Find Programmers for a Startup

Finding programmers is relatively easy. Finding the right programmers, however, is another story. And if you are a startup, the task of finding the right staff at a fair and affordable cost turns even more uphill.

The thing is, every startup and every project is unique, with different goals and requirements. Usually, startups have limited budgets, so striking the right balance between talent and affordability is not easy.

There are many platforms to find programmers out there, and this perhaps complicates things even further. This piece runs through a range of these platforms, offering a brief overview of each, to help you find the right vendor for your project.

AllSTARSIT

AllSTARSIT is an international Software R&D, Technical Support, and Talent Acquisition service provider established in 2004. The company specializes in software development services for clients across industries as diverse as cybersecurity, healthcare, fintech, telecommunications, media, and more.

Headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, AllSTARSIT operates development hubs across the whole CEE Region (Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Romania, and Bulgaria), Israel, and Dubai. Additionally, AllSTARSIT has Tech Customer Support offices in the LATAM region, with a HQ in Colombia. The company has over 800+ talented Software Engineers and Tech Specialists spread across all locations.

AllSTARSIT is the number one IT employer in Ukraine, according to the leading platform for software developers.

AllSTARSIT can help you hire qualified developers in any offshore locations where we have a presence, including Ukraine, Poland, Israel, Colombia, and many others.

Our local staff on these countries has experience and expertise in legal and operational challenges that may arise, and can assist you in setting up your own R&D center or tech support site fast and effectively.

Fiverr

This platform enables freelancers to connect with businesses requiring a wide range of services. From copywriting to programming or web design, companies can find a freelancer to suit their needs.

Fiverr essentially operates as a marketplace for jobs. Traditionally, Fiverr has been known for its affordable pricing model. (The name Fiverr derives from the asking price -$5- attached to all jobs when the company launched in 2010.)

Pros

• Easy to make some money. Fiverr's staple low cost will make some money for the freelancers, though higher incomes are probably out of the question using this platform.

• No bidding for jobs - Freelancers do not need to bid for gigs. They either get hired or they don't.

• Good platform to start out as a freelancer - Fiverr is probably good for people intending to become freelancers, as it is easy enough to get gigs.

Cons

• You probably won't generate a high income - Again, because of Fiverr's traditionally low fees, freelancers will only earn a modest income.

• Strict policies - Anyone signing up to the platform must comply and abide by Fiverr's guidelines and stipulations. This is fair enough, but the problem is that these regulations greatly limit a freelancer's chances to network. Fiverr's policies prohibit contacting people outside the platform, for example.

• High commission rates - Fiverr might pay little, but they sure have high fees for themselves. And they can raise these fees at any time, without consent or approval by the freelancer.

Upwork

Another well-known jobs marketplace, where freelancers can offer skills such as graphic design, writing, search engine optimization (SEO), web design, and many more. Upwork is indeed quite popular. Dozens of new jobs are posted almost hourly, and companies are always on the lookout for new talent.

Pros

• Easy enough to find clients - As mentioned above, Upwork is a rather popular jobs marketplace, so new clients join every day.

• The company handles contract, billing, invoicing, and mediation issues - Before the advent of these online marketplaces, freelancers were often forced to engage a third party to handle the administrative side of things. Taxes, billing, and so on. Upwork (and other similar platforms) handle all of this.

• Possibility of good income - Freelancers do have the opportunity to make good money by using Upwork, it all comes down to talent, and a bit of luck. That's not to say that you're guaranteed to become wealthy simply by signing up to the platform. But with perseverance and good work, you can generate a good income.

Cons

• Upwork is a sort of 'pay to play' marketplace. In other words, freelancers need to purchase 'Connects', a digital currency, and use a certain amount of 'Connects' for each proposal.

• High fees - Ultimately, Upwork is just another business that needs to make money to survive. The platform achieves this revenue by charging fees, which can be quite high, depending on the value of the proposal.

• No job security - As with any other platforms for freelancers, Upwork cannot offer any kind of job security.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn has always been a sort of odd one out in the social media ecosystem. Originally conceived as a strictly professional platform to enable employers to connect with job seekers, LinkedIn has gradually morphed into a Facebook-like site where people post their personal stories, achievements, social critiques, political rants, and so on. How you use LinkedIn is your own personal choice, of course, but the original intent was to broaden your professional network and, hopefully, find employment.

Pros

• Free (for the most part) and easy to use - While LinkedIn does have some premium features, these are not needed to research clients or contact people. And the platform itself is straightforward enough to navigate and use. Essentially, job seekers can contact thousands of employers at no cost.

• Great for networking - It's easy to connect with people and expand your professional network. This is an invaluable asset for job seekers. The more connections you have, the easier it is to find your next job.

Cons

• Many employers do not post jobs on LinkedIn - Some businesses may choose not to advertise on LinkedIn, for whatever reason, so job seekers solely using LinkedIn might miss out on these opportunities.

• Crowded space - The downside of LinkedIn's popularity is that it might be hard to stand out, particularly towards the start of one's career.

Toptal

Toptal presents itself as a sort of 'elite' professional platform, where only the best of the best in their field go to search for employment. The company does feature a rather strict vetting process intended to thoroughly screen people and accept only the top professionals. Whether this is the right or wrong approach to employment is up for the reader to decide.

Pros

• Rigorous screening process to vet candidates - Anyone who's not the 'best' might not be accepted.
• Help with the process - Dedicated Toptal staff will assist you during the entire experience

Cons

• High price - Due to perceived elitism of the platform, employers will be required to pay high amounts to freelancers, as they're the 'best'.

• No job security - Despite purported elitism, Toptal cannot offer any job security.
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• Not suited for small projects - Due to Toptal's nature and business model, the platform is probably better suited for projects of a larger scope.

• Not friendly for freelancers starting out in their careers - Again because of the elitist nature of the platform, people in the early stages of their journeys are unlikely to be accepted.

AngelList

AngelList is a bit of a niche platform. Founded in 2010, AngelList dedicates itself to startups and angel investors, and also caters for job seekers looking for employment in startups. This latest feature went live in 2012.

Pros

• No cost - The platform is free for job seekers.
• High availability of jobs, within the confines of startups

Cons

• Restrictive - AngelList will only appeal to a limited number of job seekers who might be looking to work for startup companies.

Conclusion

There is no right or wrong solution when hiring programmers, but most freelance marketplaces (Fiverr, Upwork, Toptal, etc.) fall short in providing a comprehensive solution. There are too many potential pitfalls and shortcomings that prevent the hiring of long-lasting teams, for example. Also, in most cases, clients do not really have any control over the work that the freelancer is doing.

The only entity that provides this control (and the possibility of hiring faster, leveraging global talent, job security, and many other advantages) is AllSTARSIT.