Best Practices

How to Hire a Web Developer that Will Be a Match for Your Project?

Updated on
March 30, 2023

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Hiring a web developer isn’t tricky. But hiring a web developer that meets your needs is a tough call. Our goal at Uptech is to help startups and established businesses build profitable products. After 150+ successfully launched projects, we have firmly established our customer-centric approach to app development and industry know-how, resulting in our client’s remarkable growth and long-term partnership.

In this article, we will help you figure out what kind of developer you need, how to do successful research, and set up an effective partnership with your development team. 

Things to Figure Out Before Hiring a Web Developer

So you have decided to hire a developer. What’s next? Firstly, ask yourself a few questions to help you figure out whom you want to see on your project. 

hire web developer

Why Are You Hiring?

Is it the launch of a new project? Or is it the expansion of an existing one? 

Either way, you need to figure out what you expect from a new employee at this stage of the project development. Maybe you want him/her to take on some critical processes, become a team lead, or even manage a team of foreign freelancers – all of these factors influence your choice. 

What Are Your Expectations?

Just imagine: a new web developer joins your team. So what’s next? How do you see the result in 6 months or a year? Figure out the expected changes for a short or long term and conclude if it’s realistically possible.

hire web developer

What’s Your Product’s Vision?

Your product's vision will define the goals that'll take you there. Before enrolling in any collaboration with developers, take your time to think and answer the following questions: 

  • What users' needs will your product satisfy? How will it do it? 
  • Will your product provide a different solution as compared to the competitors? 
  • What values will your product bring to the customer? 

Once you have answered these questions, it will be easier for you to make a project estimation and outline the tasks you need to complete. Based on this, hiring the right web developer will be a piece of cake. 


How to Hire Web Developers: 3 Existing Employment Models

hire web developer


The specifics of your project will define the way you will collaborate with your development team. Explore these pros and cons to choose the model that suits your project best. 

Hiring a Web Developer In-House: Opt For Full Commitment

The first option that comes along in assembling a team of developers is hiring in-house. This means employing a professional who will be fully committed to your project with no by-side duties. When you hire a person in-house, you take responsibility for the working environment, equipment, insurance, personal benefits, etc. 

Pros of In-House Hiring

  • The total commitment of the employee; 
  • The employee ingrained in the company’s culture; 
  • In-house employment leads to more input and involvement; 
  • The in-house developer will be more aware of the developments in the company. 

Cons of In-House Hiring

  • Responsibility of providing suitable working conditions and equipment; 
  • Only full-time employment option.
hire web developer

Hiring a Freelance Web Developer: Take Advantage of Freedom

Cooperation on a freelance-basis has been a widely-used option for company owners. Sometimes you cannot ensure full-time employment for a person you hire, so opting for freelance can suit you better. 

Pros of Freelance

  • No need to provide working equipment; 
  • The scope of employment is optional.

Cons of Freelance

  • A freelance worker can be involved in other projects, which means less commitment;
  • Complicated onboarding process.
hire app developer


Hiring web developers as an outsource team

The most popular option among business owners these days is hiring web development team with the outsourcing collaboration model. Outsourcing web developers is a contract-based collaboration mode, where an outsourcing company  provides the IT-reliant business processes, application services, and infrastructure solutions.

This model has become more relevant this year, as the pandemic has given way to widespread remote collaboration. In 2023, spending on IT services is projected to reach around $1.4 trillion worldwide.

hire outsource web developer


Pros of Outsource Hiring

  • No responsibility for the working equipment and documentation;
  • You may choose the company with the proper experience;
  • Contract-based collaboration;
  • You can scale up and scale down the outsourcing team based on the project’s needs;
  • Redcued hiring, onboarding, firing expenses;
  • The best price&quality ratio.

Cons of Outsource Hiring

  • Lack Of Control
  • Possible Communication Issues
Check out 10 Outsourcing Problems: Why Do They Arise And How To Solve Them?
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Why Hiring Web Developers as an Outsourced Team Is The Best Choice

For 7+ years of working with startups and established businesses, clients came to us for different reasons. But there are two main motives why companies choose IT outsourcing:

  • 65% said outsourcing helps them focus on core functions;
  • 63% mentioned cost-cutting as a key benefit of outsourcing.

According to Deloitte's research.

When we ask our clients why they pick us, they often say that they hire Uptech web developers because of the following reasons:

  • They get access to the pool of tech talents;
  • We ask questions and give professional advice;
  • They solve capacity issues.

The need for outsourcing is hard to overestimate. 92% of G2000 companies are already outsourcing, and 60% of organizations are outsourcing app development specifically. Google, Facebook, and Slack are companies that hire outsourcing teams.

If you have just a raw idea and no team, outsourcing a web app development company is the best option. We will help you develop your app end-to-end in the shortest possible time.

In another case, when you already have a product but need an extra hand of help or an external point of view, we also have something to offer. With our tech expertise in web development, fresh ideas, and a dedicated team, the app development process becomes faster and smooth.

hiring web developers cost

How to Hire Web Developers: 3 Outsourcing Models to Choose From

Hiring web developer is a common practice amonng startups and established businesses. Because of the great demand, there are different options of outsourcing web developers that suits different prjetcs.  You can adapt outsourcing cooperation to your needs and choose a collaboration model that suits your project best. Here are three of the most popular options:

Dedicated team

A dedicated team is a model where a client and a developers’ team collaborate on a long-term basis. This model implies the team’s full commitment and a guarantee that a developer will not take on projects from other clients. 

Time & Materials

The time and material formula is where a customer pays for the hours spent for the product development and completed amount of work. 

Fixed-price model

In this model, the budget and timeline are predefined before the project starts. The client pays the amount agreed in the contract, regardless of any blockers that occur during the project. 

hire web developer


How to Hire Web Developers Team That’s Right for You: 7 Steps

When you look for a web developer to hire, we recommend following these seven steps.  It will help you find a suitable person for your project.

Step 1 – Outline your business needs

Before jumping right into the Internet surfing and googling "how to hire a web developer," you should do some homework. Defining your business needs will give you a clear understanding of which web developers will suit your project the best. Think of the following questions:

  • Why do I need to hire an outsourced web developer?
  • What are the min and max times of our collaboration?
  • What do I expect to get in the result?
  • What is the scope of work?

Step 2 – Define the developer’s skills needed

There are different types of web developers' skills, and you should know exactly what you need and if you need just one developer or maybe more.  

  • Front-end developers make changes to the front of your site – the main responsibility is to ensure that users can easily interact with the website.

Web languages front-end developers use: HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, Node.JS, ASP.NET, React.JS, Angular 8,and other technologies.

  • Back-end developers make changes to the website architecture, hidden behind the front-end – the main responsibility is to ensure that website works with no errors.

Web languages/databases back-end developers use: PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, SQL, and others.

  • Full-stack developers make changes to both the front and back-end of websites. Note that full-stack developers have a higher hourly rate, compared to the developers focused on one part of development, but, in the end, it is cheaper to hire one front-end specialist than the front and back-end developers.

Step 3 – List your selection criteria

The choice is always about compromise. To hire a web developer that matches your project, you need to understand what you can compromise and what is your top priority. There are a few key things you should think of:

  • Country of outsourcing;
  • Level of experience in your industry;
  • Tech skills;
  • Soft skills;
  • Price;

We suggest making a table and ranking these points from the most critical to the least important.

Step 4 – Ask for recommendations

When you pass all the previous steps, you have a clearer picture of the web developer you need, and now it's time to ask for recommendations.

In web app development outsourcing, asking for advice is very common and useful. Ask your friends or make a post on LinkedIn and ask people if they have some good web development companies in mind. If it doesn't work for you, you are free to ask the company that seems attractive for clients' feedback. For a reliable company, it won't be a problem.

Step 5 – Check the relevant websites

To hire a web development team, you need to know where to look for them and, more importantly, have some resources where you can compare your candidates. Here are the websites with the list of top web development companies:

  • Clutch – a B2B review platform where clients share their experience working with development companies.
  • Goodfirms – a B2B research and review platform for top technology, software & eCommerce development service companies.

Step 6 – Explore the company’s expertise

Before deciding on hiring a development team, review the team’s portfolio, cases, testimonials and try to determine whether the developers have the experience required in your field.  

Step 7 – Check the soft skills

Work isn't only about toiling. Likewise, employment isn't about choosing candidates based on hard skills. Outsource development usually involves a long-term journey. So isn’t it essential to share this journey with amicable candidates? We guess it is. So our recommendation is to talk about the candidate’s values and goals, ask him/her about his inspiration, and see if there is chemistry between you and the candidate.

Hiring Web App Developer Process at Uptech

With 7 years of experience in the outsourcing market, we help startup companies and enterprises to build the products they dream of. We helped to develop profitable products with product market fit for companies on Fortune 500, Inc. 5000 lists and fast scale-up teams for technology startups. Our customer-centric approach to app development and industry know-how results in our client’s remarkable growth and our long-term partnership. Among our clients are:

To help our clients make the right choice, we take the following steps during the hiring process:

Introduction call

Once a potential client has requested to work with us, we hold an introductory meeting to discuss goals, timelines, and budget. We make an intro call to know more about the client and define if we are a fit.

Project estimation

Following the introduction, we make the general evaluation of the project and tasks included to discuss the team involvement; 

Interview with the team

Once the tasks are defined, we gather a team of developers who have the proper expertise and set up an interview with the client; 

Start of collaboration

Finally, we hold a kick-off call to set the start date and make a contract. 

hire web developer


We focus on business value, user needs, not only on sophisticated code. We suggest improvements and alternatives, make changes, and evolve continuously. Uptech developers suggest how to reduce the scope, cut the cost, choose more suitable tool.

With our experienced team, you can scale up to meet your growth. Contact us if you have a project to collaborate.

Conclusion

Hiring web developers for your project takes time and effort. However, having a crystal-clear vision of your product makes it twice easier. As a product development studio, Uptech can help you bring clarity to your product's vision and turn it into flawless codes. Tell us about your idea, and we will pull our efforts to make it come true.


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Let’s build your next product! Share your idea or request a free consultation from us.

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