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How to Attract & Hire the Best Full-Stack Developers to Your Start-Up

Sep 6, 2021

Finding good full-stack developers is no easy task. If you’re a start-up founder, you know that it’s not enough to just grab any old engineer off of the street and hope for the best. It can be a crapshoot, and often times your company will end up betting on a losing horse.

If you’re a developer looking to make a career change, you also know that it can be difficult to find the best opportunities. And even if you find a really great job offer in Silicon Valley, you may not want to take it.

The solution? Stay local and attract the developers with tech jobs that are best suited for your company’s needs. These are developers who will make an excellent addition to your start-up team, adding their skills and experience in areas like business development, product management and marketing. They will join your team with enthusiasm and passion because they’re not just trying to find another place where they can get rich quickly; they’re truly interested in using their talents for a greater purpose.

On the other hand, most of the full-stack developers on the market are trying to pay off loans or pay for their kids’ college. So they are willing to go wherever they can make the most money in a short time frame. That’s why I want to show you a few things you can do right now that will attract and hire top-notch developers for your organization.

This is what you need to do: 1 – Look carefully at your company culture and mission statement. 2 – Find developers who have a similar interest, skill set and personality type as your team members. 3 – Build upon the strengths of your existing team members, and reinforce that in every new hire.

Developers will fit in with your team if you make some adjustments in the way you think about hiring. To be successful, you need to attract and hire the right people for your team.

What do I mean by “right people?” The type of developer whose skill sets best compliment and build upon the skill sets of your current employees. Your ideal candidates should see eye-to-eye with your team on things like the work schedule, their outlook on life, and a vision for what they want to accomplish at your company. But more than that, you want candidates who will buy into the work ethic, the dedication, and the personal drive of your existing employees.

Here are a few other things you’ll need to do to attract and hire the best full-stack developers: 1 – Show the developers that your company is a good place to work. 2 – Provide the developer team with higher salaries, better benefits, and a fun work environment. 3 – Show your team members that they can succeed at your company without buying into any negative stereotypes or assumptions about them.

Let’s talk more about how you can create these environments that facilitate success for you and your employees.

Let’s first deal with some of the negative assumptions people have about programmers. Most of these are unfounded, but they still cling to programmers like an old t-shirt in a thrift store who still remember their former glory days.

For example, people have this idea that all programmers are geeks, or nerds, or dweebs. But these types of labels are often the result of social awkwardness or poor communication skills. So if you’re hiring a programmer, just make sure that your candidate is well-spoken and communicates well with others on your team.

Also, certain stereotypes have developed about the way programmers look and dress. Some people may assume that all programmers wear plaid shirts and jeans with old tennis shoes. And I don’t disagree that this might be the case for some developers in Silicon Valley. But if you live in a smaller area, it’s more likely that your programmers will be clean-cut and dress in business casual.

Another common stereotype is that all programmers are introverts who enjoy coding alone. This is a false assumption because some of the best developers are natural team players and like to work with other people. In fact, most developers would rather stand up in front of an audience to address technical issues than stand at a white board and interact with teammates face-to-face.

And be prepared for one more stereotype: that all programmers like to drink beer while they work on their code. This is another false assumption because many of the best full-stack developers do not drink alcohol or do any kind of drugs at work.

So how can you show your programmers that they can succeed at your company? First of all, you need to have a good reputation with them. If they already know something about your company’s reputation, then it’s a huge positive. You’ll be seen as a positive employer in their mind and not just another fly-by-night start-up that’s going to bust up in a few months.

In addition to this, you want to put your developers on the right career path. So if they are interested in becoming entrepreneurs someday, then make sure that they are given the opportunity to learn from established entrepreneurs who share their interests.

You also want developers who are looking for something more than just money and job security. These are the people who will be willing to work with you to build a strong team that doesn’t fit the stereotypes. These are the types of developers who will make your company a reality.

Don’t forget about perks and benefits either. If you don’t already provide these, then you need to do some research and find out what kinds of things programmers expect before they even look at your job posting. For example, many developers want free or low-cost health insurance for themselves and their families. Others may want more flexible hours, a software development kit for their favorite programming languages, educational reimbursement for themselves or their spouses, or a private room where they can work without being interrupted by co-workers or clients.

Provide these types of things and more to show your developers that they can succeed at your company.

Try to gather as much information on your programming team members as you can, including their education, experience, outlook on life, and hobbies. You’ll need this information to find the right people for your team.

If you’re an entrepreneur or a business owner who’s looking for top-notch full-stack developers, then I want to help you attract these kinds of candidates by building a relationship with them. The best way to do this is through social media like LinkedIn or Twitter. Then start following the right people in the programming industry and be helpful and friendly while adding value in every interaction. If you’re still coming up short, it never hurts to leverage a technical recruiting agency that can engage top technical talent on your behalf, to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

If you’re a programmer who’s looking for a new position, then open yourself up to opportunities with other programmers and recruiters by networking on social sites and being helpful when asked for help.

And remember what I said earlier about how programmers see your company as a good place to work at? Well these days, it’s not enough just to be a nice employer. You have to build an award-winning team so that your company can work its way up in the rankings. Be sure that you’re doing the right things for your company on social media sites and in your job postings, and use these opportunities to show off exactly what kinds of things developers want.

Remember, you need to think outside the box to find top technical talent for your full-stack developers. Just be sure to do the right things, and you will see that your company can succeed with its programming team.

The only way you can get your company to succeed is if you find a way to add value to the lives of your top technical talent. Keep this in mind whenever you are recruiting programmers or communicating with them on social media sites. Before you know it, you’ll attract the best full-stack developers possible and your company will be on its way to success.

I’m Nathan Ware, a technical recruiter and entrepreneur. I help ambitious technology companies like yours build award winning teams by connecting them with top-tier programming talent through my award-winning recruiting agency . If you want a proven formula for attracting the best developers, then check out my blog at https://www.axerecruiting.com