Full stack developers came into existence in the early 2000s as a result of programming languages and hardware developing the complexity, speed, and memory needed for a programmer to build an entire Saas website from scratch.
According to StackOverflow, nearly 50% of programming talent today works as a full stack developer. Full-stack developers are some of the most in-demand professionals. They’re also some of the hardest professionals for companies to evaluate during the hiring process, and they’re much harder to find and hire in developing countries.
As challenging as it might seem, finding a full-stack developer is your best bet when:
- Your startup or company needs to create the MVP on the smallest budget possible
- You need a project manager who understands the client’s needs and communicates them in the programming team’s language
- You’re assembling your programmer dream team, and you need a leader who’s ready to face everything and anything
In a nutshell, you’ll need someone with this type of profile on every developer team because full stack developers can build entire structures and understand the big picture. They can also give you and your team the right guidance and point everyone in the right direction, and they can solve problems at every integration level.
How can I find and hire full stack devs without breaking the bank?
There are three problems that you’ll need to anticipate when you start your search for the perfect full stack developer in a timely and appropriate manner.
The first question has to do with the so-called shortage of qualified talent, meaning where to find the right developer. The second question deals with objective skill evaluation. This can be especially difficult if you’re not a hardcore techie. The third question is about cost. Of course, you can find and hire the developer of your dreams in just a few days if you have an unlimited budget. However, most companies don’t have that kind of money.
Let’s talk about what you’ll need to keep in mind in order to evaluate a full stack developer, and then we’ll discuss how to find one at an affordable price.
Create a checklist of non-negotiable skills that a full-stack dev needs to have
If you’re not a tech programming expert, using a three-tier design is a great way to understand what full-stack development involves. Broadly speaking, comprehensive web architecture is composed of:
- The view layer (Front end, UI/UX)
- Business logic (Back end, servers, databases)
- Infrastructure and servers
Each of these layers has specific work frameworks and technologies as well as integrations between one and the other. To give you a general idea, here’s a list of some of the most common technologies that a stack dev would be completely familiar with:
- Front-end: HTML; CSS+SASS; JavaScript (and its different frameworks and libraries like Vue.JS, Next.JS, Angular, React.JS, jQuery, Backbone.JS), etc.
- Back-end: JavaScript + Node.JS, Spring; Java, Ruby + RoR; PHP + Laravel; Python + Django, SQL and NOSQL, MongoDB, API development and design, etc.
- Infrastructure and servers: Linux, AWS, Sphinx, server security, mobile technologies, types of hardware, etc.
All of these should be listed on a stack dev’s CV or mentioned in their work portfolio. But the work doesn’t stop there. You’ll still need to determine whether or not a candidate has mastered these technologies and if they can integrate them.
One of the most effective ways of doing this is to have a candidate complete programming challenges that involve applying knowledge of each of the three levels. For example, you can have a candidate identify and solve errors in a system.
While there are platforms designed to help assess these types of high-level skills, they’re tailored for people who are experts in the field. Unless you’re a tech wiz yourself, trying to figure out these platforms and use them will only double the amount of time you spend on the selection process. That’s why we recommend that you leave these skill assessments to the IT recruitment experts.
For example, GitHub is becoming a popular tool with IT recruiters because it allows them to take a pretty objective look at a developer’s skills and how they work, especially in terms of teamwork with other devs.
Finally, it’s imperative that you ask candidates the following during their interview: What technology would you use to create a project like this and why?
Now that I can identify a good stack developer, where do I find one?
You can find plenty of great stack developers in Latin America! According to Indeed, while senior developers in regions like the United States, Canada, and Europe earn an average salary of $110,000 USD, developers living in Latin America tend to earn approximately $50,000 USD per year. This is because these numbers are equivalent in terms of purchasing power in both regions.
There are thousands of qualified bilingual IT specialists in Latin America who work with all types of full-stack technology and live in similar time zones.
Expanding your talent search to Latin America can save you thousands of dollars in hiring fees, and you can find your star developer or assemble a programming dream team in record time.
If you still think crossborder contracting is a last resort, keep in mind that in 2020, full-stack engineers were the fourth-most popular job opening on LinkedIn. In fact, the number of job openings for this position has grown by 35% annually since 2015. Knowing this, it makes sense that more than 85% of recruiters report having problems finding full-stack engineers.
So what are you waiting for? Get ready to take the lead in your industry. The IT labor market in Latin America is extremely competitive, and thousands of companies are already making the most of this opportunity to get their companies off the ground and grow. If you’re unsure of where to start, Workana can help you find everything you need to find your stack developer in less than 15 days. Best of all, we’re offering a seven-day risk-free trial. Let’s get started!
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