Hiring a full-stack engineer is a game of skills. In today’s IT era, the more skills you have in your stack, the more you are likely to be chosen for big projects. Hiring a full-stack engineer for even smaller projects seems logical in a way to cover all the targets with 1 or 2 full-stack developers. A full-stack developer is a programmer who has the expertise of both ends to offer smooth user experience and this is the reason they are in great demand today and hiring a full-stack engineer is the big trend in the It industry right now.

A full-stack engineer understands the business requirements behind a feature and then takes “full responsibility” on the application. Though hiring a full-stack engineer is not that easy and there are a number of things to be considered before getting a one onboard. Today, hiring a full-stack engineer is of paramount importance because business owners want to get off their technical burden so that they can focus on thriving the business. This is when the true value of the full stack arises.

Before looking at the expert recommendations of hiring a full-stack engineer, let’s take a brief account of What is a full stack developer. In layman’s terms, a full stack web developer is a coder who can work with both front-end and back-end technologies. A full-stack software engineer builds a site or any web application completely by applying techniques and business logic. A full-stack developer gives an overall infrastructure to the software. If you are hiring a full-stack engineer, this is a basic construct that you have to know. A full-stack developer is the one who apprehends the whole full-stack web development process and can weigh in on any stage or tier. As a side note, this kind of full-stack web developer could be very useful to startups.

“You are a computer. If you become front-end you’ll count the likes on social media. If you become back-end you’ll be breathing deep on a mountain. Listen! one life man. Become a Full-stack.”

― Chetan M. Kumbhar

Let us get you through what a full-stack engineer entails and what are the recommendations when you are hiring a full-stack engineer for your next emerging project/application.

1. Good with Git

Git is considered as one of the supreme version control systems which a full-stack engineer has to be good with. While hiring full-stack engineers, it is important to check whether they know how to work with Git and have their profile on Github or not. It is a must-have for all full-stack developers working independently or even in a team to have their profile on Github and the complete knowledge of Git which is an open-source web-based repository hosting service that aids effective management of the changes made to applications, websites, codes, documents, and other information relating to application development.

Recommended Reading: When and Why does your Business needs to Hire Full Stack Developers

Proficiency with GIT allows programmers to keep track of every minor change made to the application codebase. A full-stack developer who uses a version control software discovers a new universe of security, productivity, and organization. Experts recommend checking whether one is good with Git or not before hiring a full-stack engineer. If not, then he is not the one. If he knows how it works, then he would be able to cooperate with other software developers, web developers, and programmers working on the same project successfully.

2. Technical Head

Full-stack developers work in both backend and frontend so being a technical ‘head’ is a must to head the technical part of the project. They should have a comprehensive understanding of the project requirements and cater to the needs more efficiently. For building web applications, one needs to store the data somewhere that can be accessed later. Otherwise, none of it makes sense. For this, you must hire a full stack developer who understands the benefits of memory storage, relational databases.

Full-stack developers need to be capable of making the right decisions, which proves to be effective for the project’s success. Full-stack developers should be proficient to beat the database management with the capability to create, understand, and manipulate the database query.

Recommended Reading: Top 10 Freelance Full Stack Engineers around the World

One more thing that differentiates a good full-stack engineer from others is the skill to differentiate between non-relational and relational database along with the syntax knowledge of XML/ JSON. They often play the role of a captain of the ship who is anchoring the software ship through different paths.

3. Computer Polyglot

A full-stack developer is the one who performs brilliantly, both on the back end and the front-end. And therefore, it is mandatory for a full stack developer to be well-versed in all the computer languages. The developer must know JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, and should be expert in any of the back-end development languages. It is important today to have a command over JavaScript because it is one of the most popular object-oriented scripting languages on the Internet today which is widely used for a scripting language to add behaviors using HTML.

Language is something that grows with time. The same is with computer languages too. In JavaScript too, there are new and better libraries, frameworks, and tools that you have to know. It is the only language that runs natively in the browser, and can also be used on the server-side (i.e., along with Node.js). The Full Stack developer needs to have very in-depth knowledge about the JavaScript framework and its features, such as Angular or React. Since it offers exquisite features such as functions, prototype, higher-order event delegation, and closure to make web pages responsive. Hence, full-stack software engineers should be comfortable with the required technologies which lay the foundation of the web development project.

4. Lender of last resort

Like a central bank that lends money to banks or countries in difficult financial periods when they cannot borrow from anywhere else, Full stack developers provide full-stack web development to clients or companies when they are in technical needs. They are like a solution-finder to any possible situation, the one who can manage and direct smaller teams.

Experts recommend that while Developing an MVP or Commencing a Project, It is good to start with an individual full-stack developer who can begin from scratch and work with all the application components to create excellent web apps. To develop a Minimum Viable Product(MVP), you can easily bet on good full-stack engineers to turn your idea into a fully functional prototype.

One of the many advantages of hiring a full-stack engineer is that they can literally save a lot of your money when the budget is going right. Yes, when you have a tight budget in hand and cannot afford the services of a specialized developer for different roles like frontend and backend, full-stack developers come to your rescue. A full-stack engineer is Worth the cost of at least two developers (1 front-end, 1 back-end dev). You don’t have to pay separately to each front-end and back-end developer, instead of hiring a full-stack developer will suffice your requirements.

5. Web Architect

One important skill to be considered while hiring a full-stack engineer is his ability to see the ‘Big Picture’ because it is not just about seeing how each brick fits into a wall but how that wall supports other parts of the building. A full-stack engineer builds software with the strong walls of code. Like it is a bonus when a civil engineer is also an architect, similarly, a full-stack engineer who also is a web architect is a man to count upon endless IT solutions.

As said before the full-stack developer handles both the sides; the client and the server along with UI design etc. Therefore, he must possess knowledge of HTML, CMS, and JavaScript. For the Front-end, he must be well acquainted with JavaScript frameworks like Angular, React, or Vue.js. or tools such as Grunt, Gulp, and Bower. He needs to get updated on JavaScript libraries like jQuery or Backbone.js. The knowledge of AJAX and front-end CSS frameworks like Foundation or Bootstrap would certainly be an added advantage.

Therefore, the full-stack developer that you look to lead your project technically, must have adequate knowledge and understanding of the business needs besides the technical terms.

6. Jack of all trades, master of one

A full-stack developer is someone who can specialize in developing and maintaining the various aspects of web development that include the client-side, the server-side, and the Dev-Ops as well. As a client, you also need to take care of hiring a full-stack engineer who is competent enough to handle the big picture of the scenario and well-versed in all the three activities.

Recommended Reading: Top 10 Websites to Hire Freelance Full Stack Developers

A full-stack developer needs to have a grasp on a few major technologies. He or she should be well versed in a single language but should know other languages too. However, at the same time, it is important to note that all full-stack developers are not sailing on the same boat. They possess basic knowledge of the stack and specialize in a particular domain of the stack. We can cite the examples of MEAN, LAMP, ROR, and ASP.NET technologies.

Hence, a full stack web developer is a jack of all trades and master of one. A good full stack developer knows everything about full-stack web development to the database to the user interface to user experience. He or she possesses expert command over both back end and front-end languages and technologies.

7. Experienced Player

If you think that the one who is proficient with the above mentioned 6 skills is the Full Stack developer you should hire then you are mistaken. As a client, you must go through the portfolio of a full-stack developer and access his previous works and projects to see his potential. You also need to keep in mind that the full-stack developer you hire is not only talented in creating visually appealing app designs but they should be functional too and run optimally fast. So while hiring a full-stack engineer, go for a serious candidate who has diverse experience on the resume and a portfolio site of his own.

In the end, experience matters, it is all about creating a good product and hiring someone who has worked on relevant projects. Look for someone who has worked on large scale projects with good experience in the industry. An experienced developer must have a good portfolio of previous projects, before hiring, ask him to show the work samples or the website links so that you will have an idea about his skills. It does not mean eliminating inexperienced developers, they are starting in the industry and willing to learn more on the job so you should give them a chance on smaller projects if they have all the other skills. Hiring a productive full stack developer might be a tiring job and it would certainly take some time but remember, in the end, it would be worth it.

“It’s better to wait for a productive programmer to become available than it is to wait for the first available programmer to become productive.”

– Steve McConnell

The more complicated projects, the more skilled full-stack developers you need. Often, new tech projects require more of an investigator and solution-finder kind of developers, rather than of direct action. Recruitment managers know that hiring a good full stack developer could be a challenge. To overcome this challenge, you can hire full-stack developers from EngineerBabu directly. Hiring a Full-Stack Engineer from EngineerBabu ensures that the developer is an expert as well as experienced in delivering world-class products.

The post 7 Expert Recommendations when Hiring a Full Stack Engineer appeared first on EngineerBabu Blog.

Before signing up on any freelance platform to hire a freelance full stack developer, it is first important to know how each platform works under the hood. You may find each of the platforms functioning in a similar way but they are fundamentally different in terms of the talent pool, vetting, pricing, and support. When you hire full stack developers then you must test and check developers’ technical knowledge, developers recently completed project, developers project development process. etc. If you find all things are good in that freelance full stack developer then you continue with that full stack developer and its team.

Recommended Reading: Top 10 Freelance Full Stack Engineers

You can hire freelance full stack developers from freelancing websites and review-based websites. Let’s look at top 10 websites to hire freelance full stack developers:

1. Toptal

Toptal is indeed a top platform to hire freelance full-stack developers. Developer vertical is Toptal’s bread and butter. The main reason to keep Toptal at the top is their elite developer base. A global remote company is a professional talent matching service that connects businesses with software engineers, designers, and business consultants. Developers need to pass a very difficult 5 step interview process to get onboard on Toptal. It takes a month to finish a normal interview (including a 2-weeks test-project). This seems a bit longer than the usual hiring process on other platforms but this is what makes Toptal a platform of top developers around the globe. According to Toptal, only 3% of applicants make it through their battery of technical tests and their comprehensive vetting process. So if you want to hire an expert full stack developer, who builds a brilliant product with exceptional code then Toptal is likely your best option.

“ Community is another strong advantage of Toptal, as Toptal member, I can communicate, discuss, and learn with other Toptalers in order to improve my skills and knowledge. Toptal has a great team of professional editors and recruiters, I am so grateful with their help in order to make a professional profile and be more confident at Toptal.”

– Vu Quang Hoa

2. Upwork

Upwork is one of the most popular freelance marketplaces consisting of over 12 million contractors. It empowers businesses with more flexible access to talent solutions. It is a platform from where you can choose your freelance full stack developer among proven professionals. Upwork is a leading website to hire freelancers to scale their teams dynamically to meet business needs. Upwork’s main mission is to provide opportunities to skilled professionals to make their lives better. The community of freelancers working remotely via Upwork spans many categories including software development, web development, sales and marketing, creative & design, finance & accounting, consulting, operations and customer support. Hence, Upwork isn’t a platform exclusive to developers. Thousands of freelance full stack developers are available to hire through the network, but you’ll have to vet and interview them yourself unlike Toptal which does it for you. An advantage of Upwork for employers is that they can browse thousands of profiles, check work history, comments, and reviews for freelancers. Another advantage Upwork offers is its secure payment system.

“I’ve used Upwork on both sides. Once you’re all set up (including connecting payment, any verifications, ect.), it’s fairly straightforward to use. It’s easy to communicate with applicants, create job listings, and sort through proposals from applicants. Additionally, you can also search for freelancers with certain criteria and skills and send them invitations to interview/discuss the role. In my experience, there’s a lot less “spam” or applicants that aren’t qualified (you can set up qualifiers in your post).”

– Linda M

3. GitHub Jobs

GitHub is the niche website dedicated to developers hence it can be the best place to search for the perfect remote full stack developer. Instead of searching for a full stack developer on general job boards, it is better to go to the right place and get it done. So, Github is that right place for you. GitHub is the most popular code treasure house in the market today, attracting millions of independent developers and tech companies. GitHub, Inc. is a US-based global company that provides hosting for software development version control using Git. It is a subsidiary of Microsoft.

Recommended Reading: Best Way to Hire Developers for Remote Jobs

Projects on GitHub can be accessed and manipulated using the standard Git command-line interface and all of the standard Git commands work with it. GitHub also allows registered and unregistered users to browse public repositories on the site. Hence, it is the world’s largest community of developers to discover, share, and build better software. Key features of Github are Code review, Project management, Integrations, Actions, Packages, Security, Team management and Hosting. Github no doubt is Best For Software development for both small startups to large enterprises.

“GitHub is a platform that is designed and geared towards collaboration on open source projects. I like it because we can contribute to the development or improvement of other people’s software. In addition, it also allows us to publish private projects, which can only be managed by members of our organization. It is easy to load the code of our apps using its version control system.”

4. StackOverflow

It is one of the trusted developer communities on the web where they believe in Developers first policy. So remote full stack developers never receive recruiter spam or see fake job listings on the site. Overflow’s job board is a spectacular site to search for qualified full stack developers. It is a privately held website, the flagship site of the Stack Exchange Network, created in 2008 by Jeff Atwood and Joel Spolsky. It features questions and answers on a wide range of topics in computer programming. Began as a question and answer site for professional and enthusiast programmers, Stack Overflow is now widely used as a spectacular site for dedicated remote hiring. The thing that makes StackOverflow different is the question and answer format for accessing the right information in less time. StackOverflow’s mission is to help developers write the script of the future. This means they help you find and hire skilled remote full stack developers for your business and provide them the tools they need to share knowledge and work effectively.

“Stack Overflow Teams has significantly improved our internal inter-team communication. Stack Overflow Teams allows us to use the ubiquitous and easy-to-use Stack Overflow Q&A format to provide thorough well-researched answers to questions that our Support team (and other employees) have regarding our product. Additionally, it allows managers to monitor (and quantify) the contributions of employees to the shared knowledge base through the reputation system. We routinely set quarterly goals for reputation.”

5. Codementor

As the name suggests, Codementor offers both mentorship for developers that need assistance, as well as developers to hire. It is a sub organization of Arc founded by Weiting Liu.

Codementor, based in Mountain View, California, United States provides an online  on-demand marketplace for instant one-on-one help for software developers by utilizing screen sharing, video and text chat, in order to replicate for users the experience of having a mentor for code reviewing, debugging, and online programming. Clients can get live 1:1 programming assistance on Codementor and hire world-class developers on CodementorX. Codementor, founded in 2013 has a wide community of 400,000+ world class full stack software engineers and is backed by Techstars, 500 Startups, Alibaba, and other prominent marketplace investors. This is an online platform to find experts for on-demand code review, developers to build features for your existing product or turn your idea into an MVP.

“Codementor is an excellent platform where you can find highly qualified programmers. The website is easy to navigate. I’ve had good luck finding very knowledgeable mentors who helped me with, sometimes, very complex projects. They also make sure you are satisfied with the work. The website administrators are very strict about customer satisfaction. I’ve had mentors refund my payment when they could not meet the deadline even after spending some time on the project.”

6. Arc

Arc is founded by Codementor’s founder Weiting Liu, unlike Codementor which provides mentorship programs, Arc is fully dedicated for hiring full stack developers to make working from home possible for every skilled professional so that he/she doesn’t have to move to silicon valley leaving their loved ones. Arc developers cover every tech stack and timezone, delivering complex projects under tight deadlines in a variety of industries. Their mission is to Empower talent to do work that matters from anywhere. Arc developers are problem-solvers and trusted team members. Martijn P. , Nirav S. , Ramon R. , Laszlo M. , Abe A. , Nick K. are some of the leading full stack developers at Arc. They’re a distributed team spanning 8 cities and 4 time zones.

“I highly recommend the Arc.dev platform. The platform has excellent integration with Toggle, The payout system is well designed, and the most crucial part “the job finding process” is smooth and transparent.”

– Cristian Marquez

7. Scalable Path

Founded by Damien Filiatrault in 2010, Scalable Path is  San Rafael, California Scalable Path is a technical staffing agency with thousands of full stack software developers from over 138 countries, headquartered in San Francisco. For 10 years, they have been serving as a proprietary hiring platform to accelerate the hiring process so our clients can focus on their core business. Their personal service is what sets them apart from other freelance marketplaces. They exercise a close relation with their clients by speaking with each client in detail to completely understand their needs before hand-selecting candidates who have undergone rigorous soft skill and technical screening. Along with it, they also guide clients through defining their requirements and building a distributed team based on a culture of efficiency, accountability, and transparency. PHP, SQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Content Management Systems, eCommerce, Database Design, Domain Driven Design, Symfony, Quality Assurance, Agile Software Development, User Interface Design, and full stack Web Development. Their personalized, step-by-step approach, and global network of pre-qualified talent accelerates the hiring process and stacks the odds in your favor. So, Scalable Path is a good platform to scale your business by hiring full stack software engineers who build excellent software for your business.

“Another interesting resource with talented developers is Scalable Path. It’s a huge marketplace with more than 6000 developers. You can choose between a wide range of technologies and find an appropriate developer for your needs. The prices start a bit lower than in TopTal, from $40/hour. They hire a lot of developers from Latin America. I definitely recommend you to check this resource if you will need a freelance developer or even a team.”

– soshace

8. Freelancer

If you have space and the budget, you could build your own in-house team. You can find talented remote full stack developers on Freelancer. Freelancer is an absolutely massive marketplace with 25 million registered users, 12 million total posted jobs, and thousands of completed projects. With Freelancer’s large user base you are sure to find an expert full stack developer that meets your requirements end to end. Founded in 2009, Freelancer is an Australian crowdsourcing marketplace website, with headquarters located in Sydney, Australia. It functions in a simple manner. Potential employers post jobs that freelancers then bid to complete it. Freelancers are available at ‘Freelancer’ for each and every job like web design, mobile app development, virtual assistants, product manufacturing, graphic design and full stack web development.

“Before Freelancer.com, I had to rely on local suppliers for different aspects of projects I run here in Dubai, and the quality was horrendous at best. The good ones were extremely expensive and would not take a job they didn’t like or found profitable. Freelancer.com changed all that for me, and I now have access to a whole world of quality suppliers with competitive rates so I can remain profitable myself. I have dealt with and retained excellent people and gave them thousands of dollars worth of projects! Thank you Freelancer!”

– Louay Sayaf

9. Hired

Hired (formerly ‘Simply hired) is a marketplace that matches tech talent with the world’s most innovative companies and businesses. It was founded in 2012 and specializes in technology, recruiting, staffing, disruption, and hiring. One can find the best remote full stack developer to lead their business technically here. They are known for their matching engine. On Hired, you can use their pipeline to find custom matches. They intelligently match outstanding people to full-time and freelance opportunities at the world’s most innovative companies. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in cities across North America and Europe. One advantage of Hired is it is free for candidates while companies need to pay to access Hired’s already vetted candidates.

“We call it our cheat code. To find qualified talent that’s looking … half the battle is already won.”

– Kyle Barbato

10. Gigster

Gigster is a premium freelance website which accelerates the delivery of world class products and applications, to thrive companies in a software-defined world. Gigster’s goal is to democratize digital transformation by enabling all companies to build their own digital DNA to create amazing life-changing products. To serve this purpose, they maintain a  global network of talented people who are experts in their work. The best thing about Gigster is that clients can assemble an entire team including a project manager that can lead the project and act as a liaison between Gigster’s team and your company. The reason to trust freelance full stack developers from Gigster is their developers have worked for prestigious companies like Google, Microsoft so you don’t have to think twice about hiring a full stack developer from Gigster.

“With Gigster, we were able to deliver a mobile app for accessing quality health care in under six months.”

– Alberto Hauser, CEO Medicato

Apart from the freelance websites available, there’re other ways too to hire a full stack developer. One can find freelancers through networking events, hackathons, forums, job sites, dev-shops tech blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Because a ‘great’ full stack developer is not someone who has just labeled himself as one but the one who actually possesses all the technical skills to build a product end-to-end. We at EngineerBabu have a team of full stack developers who are expert and experienced in providing digital transformation to your business idea or any project you have in mind. Hiring from EngineerBabu ensures that your project or idea is in safe hands and it would be taken utmost care. So what are you waiting for, hire full stack developers now. Feel free to reach out to us.

The post Top 10 Websites to Hire Freelance Full Stack Developers appeared first on EngineerBabu Blog.