How to Hire a Backend Developer: Wild.Codes Guide for 2025

Backend development is considered the unseen but essential part of programming. Any web application won’t perform in an adequate way without APIs created, connected databases, designed structure of the app, and set up & well-managed servers. Hiring a skilful backend developer is far from an easy-peasy task. But if you came a long way with the Wild.Codes guide, you would enjoy the cloudless sky with new heights!

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Who Is Your Best-Matching Backend Developer?

Let’s start with the baseline in the context of the backend developer position. While searching for a perfect match, you should understand the role of your candidate, pick sides with the requirements, and specify a range of tasks for the potential technician. Remember that an average backend developer is responsible for the following cycle to build & maintain all the mechanisms with data processing on the website correctly:

1. Project/business analysis (pre-sale auditing & estimations);
2. Kick-start arrangements (negotiations, discussion of the details, agreements);
3. Detailed analysis of the website structure, business goals, app-driven actions to be performed, etc.;
4. Development strategising, road-mapping, and planning;
5. Backend development activities according to the approved scenarios;
6. Infrastructure creation, corrections, debugging, approvals, etc.
7. Launch, post-launch support, and project maintenance.   

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Suppose you would like to hire a backend developer for the long run. In that case, it is better to consider not only hard skills (tech stack obtained by the candidate) but also soft skills, including stress resistance, strategic & analytical thinking, self-discipline, and many more. Let’s start with the employment format.

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Backend Developer Hiring Format

It goes without saying that the most popular employment format is remote. The Overflow survey undertaken in the second quarter of 2024 proves this statement. About 38% of respondents work online. In-person hiring has become the outdated approach for IT environments. 

You may find a backend developer for a hybrid work format. However, it is inconvenient for nearshore or offshore hiring. This way, you will be limited only to local talent pools. The optimal solution for today’s successful employment experience is searching for a skilful remote backend developer. 

Depending on the client’s location, it is necessary to understand which hiring format is applicable - onshore, nearshore, or offshore. For example, the most popular destinations for outsourcing, outstaffing, or hiring a dedicated backend developer are countries of Eastern Europe or LATAM.

The average salaries for offshore development services in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Brazil, and Colombia are:

• Junior backend developer - $800-1,500 (C#, Java, Python); $850-1,600 (PHP, Golang)
• Middle backend developer - $1,500-3,500 (C#, Java, Python); $1,550-3,600 (PHP, Golang)
• Senior backend developer - $4,000-6,500 (C#, Java, Python); $5,000-7,000 (PHP, Golang)

If you count on staff augmentation, you can cut expenses required for third-party project managers. The most optimal idea is to find a willing individual with solid technical skills and motivation to power your project. For this purpose, you should get access to talent pools.

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Surfing Talent Pools

The standard approach followed by hundreds of CTOs and founders is to use only several networking channels. Or even overpay IT recruiters to hit the target in a timely manner so as not to slow down development processes and project roadmaps. We recommend switching from trite and inefficient ways to find the favourable tech specialist to win-win ones:

1. Be active on social media. LinkedIn networking and searching for perfect candidates on similar platforms will bring more results than standard but expensive recruitment.
2. Surf freelance and job websites like Upwork or Fiverr, but not to be limited to them. There are many exciting alternatives like Wild.Codes with AI-vetted and expert-verified profiles from the relevant tech talent pool accessible exclusively on this digital platform.
3. Do not neglect IT forums and online communities. You can find here not only curious ideas, helpful insights, and extraordinary conclusions from tech colleagues but also talented devs who meet your expectations with zero compromise.

If everything related to talent pools and networking channels is clear, it is high time to explore hard & soft backend developer skills. Your perfect match is possible only if you are sure of the candidate’s competence. Let's check it together! 😉 🙃

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Backend Developer Skill Set

Three pillars of your potential to hire dev’s competence are education, hard, and soft skills. Experience also matters, but it is usually converted into new capabilities, conclusions, talents, etc. That is why the estimation of the general skill set and portfolio will be enough before your possible interview. 

Starting with the education background, the statistics presented in the same Overflow survey we mentioned before show several tendencies to take into consideration:

• Most professional developers have Bachelor's or Master's degrees;
• The number of self-educated devs is less than 20% (without any diplomas after high school);
• Most devs consider a Bachelor's degree enough to start their career in IT and switch from theory to practice in agencies or as an intern/junior/freelancer/self-employed.

It goes without saying that education is not the last aspect to take into account while hiring a backend developer. But even rules have exceptions. Professionalism will be seen in practice - during your portfolio investigations, interview, and test task check. 

Start with determining the level of expertise your best-matching developer should obtain. Check core aspects described in the table:

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Pick sides with the optimal type of technician you need to cover all the needs and complete backend development tasks. Understand which programming languages, frameworks, databases, API solutions, and other technical details are required. Then, make a list of key soft skills your potential backend dev should have. 

In most cases, CTOs, founders, and project managers are searching for technicians with high-level:

• Problem-solving skills;
• Stress resistance;
• Time management;
• Decision-making background;
• Prioritisation.

Do not forget about culture fit, time zone backgrounds, and teamwork opportunities. You can check hard & soft skills during your interview while having a dialogue with one or several candidates. 

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Portfolio Check & Interview

Finally, go to a screening with a review of the dev’s portfolio. It is necessary to get a sense of the candidate’s coding style, experience, and capability to solve issues. Plan your interview around matters you are interested in or moments you would like to clarify on the shore. Ask thought-provoking questions to evaluate the expertise of your potential team player. Here are some examples you can use to see 100% through your interviewee:

1. Describe any challenging backend development issue you faced and solved.
2. Which are the best ways to maintain backward compatibility and manage API changes in your opinion?
3. Compare Django and Flask tools. Which one you prefer the most? Why?
4. What is the difference between authorisation and authentication? Do you have case studies to describe your best approaches there?
5. What can you tell about microservice architecture? Have you ever used Kubernetes? What is your experience?
6. Describe Deno and Rust. Can you use these new tech solutions for better coding?
7. How do you think - serverless computing can simplify backend code? How?
8. Have you ever used AI-powered tools for backend development? Have you ever tried TensorFlow or PyTorch?
9. Name the main advantages of containerisation.
10. List key features of BaaS (backend as a service).

Your questions can be changed according to the skills, theory, and experience you would like to discuss with your interviewee. But it is better to get ready with some ideas before your interview to use these or those examples as a backbone of your dialog. Do not forget about some psychological tests to identify psycho-personality, working rhythms, possibilities to perform dynamics in the team, and many more.

Only when you have found your best-matching backend developer, start preparing for onboarding. Get ready with all the official papers, tech documentation, access credentials, and many more. Remember that smooth onboarding processes bring fruitful results in the form of hassle-free cooperation, fast team interactions, and minimum risks or stress up to the project launch!

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To Sum Up

Do not be afraid of hiring developers and other IT specialists yourself. It is possible to do with reasonable budgets and time frames. Follow our recommendations to reach the desired results and enjoy your new team member who will juggle server-side logic and assist with API integration professionally.

It is essential to start with the exploration of accessible talent pools. Select platforms with AI-vetted and expert-verified portfolios like Wild.Codes offers. Do not be limited to onshore or nearshore outsourcing & staff augmentation. Backend developers can be found in other countries and meet all your requirements (even saving your budget, especially if you are from the USA, where there are high hourly rates for IT services). Check portfolios and undertake tech tests, plus handle interviews to find your perfect match. Onboard a newcomer well and stay pleased with improved server-side logic as the core contribution to your project!