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Access 2M+ of the world's top remote developers ready to grow your company to the next level
I have 9 years of experience in delivering end-to-end solutions for different companies. Looking for a Java role at a startup project. My expertise includes Java, React, C#, Python, and Go.
I am a software engineer with 6+ years of experience in developing scalable software solutions. I have previously worked on developing automated solutions and integrating.
I am a full-stack developer with broad and versatile coding skillset. I quickly help startups and enterprises with prototypes and ideas by efficiently building those things into reality. My expertise lies in building MVPs, apps, and enterprise software.
An engineer/architect with 12+ years of experience. I have scaled two startups into successful ventures. My skill set involves architecting, designing complex solutions, and leading technical teams.
Looking for full time remote work, Python / Django, Node, React Native development work as my skilled area. I am having 6 years of professional experience along with 1.5 years in React.js.
I’m looking to work on a blockchain project, designing and developing something out of the box, preferably using Golang, Rust or C++. I have developed crypto exchanges and helped 2 companies to setup ICO.
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Our tips on how to get connected to talented full stack developers, what skills to look for, and the process of setting up an interview cycle.
Wellfound data shows full stack developers are the most common engineering role startups hire for. With various projects and smaller teams, a more “generalist” role like a full stack developer is often one of the best places to start. While full stack developers may not specialize in one specific type of engineering, their versatility gives them the ability to move projects forward faster, troubleshoot issues, and provide input at various levels.
Search for candidates with knowledge and experience in the same technologies as your startup’s current codebase. Prioritizing skill matches in these technologies is important, but depending on the language, it can limit the pool you’re recruiting from. In these cases, it’s helpful to expand your search to those with experience in relevant technologies. Depending on a candidate’s level of experience, determine if you need a senior software engineer or other resources on the team to help train the hired candidate in a new language.Examples of relevant full stack developer experience:
“When you’re hiring your first engineer, my greatest piece of advice is to hire someone who you think has the potential to become a tech lead or senior engineer. They don’t need to necessarily be qualified for that role to begin with, but it will be essential in the long term.” - Wellfound Engineering
When hiring for generalist roles such as full stack developers, it’s often beneficial to hire someone with tech lead experience or who can (and is willing to) fill gaps as needed. Rather than worrying about if they’re more skilled in frontend or backend development, your ideal candidate is someone you can trust to be adaptable, thrive in an ambiguous environment, and be a self-starter.
On the other hand, if your team has strong management and tech leads in place, it can be helpful to hire based on what the team needs. For example, if you have 4 full-stack engineers who are more specialized in backend development, you may consider hiring a full stack developer with strong frontend experience. If you’re hiring for junior engineer, have a senior engineer in place to train newer engineers.
At startups, hire candidates who have a founder-like curiosity. These are the type of employees who are always questioning ways they could make the product better. They’re in tune with the company’s strategy and want to be a part of the conversation. When they find an issue or an opportunity, they’ll proactively voice it or tackle it on their own. While not every employee needs to have a “founder-like” mentality, having folks like this on the team can be especially impactful on smaller teams.
So how can you identify this type of talent?
Look for a candidate who is aligned with the product you’re creating. They should be someone who likes to take ownership; they come up with ideas of their own and want to see them through.
When it comes to hiring at a startup, one of the biggest differentiators of a candidate’s experience could be their experience (or lack thereof) at other startups as a full stack developer. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you: working at a corporation vs. a startup presents starkly different challenges.
Large companies often have structures and resourcing which many startups may not have: multiple PMs, frameworks to follow, various engineering teams and specialties, multiple levels of management, etc. Evaluating your current company setup can help you understand how important this is. If the candidate only has corporate experience, you’ll want to assess how you think they could adapt to startup culture or vice versa.
When looking at past experiences for a full stack developer to hire, also consider the following:
One of the most common topics regarding hiring is around “culture” fit. When it comes to startups especially, every new employee impacts the culture of the company. But what does it mean for a candidate to be a good culture fit for the company?
When hiring full stack developers, assess the setup of your startup and team and identify what kind of soft skills would be complementary. If you have a large team of engineers, the ability to collaborate could be crucial. Can they pair program successfully? Can they work with cross-functional partners well? If your company is remote, can they work across multiple time zones? Do they work well in remote cultures? Understanding what types of soft skills complement your company and team’s culture will help immensely in the hiring process.
When looking to hire a backend engineer, the most common codebases are Ruby on Rails, Nodejs, and Java. For frontend engineering roles, it’s Javascript, with React.js and Angular frameworks. A full stack developer will have experience in both frontend and backend programming languages.
When hiring for an engineer, look for a skill match. Search on Wellfound for the specific coding language you are interested in hiring for, but also in certain instances be open to coding languages similar to the ones your startup uses. Best practices would also be to include the codebase you’re looking to hire for in your job posting for visibility to the candidate.
Companies can always post a job and review applicants on Wellfound for free. When posting a job, it’s important to write a job description to will attract the right talent.
On Wellfound, you can also find candidates by sourcing for them — meaning, instead of posting a job and waiting for candidates to apply, you can find potential candidates and pitch your opportunity directly to them.
The majority of candidates on Wellfound are specifically interested in joining a startup. With Source, we’ll tell you key information including which candidates are actively looking for a job, what skills they have, their ideal salary, and more.
When sourcing for full stack developers on Wellfound, we suggest starting your search with the following:
From there, you’ll see different lists appear based on whether they are passive candidates (open to interviews, but not actively looking), active candidates (actively looking and ready to interview), or curated candidates (ready to interview and have been vetted and recommended by our team).
One other way of connecting with full stack developers — especially within the startup community — is through different communities or events. Here’s a list of a few full stack communities you can get in touch with to connect with talented full stack developers:
Events
Communities
Discord Channels
Hackathons
Hiring your first engineer? Read our blog post for more information on how to hire your first engineer in 5 steps.
Determine a competitive salary you can offer candidates by comparing market data. Take a look at levels.fyi, a popular tool among engineer candidates to see the ranges of salaries in the market. You can also leverage Welllfound's salary tool to see how your offer stacks up against other jobs on our platform.
If you can’t meet a competitive salary and still want to hire top engineering talent, double down on the benefits with the offer. Is there equity or other compensation you can provide? Are there unique company benefits? Walk candidates through the additional benefits beyond salary during the negotiation phase.
We’ve reviewed how to determine the type of full stack engineer to hire, how to find full stack developers for your team, and how to set up your hiring process — now you’re ready to start looking 👀 Post your job on Wellfound and start sourcing top full stack developers from around the world today.
A full stack developer manages both front end (client-facing) and back end (server) development. Full stack developers are well-versed in different programming languages for both ends of the development process and can build various technical operations, programs, softwares, and tools. They are masters in coding languages (e.g., HTML and CSS) and specialize in various front end programming frameworks (e.g., Java, React, jQuery, Angular, or Vue) and back end programming frameworks (e.g., PHP, ASP, Python, or Node). Full stack developers can work across a variety of industries and areas of work, including gaming, mobile apps, and software development.
Rapid growth (or anticipated growth), tech stack set up, identifying an MVP product or service, and missing skill sets are some of the reasons startups begin seeking full stack developer talent to enhance their existing engineering team. Wellfound’s all-in-one free recruiting platform makes hiring the best full stack developer talent for your startup simple. Request access and start reviewing fully vetted, top developers today.
Full stack developers possess expert level proficiency in the following skills and frameworks: Coding languages (HTML , CSS), Front end frameworks (e.g., Java, React, jQuery, Angular, or Vue), Back end frameworks (e.g., PHP, ASP, Python, or Node), database management, leadership, and innovation. Full stack developers on Wellfound are pre-vetted and qualified for these skill sets, and more, by our internal teach of technical sourcers.
Wellfound’s full stack developers represent the top 1% of developers across the US. With more than 2M+ developers on Wellfound, we represent over 100 different specializations and various skill and experience levels.
Wellfound developer pool consists of common developer roles, including software developers, front-end developers, back-end developers, and more. Our global pool of developers also includes more specialized talent including candidates in mobile, gaming, data science, and security.
Yes! Wellfound developers represent multiple disciplines from all over the world. With Wellfound you can access highlight qualified candidates in SF, LA, NY, & Remote within the US. We also include vetted remote talent from Latin America, Europe, and India.
Our in-house team of recruiting experts reviews every candidate before featuring them to you. We vet developers based on their skills (using skill-based assessments and videos) and intent signals to ensure they are top-tier candidates.
Yes! Wellfound developers are fully vetted and interview-ready. Get started on Wellfound today and begin pitching developers who are eager to work for your startup.
Wellfound’s all-in-one recruiting platform includes a suite of free products and services designed to help you hire top tech talent 3x faster. With AngelList you can source & pitch candidates, post jobs, review applicants, message & track candidates with our ATS, and make an offer to hire all for free. Get started today to begin sourcing from 8 million startup-ready candidates with all the tools you need to hire.