Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Software Developers

Software Developer Demand Continues to Outpace Supply

The need for talented software developers shows no signs of slowing down: The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that this sector will grow by 25% between 2022 and 2032, exceeding the 3% average for all occupations by a wide margin. Developers are needed across nearly all industries and economic sectors—a testament to how thoroughly software has reshaped the ways in which we do business and communicate.

Despite their outsized influence, software developers represent only about 1% of the US workforce. Considering how many different specialties exist within the discipline, the talent pool of developers—in particular, experienced software developers—who offer the requisite skills for any given web or mobile development project is quite small. Finding qualified software developers who meet your organizational goals and specific project needs requires an informed and targeted approach.

This hiring guide describes sought-after traits and skills that are common to nearly all software developers and explains how to determine the best fit for the demands of your organization. Inside the guide, you’ll find an overview of relevant attributes, job description tips, and interview questions and answers to ensure you identify and hire ideal candidates.

What Attributes Distinguish Quality Software Developers From Others?

If it’s become cliché to say that all companies are technology companies, the sentiment reflects a core truth that has emerged in an age of digital transformation. As businesses have moved many of their core functions online, they have turned to software developers to create websites, e-commerce sites, mobile applications, smart devices, bots, games, and much more.

Accordingly, software development is an exceptionally broad field that includes many specialties with little-to-no overlap: The coding requirements of a consumer-facing mobile banking app, for instance, will look entirely different than those of an enterprise-grade customer resource management system. Nonetheless, core competencies common to all software engineers are important to consider as you begin the hiring process. Candidates who have strong foundational programming skills and superb communication and problem-solving skills are likely to succeed in wide-ranging roles. Consider the following:

Programming Knowledge

Programming languages are nearly as diverse as spoken languages, and the choice of which to use often stems from practical considerations. For instance, many programming languages are optimized for specific use cases, such as web development (JavaScript and Ruby), data analysis (R and Stata), database management (SQL), or embedded systems (C and C++). Though the syntax of these scripts may differ dramatically, their underlying conventions are similar. Thus, a developer who has mastered one programming language will find it much easier to learn a second—especially when it is applied to a business domain or form factor they’re familiar with already. In fact, an experienced senior developer can often get up to speed on a new language in a single weekend.

A developer’s capacity to encode and manipulate data structures and algorithms is a useful benchmark to broadly assess their programming knowledge. Evaluation of this skill set is indispensable for specialties such as database management, AI, machine learning, and embedded systems, and should be given close consideration for projects involving these focal areas. However, the desired skill set for a front-end web developer who specializes in building user interfaces will look much different. When devising a hiring plan, be sure to align your technical assessments to the nature of the work the developer will be called on to perform.

Problem-solving Ability

Writing and debugging code is often an exercise in managing frustrations: Invariably, a developer will encounter unexpected problems that will sidetrack them from their primary tasks. Thus, it’s critical that developers can comfortably manage the stress that can result from shifting priorities and the need to adjust projected timelines. From this perspective, seniority is less about what a developer knows and more about their ability to adapt to change. The best software developers thrive when presented with open-ended challenges that require them to leverage their knowledge and research skills to find innovative solutions to fussy, persistent problems.

Leadership and Project Management Skills

Development is about much more than writing code—software engineering projects are complex, with multiple moving parts that need to be tracked. As a developer matures in their career, their workload often shifts from coding-related tasks to strategic and managerial functions, such as writing project requirements, communicating with stakeholders, and delegating tasks to junior team members. When searching for senior-level candidates, look for those with extensive leadership and project management experience.

Software developers are generally presented with two tracks in their careers, which they may alternate between from job to job: individual contributor (IC) and manager. Both can be leaders in an organization, but an IC is primarily concerned with technical execution, while a manager handles project planning and coordination—often acting as a liaison between engineers and nontechnical stakeholders. ICs can grow into subject matter experts (specialists) over time, while managers need a holistic understanding of the development process (generalists). Keep in mind that an engineering manager is no ordinary manager: They must possess technical know-how and a strong understanding of the software development lifecycle in order to function as project managers, code reviewers, and people managers.

Communication Skills

Software developers—especially those in leadership positions—must have the soft skills to communicate ideas effectively, collaborate with colleagues, and motivate their teams. The best developers are clear, tactical thinkers who can explain esoteric concepts simply. They have the interpersonal skills and linguistic fluency to tailor their communications to technical and nontechnical stakeholders and align teams around core business goals. To repeat an oft-stated axiom, software is only as good as its documentation. That means that a developer needs to be able to explain their coding choices and provide guidance for how to use the tools they create. It’s one thing to understand how code works; it’s another thing to be able to explain how it works to a C-suite executive or investor.

Expertise With Coding Languages and Tools

Because software development is such an expansive field, programmers’ technical skills vary widely. The list below describes some of the most popularly deployed programming languages and development tools, but it is by no means comprehensive. A developer who understands foundational coding rules and conventions is often able to master new languages quickly, so a lack of expertise in a particular language may not necessarily disqualify an otherwise strong candidate. In your selection process, be sure to consult with your development team to determine the tooling knowledge a developer should have to align well with your project goals and tech stack requirements.

JavaScript– JavaScript is the most popular programming language for full-stack web development. Today, it’s uncommon for web apps to be written in raw, or “vanilla,” JavaScript: Most teams prefer to use libraries and frameworks such as React, Next.js, or Express.js to speed up the development process. These frameworks are designed to minimize the amount of boilerplate code developers need to write and maintain. Though they all have their own nuances, it’s not especially difficult for a proficient developer to jump from one adjacent framework to another: For example, an Angular developer can quickly learn React, and a Gatsby developer shouldn’t have much trouble transitioning to Next.js.

Java – As a staple of computer science curricula, Java is the most widely taught programming language in the world. Java is an object-oriented programming language that lends itself to the modular architecture styles commonly favored by enterprise organizations. Java can be applied across an application’s full stack, both on the web and in desktop software.

R – R is a programming language that’s specifically tailored for statistical analysis and data visualization. It is commonly employed by data scientists and academics who need to perform complex computations like linear regressions and standard deviations. Data analysts coming from a mathematics or statistics background, rather than a computer science background, are likely to be more comfortable working in R than alternatives such as Python.

Python – Python is considered one of the more open-ended programming languages and, thus, applicable to a wide range of use cases. Like JavaScript, It’s great for full-stack web development, but it’s also useful for writing non-web applications (like Java) and performing data analysis (like R). Unlike some other languages, its syntax is optimized for maximum readability, meaning that developers who are not trained in Python can often understand and interpret it. It is a favorite among data-focused tech startups employing full-stack developers because teams can apply a single language across an entire stack.

SQL – Structured query language (SQL) is the most common programming language used for database creation and manipulation. Similar to R, it’s optimized for a very specific use case: managing relational databases. Because SQL is considered a somewhat “incomplete” programming language on its own, most developers who are proficient using the script are also skilled in more open-ended languages such as JavaScript, Java, or Python. A SQL specialist can be a valuable asset for an enterprise organization operating at scale; in some cases, performance optimizations measured in milliseconds can lead to millions of dollars in savings.

Databases – Broadly speaking, databases fall into two categories: SQL-based (relational) and NoSQL (nonrelational). An experienced developer will be able to determine which is more applicable to a given use case. In general, enterprise organizations are more likely to use relational databases to ensure stability, while tech startups tend to opt for NoSQL to optimize development speed.

APIs – Application program interfaces (APIs) are the means by which applications communicate with one another. Regardless of their specialty, most software developers will regularly interact with APIs to retrieve data and integrate services from various sources. Some senior developers may have experience designing and building APIs, but such experience isn’t needed to make productive use of API data.

Version control – Version control (sometimes called source control) is a critical component of the modern software development lifecycle, enabling developers to monitor code changes and track them to a specific actor. At times code changes result in serious consequences that require reverting the codebase to an earlier version. GitHub and GitLab (both based on Git) are among the most popular version control platforms, but some larger organizations prefer to maintain their own systems: For example, AWS has their own Git-based platform called CodeCommit.

How Can You Identify the Ideal Software Developer for You?

To find the right software developer for your company, begin by defining your business needs, team composition, and project requirements. Consider the basics: Do you need to find local talent for an in-person role or are you open to hiring remote developers, potentially broadening your search to a global talent pool? Is this a one-off project (in which case you might be able to hire a freelance software developer) or will the individual be hired for an in-house full-time or part-time role? Can a single developer fulfill your needs within the expected time frame, or will you require a team of coders to get the job done? Answering these questions will help narrow your search and ensure the most relevant candidates apply for the position.

Another important consideration is the programming languages, frameworks, and platforms the software developer will be expected to use. It’s usually wise to seek out candidates who have knowledge of the tech stack that your team or organization already uses, but, as mentioned, this is not necessarily a hard requirement. For example, it’s relatively simple for a skilled JavaScript developer to quickly learn a new front-end JS framework (e.g., moving from Angular to React). On the other hand, it could take months for that same developer to become proficient with a back-end framework that uses a different programming language (e.g., learning Django or Flask, which are based on Python). It’s crucial to factor in the time and resources needed to transition a candidate’s existing skill set to the demands of the new role.

Experience Level

Selecting a candidate with the right level of experience is vitally important to ensure they will have success in the role and deliver high-quality results. First, consider whether the developer you hire will be assigned discrete, time-bound development tasks or be called on to plan and implement more expansive, end-to-end software solutions; in the latter case, the leadership and project management experience of a senior developer will be indispensable. You’ll also want to assess whether the developer will be working independently and whether they will have direct reports to manage; both conditions benefit from more extensive experience. Finally, reflect on your onboarding process: Do you have protocols in place to ensure the developer will be able to properly integrate with your existing team? How much mentorship and guidance will they need as they ramp up? Addressing these questions will give you a good sense of the experience level to target in your search.

Here are some key distinctions to keep in mind:

Junior software developers typically have at least a year of professional development experience. They likely are still at the early stages of developing proficiency with a programming language and acquiring core knowledge. When provided with adequate guidance, they can complete well-defined tasks, but they may get stuck when encountering unfamiliar situations. In general, they are an excellent choice for running tests, troubleshooting, solving minor bugs, and participating in the creation of documentation. However, junior developers lack the practical experience to make strategic decisions about software architecture and design. Employers who want to invest in junior talent for the long term should provide new hires with opportunities to tackle progressively more demanding responsibilities and push their skills to the next level.

Mid-level software developers typically have about three to five years of experience. During that time, they’ll likely have mastered their first programming language and potentially begun picking up others. They should be familiar with the libraries and frameworks available in their niche (such as Laravel for PHP developers, or Spring Boot for Java developers) and, further, be able to articulate the advantages and drawbacks associated with each. A mid-level developer can operate more independently than a junior developer and take on projects that don’t necessarily have a clear solution. They may be trusted to make some decisions about software design but may not have enough experience to assess how efficient short-term solutions may lead to adverse long-term repercussions when applied at scale.

Senior software developers generally have five or more years of experience. Highly skilled at their craft, they will be masters of multiple programming languages and have strong opinions about the relevant tools at their disposal due to direct experiences using them in production. They should be able to work independently and lead projects of significant complexity, delegating tasks to colleagues as well as coaching them to help advance their skills along the way. Once a developer has roughly seven to 10 years of experience and has developed their leadership and mentorship skills alongside their technical skills, they may become qualified for high-level leadership or executive positions. The qualifications for such roles vary widely across organizations, but domain-specific technical expertise, strong leadership and project management skills, and big-picture strategic vision are often key characteristics, particularly to the extent they align with an organization’s North Star goals.

Strategic Factors

Several strategic considerations are worth noting. First, a solid track record of open-source software (OSS) contributions often gives a developer a competitive edge over rival candidates. Developers who contribute to OSS demonstrate a commitment to programming that extends well beyond their nine-to-five roles. OSS developers are highly self-motivated to do meaningful work, and this work is often imbued with a sense of pride in being a part of a developer community. Give added consideration to candidates with OSS experience as this is a strong signal that the developer you hire will be an exceptional collaborator, and will proactively seek out ways to improve your codebase.

A final factor to bear in mind is the specific use cases the developer will be called on to address. Consider the following project specializations when defining your selection criteria and reviewing résumés:

• Web developers write software that runs on the Internet. They specialize in front-end and back-end development, though experienced developers will usually be comfortable operating across the full stack.
• Mobile developers create apps specifically for mobile devices. There’s a fair amount of overlap between web- and mobile-development skills, but mobile developers tend to have more experience applying responsive design strategies to ensure sites are visually appealing and perform well across devices and operating systems (iOS and Android).
• Cloud developers maintain web infrastructure that lives in the cloud. Highly qualified cloud developers understand how to configure cloud-based software to reduce maintenance and computing costs. Most specialize in a particular platform such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Embedded systems engineers build software for electronic devices. They may specialize in consumer electronics, automotive systems, healthcare devices, or other industrial applications. Their work requires them to work closely with the respective hardware they program to optimize performance and long-term reliability.
• AI engineers write software that can learn, adapt, and make decisions autonomously. They specialize in developing and tuning neural networks, large language models, natural language processing systems, and computer vision.
• Data scientists write programs for analyzing large datasets. They apply their knowledge of statistics and machine learning algorithms to uncover patterns, derive insights, and create predictive models to help make better-informed business decisions.
• Security engineers specialize in optimizing the security of software systems. They run tests to expose gaps in coverage, defend against cyber attacks, and monitor authorization and authentication protocols across a tech stack.

Keep in mind that several other specialties fall under the software developer umbrella, including game developers, QA engineers, database administrators, and DevOps engineers. Your project requirements should determine what specialties to look for.

How to Write a Software Developer Job Description for Your Project

When writing a software developer job description, start by defining the job title, such as Front-End Developer, Back-End Developer, Mobile App Developer, Systems Architect, Quality Assurance Tester, or DevOps Engineer. If the role requires a generalist, then the title should reflect that (e.g., Software Developer, Full-Stack Developer). Otherwise, it’s best to choose a title that’s as specific as possible to source high-quality leads (e.g., Senior React Developer). Be clear about the technologies and programming languages your company uses and the seniority level and leadership experience you’re looking for.

In the body of the post, outline the role’s core responsibilities and expected duration, specifying the programming languages and methodologies the developer will employ, such as JavaScript, Python, Scrum, and Agile. Highlight the required skills and describe the tasks the candidate will be called on to perform. Be sure to explain why developers might want to work at your company (e.g., health benefits, remote work options) and be upfront about the company’s culture and the salary the selected candidate can expect to receive. A well-crafted job description will attract qualified candidates by clearly communicating the role, expectations, and perks of joining your team. For additional guidance, consult Toptal’s Software Engineer and Developer Job Description Template.

What Are the Most Important Software Developer Interview Questions?

The following behavioral interview questions are generally applicable to a wide range of software developer roles. They will provide useful insight into a candidate’s technical knowledge, soft skills, and temperament. To fully align the interview with the needs of your software development team, you’ll also want to prepare supplemental questions related to the tech stack and tools the new hire is likely to use.

How would you describe an API to someone who’s never written code before?

APIs are the bread and butter of software developer jobs: They’re ubiquitous across all programming languages, tech stacks, and industries. Most developers will be able to tell you that APIs are what apps use to communicate with one another, but candidates who can unpack the details are likely to be much more skilled. Here’s an example of a strong response.

An API call involves three steps: First, the client side of the app makes an information request to the server; next, the server processes the request to ensure it’s valid and authorized; finally, the server sends a response back to the client, which communicates the requested information to the user. This process is often occurring behind the scenes when a user attempts to update their email address. By submitting a request form, the user initiates an API call to update their email address in a hosted database. The server then checks the request to make sure that the user has the appropriate permissions to change their address; finally, the user interface displays a success message to let the user know that the request for the email address change was completed.

In addition to assessing a candidate’s technical knowledge, this question is a great way to assess a candidate’s communication skills. Give preference to candidates who can convey complex ideas in simple terms that nontechnical professionals can understand.

Can you tell me about a time you solved a coding problem that was far outside your comfort zone? What do you do to get unstuck when you hit a wall with a programming task?

This line of questioning is intended to shed light on the developer’s problem-solving skills and experience level; it’s especially useful to gauge the determination and resourcefulness of junior candidates, who are likely to get stuck the most often.

A strong response should include specific problem-solving approaches, such as reading code documentation, searching Google and Stack Overflow, combing through GitHub issues, and reaching out to friends and colleagues who may be able to help. Additionally, it should emphasize how they collaborate with colleagues to find creative solutions to software development projects. If the candidate mentions using ChatGPT or other generative AI tools, ask them how they vet the accuracy of the responses: It’s well established that these tools will sometimes “hallucinate” nonsensical code or introduce subtle bugs. Those who’ve experienced this firsthand should be able to describe their vetting process and name trusted sources they turn to for fact-checking and validation.

Can you tell me about a project you’ve worked on that’s comparable to ours? What were the biggest problems you faced?

One of the most straightforward questions you can ask to determine if a candidate is a good fit is, “Have you ever done anything like this before?” Of course, a yes or no response isn’t very useful here, so press the interviewee on specifics to find out the size of their team, what their responsibilities were, and the degree to which they were involved in pivotal project decisions. Invite candidates to describe what technologies they used and why they chose them. Were there any big ideas or aspirations for the project that had to be compromised or abandoned along the way? How did they respond to these setbacks? A top candidate will exhibit familiarity with the kinds of problems they are likely to encounter in the role, and their ability to exercise flexibility and resilience in the face of adversity.

How do you set priorities when juggling multiple tasks on a software project?

Time is often a limiting constraint for a software developer; to be successful, they must be able to prioritize competing tasks and manage expectations for project delivery. A considered approach to prioritization often involves balancing the immediate needs of users with the long-term vision of stakeholders. Drill down on how the candidate strikes this balance: What methods do they use to determine where to direct their attention and invest their time? How do they ensure that they’re delivering high-quality output at a steady cadence? These are key project management skills a qualified developer should be able to articulate. Skilled developers from larger enterprises may discuss their experiences with Agile or Scrum methodologies; agency developers and freelancers will have more to say about keeping clients and managers happy by meeting deadlines and setting realistic project timelines and scopes; startup developers should be able to discuss priorities for launching a minimum viable product (MVP) and responding to the most-urgent bug reports from early adopters.

Beyond the Interview: Take-home Assessments and Live Coding Challenges

When interviewing software developers it can be challenging to get an accurate read on their skill level, especially if they don’t have a portfolio that’s directly applicable to the role you are trying to fill. In addition to behavioral interviews, most software developer hiring processes include at least one technical round in which candidates may be expected to perform live coding or else complete a take-home challenge within a given time frame.

Many tools exist to screen candidates for baseline coding proficiency: LeetCode is one of the most popular platforms, aggregating challenges from a host of sources. These assessments are commonly used to vet recent computer science graduates and early career developers, but the platform provides worthwhile challenges for candidates at all experience levels. Think of these challenges as akin to the standardized test questions prospective students encounter on college and graduate-school entrance exams—useful assessments to determine their aptitude for what lies ahead.

Two quintessential coding challenges presented to developers are FizzBuzz and the Fibonacci sequence. In the first, the developer is asked to write a function that sorts a list of integers based on their divisibility by 3 (in which case the app should print “Fizz” on the screen), 5 (which should print “Buzz”), or 3 and 5 (“FizzBuzz”). In the second, they’re asked to write a function that returns any nth number in the Fibonacci sequence, wherein each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two. In both cases, there are brute-force solutions as well as more elegant and optimized solutions; the choices the developer makes along the way will help you determine how well they understand logical expressions, data structures, and algorithms. These are particularly useful exercises for evaluating early career developers, but keep in mind that the best technical assessments should mirror actual day-to-day work. Expert software developers will likely breeze through these kinds of questions and need to be evaluated with a more rigorous coding challenge.

Why Do Companies Hire Software Developers?

When Marc Andreessen of a16z proclaimed that “software is eating the world” in 2011, even he could not have anticipated just how dramatically the nascent technologies he was observing would disrupt the status quo. Apps now mediate almost every kind of transaction we engage in—from discovering new musicians or TV shows, to checking our bank account balances, finding dates, booking reservations, and hailing rides. If these examples seem almost too obvious to mention, that is only further proof of Andreessen’s point. More recently, advances in cutting-edge technologies such as spatial computing, IoT, and generative AI have shown us that software innovation—and the demand for skilled software developers to support and drive that innovation—shows no sign of slowing down.

Hiring software developers is not easy. Those who are able to hire and retain developers effectively do so by narrowing their search criteria based on the specific technical needs of their organizations and by providing those they bring on with interesting challenges, opportunities for career growth, and a company culture that aligns with their values. Give your software developers a space where they can thrive—you’ll be amazed by what they’ll be able to deliver for your business and your customers.