You will also need to request verifiable references to determine their work history. Get pertinent details or information on previous projects the candidate has worked on, so you can see the quality of their work. The remote process limits your ability to test for developer skills in a controlled environment. Obtaining verifiable work history helps you avoid candidates who misrepresent themselves or their skills.
The technical interview remains one of the most useful approaches to choosing the right developer, especially when leveraging virtual recruiting platforms. It allows the company’s representatives to screen candidates according to their comprehension of the technical requirements without having to put them in front of a whiteboard.
You can also utilize online programming test task tools like HackerRank and Qualified.io. These tools will help you determine how well a candidate works with the technology you will be using. If a candidate is familiar with the programming languages and the tools to be used, it will be easier for them to start working on the program right away.
When considering how to recruit software engineers with the right skills, you may find that not everyone has the time or the inclination to contribute code to open source. In addition, commercial code is often closely guarded and cannot be shared with potential employers. These online tests allow you to test for skills efficiently and without having to call candidates in for an in-person interview.
The final interview is for clearing up any questions you have for the developer. It determines who you will hire. You can ask technical and analytical questions during the interview, depending on the type of remote developer you are looking to hire.
You will have to find candidates who can adapt and respond well to remote motivation exercises, minimal supervision and maintain a high level of productivity. This final interview should clear your potential hires for all these qualities.
After selecting the most suitable remote developer for your team, it is time to present the job offer. You will need to set the terms of employment, work strategy, as well as the chain of command.
Specify what the position entails, so the new hire can prepare adequately. Will they be working from home, their place of choice, or will your company require that they use a paid for, shared working space? Will you be paying for their broadband/Wi-fi? This information will ensure a smooth remote onboarding as well.
Now that you understand how to hire software engineers, it’s time to move to the next step — getting them started with the job. Onboarding remote developers is slightly different from how it’s done inside the workplace. Here is how you can get it right to prevent future problems.
So what’s the secret on how to hire app developers more effectively? Well, managing offsite employees is not the same with having the developers in the same building. However, providing the right tools and ample resources makes it easier to keep everyone on the same page.
You can leverage a centralized project management system to make it easier to keep track of project development. You can check progress, assign tasks, and set deadlines with developers receiving notifications remotely. You can try out Project.co, Trello, or Jira.
Avoid having programmers stop working whenever they need to clarify how a procedure should be done. As there may be no one readily available to address their queries, document tasks, and internal processes, and share with the whole team.
You can build better relationships within a remote team by allowing people to put a face to a name. Use video conferencing tools where possible to bring everyone together during meetings.
Keep everyone involved by holding regular meetings to discuss the progress made. You can also give each developer a chance to highlight challenges they are facing. This will help you gather feedback and implement solutions quickly.
Working with developers in different time zones can be stressful. Discuss how best to structure work for each developer. Planning daily or weekly tasks in advance can help. With clear communication channels in place, it is possible for multiple app developers to work on one project in rotating shifts. Perhaps one team member can write code during their normal working hours while the other one sleeps. And the second one can review that code when it’s day time in their timezone.
Still not sure how to hire remote engineers effectively? Several remote hiring challenges can be solved by using the following hiring tips. Consider the following for a more robust remote recruitment process.
Connecting with potential hires face-to-face helps build stronger relationships. It also enables company representatives to get a better sense of the candidates when they hire software developers. Instead of holding meetings via voice call or conveying written messages, connect with them over Skype or Zoom. These two and other similar platforms can deliver an impactful approach when used as remote hiring tools.
You will need to leverage modern tools for a smooth and effective hiring process. Take the candidate’s personal preferences into consideration. If you use platforms they rarely check to communicate, then you might not get timely responses. If you want to hire remote engineers as quickly as possible, this is the way to go.
Examples of the top communication and project management tools include:
Streamlining the job application is one of the remote hiring best practices on how to hire an engineer. To achieve this, specify the required criteria in your job description. This enables app developers to assess their qualifications for remote work, meaning they can evaluate their fitness for the job prior to applying. Add screening questions to your job posts as well to help you confirm whether a candidate meets your core requirements before you call them in for an interview.
Inform candidates which video conferencing tool your company uses for remote interviews, and provide resources to help them learn more about your company. Compile a best practices sheet for both the candidates and the interviewers to help them familiarize themselves with the interview format, and to prevent technical issues during the video call. A test run also helps interviewers prepare ahead and anticipate and prevent potential hiccups.
Hiring remote employees can be quite a smooth process when approached with the right strategy. Maximize your search area and put in place a rigorous interview process. All this, plus a well-rounded remote onboarding process will ensure that you have a winning team.
For more convenience, hire your remote app developers through DOIT Software. Given our extensive recruitment experience for remote developers, finding you the top tech talent won’t take long.
Our hiring process involves just a few steps:
Remote work is a working arrangement that allows employees the flexibility to work from anywhere. Developers are not limited to carrying out their duties within a central company office. They can collaborate from a different city or country.
To hire remote engineers, reach out to developers with your job ad. Interested candidates will forward to you their resumes, showing you their skill and experience. From there, you can shortlist programmers to interview remotely and make your pick.
Remote work is easier to conduct with employees that have good communication and organizational skills. Being self-motivated and creative also makes it easier to carry out tasks with minimum supervision.
With a well-organized approach and clear communication channels, remote work is easy to execute successfully. Having tools suitable for team collaboration helps as well.
You can hire remote engineers through professional referrals, social media, online recruitment platforms or partnering with an IT staffing partner. All these methods will connect you to potential candidates you can share your job ad with.
The cost of hiring a software developer varies widely, depending on where you are recruiting from. Generally, when hiring remote workers, the rates are cheaper in Eastern Europe as compared to countries like the USA and the UK.
Hiring an app developer takes around 1-2 weeks, especially with an IT staffing partner providing potential candidates. According to Glassdoor, the average time to hire in the USA is around 23.8 days, which is similar to the global average.
Recruit a developer by locating qualified talent and staging interviews. Conducting technical interviews to evaluate skills helps you pick the most suitable candidate to join your team.
