A Guide to Hiring a Full Stack Developer

Tech Recruitment

Elena Kononchuk, Recruiting Team Leader

May 12, 2020

Recently full stack developers have become very popular specialists. However, finding a highly qualified full stack programmer (as any good employee) is a somewhat tricky task that requires an integrated approach and some time.

Which Full Stack Developers Do You Need?

Full Stack developers take part of all web application development phases, from building server logic and its implementation with different technologies and frameworks, to creating client code which is run directly in the browser.

The primary task of the programmer is to ensure the creation of the actual basis of the app, which will be able to withstand the increasing functional load (like numerous features and components).

Along with technicalities of web programming, this kind of specialists have to understand design to a certain extent.

To write a genuinely high-quality web application, you must provide a flawless user experience.

Over time, such talent will become increasingly in demand.

As a rule, full stack engineers specialize in working with a particular stack. The most popular are the MEAN and LAMP stacks.

MEAN stack developer

It’s a set of technologies based on Java.

MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and Node.js – these are the components of this abbreviation.

The entire MEAN stack is written in JavaScript at the client, server, and database levels.

LAMP stack developer

LAMP is an abbreviation, too; it includes four popular technologies: Linux – an operating system; Apache – the web server; MySQL – DBMS; PHP – a programming language.

To understand which technology is proper, consider specifics of your business.

You need to understand what type of application you are going to develop.

We have described only the most frequently used stacks; in general, programmers can use another combination of technologies in his work.

The key point when choosing a specialist is whether the programmer possesses the techniques of both front-end and back-end development.

Hiring Full Stack Developers Remote and In-House

There are several methods to hire full stack developer, each with its pros and cons.

Hire Offshore Dedicated Development Team

If your project is long-term, hire dedicated team or set up an offshore development center. These programmers will become part of your team from nearshore outsourcing location or offshore location, but such issues as the provision of equipment, office rental, full stack developer salary payment, etc. remain under the purview of the contractor. The team will work on your project full-time five days a week, taking into account all your wishes and comments. So, having an idea about each of the proposed methods, you can easily choose the proper one for your project.

Work With In-house Recruitment

The most popular recruitment approach is to look for a programmer on your own. Use job sites where jobs are posted or browse resume databases. Special in-house recruiters can also do this task; however, since they might be incompetent in the field of programming, it is likely that the right candidate will be eliminated only because of an incorrect resume. The search through social networks is gaining popularity nowadays.Interesting candidates can be found in programming communities on Facebook. In addition, do not forget about particular professional social networks, such as LinkedIn, for example. These methods have two main drawbacks – usually such searches are time-consuming and quite expensive.

Get Help from Recruitment Agencies

There are recruitment agencies that will pick you a suitable specialist. Usually, they have an extensive resume database, but their services are quite expensive. In addition to all that, keep in mind the fact that if the labor market is small, and you have already done your research without positive results, then there is a risk that these agencies will not find any new employees. Finally, they will send you resumes of the same candidates you have, probably, interviewed earlier.

Find Freelance Developers

Another option is finding freelancers to perform current tasks. They are located on specialized websites, such as Upwork, for example. But if you hire full stack developer on freelance, please note that in addition to your project, he is likely to lead a few more. Perhaps this will not affect the quality of work, but will this person have enough time to work with you if he/she has five more such customers?

Work With Outsourcing companies

If your project is temporary and does not imply constant employment, then it makes sense to use the services of a contractor, i.e., project-based development. But this option has two significant drawbacks. The first is that if the project implementation is delayed, the risk of overpaying is significant since the contractor’s team’s rate per hour is usually quite high. And the second – the contractor creates a team of people already hired.

20 Questions to Hire Best Full Stack Developers

Now you know where and how to find a full stack engineer, and finally, let’s determine what needs to be done to choose the ideal candidate.

Here is a list of possible full stack developer interview questions; it is not exhaustive (you can add something or shorten it at your discretion), but it allows to learn what soft and hard skills your potential employees obtain and how they can use them.

We have divided these questions into several categories for your convenience.

Inquiry about employment history:

Tell us about a project that you are truly proud of.
Tell us about a project that disappointed you.
Most challenging thing for you in programming.
What do you like about programming?
How do you test applications, what do you think about it?
Do you follow the latest professional trends and what are your favorite books/speakers?
Which development environment is your favorite?

Interview questions about management skills:

Tell us about personal qualities that help you in your work.
Tell us about the problem you successfully solved outside of programming.
How would your colleagues describe you?
Imagine that you are unable to solve a programming problem. What will you do?
Programming in pairs. What is your opinion? Have you had such an experience?
Have you ever worked with the customers or did you interact with them somehow directly?

Questions to test full stack engineer skills:

Please describe the process of creating a web page/application.
Which tool do you consider to be the best in finding bugs?
Tell us about CORS. What do you know about it?
Can you explain the purpose of each type of HTTP request if you comply with RESTful requirements?
Which is the best way to integrate stylesheets to the website?
Explain the way you organize the JS code.
When creating an application, do you take into account SEO, UX, probably, security?

Which Skills Should Full Stack Developer Possess?

Note that full stack developer skills can be divided into technical (hard) and non-technical (soft) skills.

In terms of hard skills, here are the systems and competencies of such engineers:

1. Hosting (OS, computer in general, numerous supporting systems)
2. Application stack
3. Different web applications
4. The toolkit both of backend (manipulating of different databases and frameworks) and frontend developer (the expertise of UX design and its instruments)

All full stack developer skills we’ve mentioned above are meant to implement a development cycle correctly.

Admittedly, we haven’t described each of the points in detail – this is a theme of a separate article.

And now let’s take a look at the soft skills a programmer should have.

A fact that you should take into consideration when thinking how to find a full stack developer is that an excellent specialist should be on the same page with both frontend and backend specialists and have strong communication skills.

He/she stays in touch with all the latest tendencies in programming and has a constant craving for improving his/her skills.

And, for sure, this person should have a deep understanding of the customer’s needs.

Full Stack Developers Salaries Across the Globe

There is an opinion that when it comes to full stack developer salary, UK can offer the highest rate. But we found out that this opinion is wrong. We have analyzed several sources and prepared a salary survey.

You can find actual salaries for 2020 in our Research on most popular outsourcing countries (+salaries)

If you want to hire Full Stack developer in Ukraine our article about developers salaries in Ukraine will be helpful for you.

Country	Java full stack developer	Full stack JavaScript developer	Full stack Ruby developer	Full stack Node.js developer	Full stack PHP developer	Full stack mobile developer
Australia	$99,000	$105,000	$115,000	$90,000	$95,000	$102,000
Canada	$83,000	$90,000	$146,000	$107,000	$82,500	$93,000
Denmark	$65,000	$70,000	$72,000	$57,000	$73,000	$70,500
Germany	$74,000	$74,000	$79,500	$74,000	$74,500	$62,500
Israel	$84,000	$43,500	$61,000	$86,000	$79,000	$90,000
Sweden	$66,000	$85,000	$60,000	$62,000	$47,500	$96,000
Switzerland	$156,000	$143,000	$100,000	$100,000	$80,000	$110,000
UK	$64,000	$64,500	$71,000	$67,500	$44,000	$58,000
Ukraine	$34,800	$31,800	$36,000	$36,000	$30,000	$25,200
USA	$120,500	$87,000	$135,000	$97,000	$101,000	$112,000

Based on our research, developers from Switzerland and the USA charge the most, with a Java full stack developer salary and full stack mobile developer salaries exceeding $110,000 there.

In Australia, the highest-paying programmers are mobile, JS, and Ruby development specialists.

In Canada, Ruby full stack devs enjoy the highest popularity and charge over $146,000 per year.

The UK salaries for full stack development appeared to range from $44,000 (PHP) to $71,000 (Ruby).

Salaries in Germany, Denmark and Sweden are slightly higher, with the base level of $57,000-$62,500 per year.

The programmers’ income in Israel were found to range broadly, with the JS developer earning around $43,500, while a mobile developer may expect to receive around $90,000 per year.

What Is Full Stack Developer Salary in Ukraine?

After skyrocketing developer rates in the USA or Switzerland, you will be surprised by the rates that Ukrainian programmers charge.

We took the average salaries of full stack devs in Kyiv and here is what we got:

If you need entry-level specialists, then be ready to pay $13,000 to JavaScript programmer as well as PHP programmer. Junior Java devs will cost you around $18,000 and mobile – $14,500. As for Ruby and Node.js devs, they are the most expensive – $20,500.

Mid-level and senior full stack devs in Kyiv charge from $30,000 on average. This is the price for PHP developer. As for the other technologies: Java – $$34,800, JavaScript – $31,800, Ruby & Node.js – $36,000. Mobile full stack programmers cost from $25,200.

If you are willing to hire full stack developer who can provide a high-quality result, and at the same time will not cost you too much, we recommend you to pay attention to Ukrainian programmers.

Our company has contacts of highly qualified specialists, and together we will select a candidate who can help with the resolution of the functions of your business.

Additional reading for you: How Much It Cost to Outsource Software Development?

10 Reasons to Hire Full Stack Developers With Qubit Labs

With Qubit Labs software development services, you may get the team set up quickly and effectively.

Here are some benefits of working with us:

Best Ukrainian Full Stack Developers. Resumes of the best developers from Ukraine compile our database. We carefully select each of the candidates. With our help, you can hire full stack engineers to complete all your tasks correctly.

- Fast Hiring We begin the search for a suitable specialist immediately after signing the agreement with the client – it usually takes no more than six weeks to find full stack developer.
- Various Hiring Models. We can help you hire full stack engineers as well as select a dedicated team for a project – it all depends on your wishes.
- Certified IT Recruiters. Recruiters from Qubit Labs have a vast experience in choosing suitable candidates based on the full stack developers’ resume analysis and personal interviews.
- Direct Communication. The entire process of communication with recruiters will be carried out directly, without intermediaries to avoid misunderstanding and for your maximum convenience.
- Loyalty Program. For regular customers, we offer an attractive loyalty program. Thus, when you hire Qubit Labs to find you a team over 5 persons, you’ll receive substantial discounts.
- Soft Skills Check. When analyzing every full stack developer resume, we carefully check not only the technical (hard) skills but also non-technical (soft) ones. We understand that the right specialist combines both.
- Direct Interviews with Candidates. To help you choose the best possible employee, we will organize direct interviews with candidates for any position.
- Legal Support. Before we start cooperation, we sign NDA to protect both sides legally and protect your data.
- Social Packages. We guarantee numerous social benefits for your team. We provide health insurance, team buildings and other activities for your staff.
Full Stack Developer Resumes

We are ready to provide you with professional assistance in finding and supporting candidates.

You may familiarize yourself with the level of competence of the employees by downloading sample of availbale full stack developer resumes:

Full Stack Developer 1 CV

Full Stack Developer 2 CV

The question “how to find a full stack engineer” is not a problem anymore!

Let’s create your dream team together!

Contact Qubit Labs for detailed consultations – our managers will accompany you at all stages of selection and help you find and hire full stack developer ideally fitting your company and project.