How to hire developers for a startup quickly and compliantly

You had a great business idea. You refined it, pitched it, and won over investors. Now you’re ready to build and need talented developers fast—but finding the right people isn’t easy. And when the best candidates are scattered across the world, the hiring, onboarding, and payment processes get complicated fast.

With a combination of proven hiring practices and contemporary tech, you can hire developers for the startup in no time. Here’s what you need to know about finding and integrating the right candidates into your team.

Why should startups hire professional developers? 

Startups have unique needs because they move fast, build from scratch, and work under the pressure of delivering results quickly—often with limited resources and high investor expectations. To succeed, they need talent that will execute their vision with precision.

Whether you’re building your first website, an application to support operations services, or an entire tech-based product, hiring professional developers ensures that work flows quickly and correctly. By hiring professional developers, you: 

• Avoid potentially costly errors, like a flawed app or bugs in early releases
• Gain end-to-end support and expertise, preventing development delays 
• Scale fast and confidently because of a solid technical foundation

5 steps to find and hire developers for your startup

Hiring developers for a startup is a highly intentional, hands-on process. Follow these five steps to approach the process correctly.

1. Know what you need

There are countless niche roles in the development sphere, so first clarify what you’re trying to build. Understanding the scope of the product will determine the kind of talent needed to develop it. If you’re building an application, what functionalities should it have? Do you need someone to manage the project as well as write the code? 

After mapping out the work, research what type of professionals typically build the features your product needs. You might discover you need a full-stack developer, a mobile developer, or a systems architect, rather than a generalist developer. 

2. Create a job post

Draft and post a job description that clearly outlines the responsibilities of the role and the necessary skills. Include details of the compensation, benefits, and working hours. 

The time commitment and scheduling requirements are especially important for remote developers reviewing the job post. They may be in a different time zone or managing several projects at once. Specificity in the job description not only lets candidates determine their eligibility and availability before applying, but also saves the People Ops team time by filtering in only qualified candidates.

3. Understand international hiring

The People Ops team will likely receive strong applications from around the world. But to hire talent outside of the country, you must pay them correctly and comply with the labor laws of their home country. Every region has different requirements for taxes, benefits, and worker protection, and not following them leads to fines or legal action.

Save the headache of learning new legal and payment regulations by partnering with an employer of record (EOR) and global hiring platforms like Oyster. Oyster handles contracting, compliance, and payroll processes across more than 180 countries, freeing the People Ops team to focus on finding the right talent instead of wading through complex international regulations.

4. Conduct interviews

Select the top applicants and hold interviews. Assess both soft skills and technical ability to ensure they’re a good cultural fit for your growing organization. 

Candidates also want clarity on what comes next, so plan to explain the hiring process and expected timelines. Assure international candidates that there’s a streamlined system for hiring and paying them. Demonstrate confidence around global tax and contractual distinctions to build trust and reduce hesitation from strong international candidates. 

5. Make a hire

Extend an offer to the top candidate, detailing the pay structure and nature of the engagement. If the person accepts, create a contract outlining the scope of work, terms, and regulations, including the company’s acceptable quality standards.

You’ll also need to collect key information from the new hire. Securely gather their banking data and identity details to set them up in payroll. An EOR, like Oyster, saves time and hassle by automating hiring tasks, like signature and documentation collection. Oyster also guides People Ops teams on how to correctly add new hires to a global payroll system in compliance with local regulations.

Advantages of hiring a remote development team for a startup 

Startups must create products and scale quickly to prove business viability to investors, which often means hiring key personnel early without the resources or stability of a mature company. Hiring freelance developers remotely on a contract basis is wise because it avoids common early business challenges without long-term financial commitments.

Here are some benefits of hiring remote developers for a startup:

• Flexibility and expertise: Get expert-level knowledge from professionals to drive early momentum without long-term commitments. Contracts end when the work does, and the remote worker moves on to their next project.
• More candidates: Companies hiring remote professionals gain access to a global talent pool. You can hire the best person for the job, and where they live isn’t a factor.
• Cost-effectiveness: Remote hiring enables access to talent at rates that fit your budget. Developers in lower-cost economies often charge lower rates than their counterparts in more expensive regions, allowing you to secure expertise at a more affordable rate.
• Faster hiring process: Remote contract workers are often quicker to hire and onboard, as they don’t have to go through extensive benefits paperwork or training before starting work.

Challenges of hiring remote developers for a startup

While hiring remote developers offers plenty of benefits, there are a few roadblocks. Here are common setbacks startups face when hiring remote developers:

• Poaching: Bigger companies with large budgets may “poach” your talent. They may convince contractors to make the jump by offering impressive compensation packages and perks.
• Unaligned time zones: Countries with the top tech talent may be halfway across the world. A developer there will be working when the “home team” is asleep. Any questions or issues that arise overnight will go unnoticed until morning, causing setbacks.
• Cultural differences: Cultural differences in communication and trust create challenges when hiring internationally. Teams must adapt to new ways of working and communication cues, which requires intention and awareness. Without that adjustment, misunderstandings slow collaboration.
• Hiring and onboarding issues: The volume of compliance rules, contract requirements, and payroll obligations associated with global hiring is overwhelming even for established companies. Work with Oyster to get expert guidance and support through the hiring process and access to automated, compliant global payroll. Oyster removes the regulatory burden, letting you focus on building the product and the team.

How to hire a software developer: 4 platforms to find remote developers

Unsure where to hire developers? Many virtual platforms have streamlined remote hiring by gathering top talent in one place. Find the best fit for your startup on one of the following job boards:

• Oyster: Oyster not only provides compliant EOR services and global payroll but also connects companies with ideal candidates through its talent network. Receive one-on-one recruiting support or recommendations from vetted candidate directories. Once you find the perfect candidate, Oyster guides the team through the hiring process and ensures all contracts meet local and foreign regulations, avoiding misclassifications and other errors that spur legal and tax consequences.
• GitHub: GitHub is a code-sharing platform and a collaborative workplace for developers where you can find top talent. Search profiles for skills essential to the project, and reach out to potential candidates with more information.
• Upwork: Upwork is a marketplace-style platform that allows remote workers to connect with employers seeking specific skills. The People Ops team posts a description on the job board and waits for developers to reach out, or filters for ideal candidates and messages them directly.
• Stack Overflow: Stack Overflow is a Q&A website for developers that companies use to find top talent. Post to Stack Overflow’s job board, and interested candidates will apply. You can accelerate the process by paying to highlight the job listing, putting it in front of talent quickly.

Use a combination of platforms to find the right hire fast. You might run into a few of the same candidates, but a broader search dramatically improves the odds of finding the right fit.

How to hire remote developers faster with Oyster

Hiring goes beyond recruiting. A comprehensive hiring process starts the moment you seek new talent and ends with offboarding—covering all the steps in between.

Oyster does it all. Whether you’re sourcing top talent or ending a freelance engagement, Oyster provides expert support and handles the compliance, contracts, and global payroll to keep everything running smoothly. Learn more today and welcome talent from around the world.

About Oyster

Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, engage, pay, manage, develop, and take care of a thriving distributed workforce. Oyster lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.

Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world—with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.