Employ full time developers help!

[RichieJJ]

Hi everyone, I wonder if you can help?

I am a start-up with my site going live in about one month. I am based in North West Kent and I am looking to employ a web developer and then gradually build a good team of developers as my business grows. So far I have used freelancers to build the site but I really want to develop the business in the house. How do I go about finding web developers to employ on full-time contracts? Thank you for your help, Rich

 

[FIZIX Agency]

May sound stupid, but the same way you hire anyone; by advertising an opening. There are more websites than I could hope to list where you can find developers.

When hiring look at their length of experience, what technical skills and experience they have and if possible what projects they have been involved in and to what extent.

 

[RichieJJ]

Thank you for your message. I have had a good look at websites but they all seem to be aimed more towards freelancers. Are there any which help in recruiting full-time staff? Thanks

 

[RickieSee]

jobsite
monster

Your regional newspaper will also have a web presence, where you can list jobs.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Silly question, what are you building thats not been done before and available on the market

 

[thelegalstop]

Have you tried gumtree?

 

[Paul_Rosser]

First thing to do is look at the technology which has been used to build your website as thats the skills you will be looking for.

Also do you have enough work to employ someone full time ? Most people use freelancers as it's cheaper than having someone sat in the office with not enough to do.

Also if you employ a single person unless you are paying top dollar, then your future growth will depend very much on their personal skill set and you may find you get told "thats not possible" quite a lot, or the solution which is put in doesn't work properly.

 

[RichieJJ]

Thank you. I will check out monster and the local paper.

 

[rantiquin]

Hello RichieJJ, I'm a new member here in UKBF and can't help replying in your post. I'm a marketing manager for an outsourcing company based in London which has outsourced offices in India and Philippines providing bespoke solutions in web,software and business development that might be a good answer on what you need. We basically provide a project based solutions or by means of virtual employees that could be part of your development team in a much lower prices. Hope this helps! just let me know if you need more details I'm sure you will be surprise of your newly found solution thanks!

 

[Christine Hough]

Can you pm what company you are with for future reference?

I have used outsourced programmers in India before and found it worked really well.
They work (UK time) from very early in the morning to about 2:00 and send through a report of what they have done.
I have the afternoon and evening to test and respond and my email is waiting for them when they start again the next morning.
I found communication very good.

 

[rantiquin]

Hello Christine, sure I am sending you a message right now. I'm glad you had a great time using contractors from India. We have our own office in Mumbia which is directly managed by our headquarters in London so it's like dealing with a UK company with no headache at all

 

[jonrod]

Full time staff? I’d suggest Staff.com for full time hires and Monster.com. Both have great developers and have much more competitive rates because it's for global staff (for example they have web developers for $1200), but not so great if you are hiring someone locally.

 

[AdamLP700]

I'm a start-up running an online company too, so I can relate to you. It may sound a little cliche, but before getting a team of developers on board, it is absolutely essential that you perpetually ask yourself whether this is something you really need at this moment in time. It will be stressful and extremely expensive. I've done that in the past "running before I could walk" and lost endless amounts of money as a result. I hope you don't make the same mistake! Take your time and don't rush things, would be my first piece of advice.

Now, if you are certain that you are in need of a team of developers, I'd suggest you contact the companies/freelancers you've worked with previously (if you've had a pleasant experience with them). They'd be familiar with your website, it's functionality and most importantly, the coding. DO NOT outsource to another country unless you enjoy an endless migraine. It may be appealing because it's cheaper but it can be extremely stressful.

Good luck.

Adam

 

[rantiquin]

Adam is absolutely right. Spend most of your time thinking on what you really need and when you need it. It's best if you could contact previous freelancers/contractors you have worked with but of course keep in mind working with outsourced freelancers/contractors doesn't always spell saving cost. The burden in working with outsourced contractors is not only costly and time consuming if not done right, you can also add the unmeasurable headache waiting.

Not to promote the company I'm working with but this is just a piece of advice. There are companies like us who choose to have their own office, infrastructure and resources in India, manage employees for you, ensure you don't get the headache that most people has in outsourcing and surprisingly cost almost the same if not close to paying freelancers overseas. The only difference is you are dealing with a UK company. There are a number of companies like us. You just need to do some research and talk to the right people that might be able to help but if you want more details you can shoot me a message any time too.

 

[RichieJJ]

Hi, thank you for all your messages. I am currently working with freelancers which I have outsourced the work to in the London area. When the site goes live, however, there will be a ton of work to do including the future development which is massive. I am not keen on the idea of outsourcing overseas because I want more physical control over the company and product. If I could build a team who knows the company/product really well, I believe I can create a better business -- by having a team who is passionate about the company. Outsourcing the work to freelancers does not give me much confidence when I am trying to grow the company plus it will be expensive in the long run. R

 

[Alan]

http://recruiters.cwjobs.co.uk/

http://www.cwjobs.co.uk/

 

[RichieJJ]

Thanks for your help

 

[Moneyman]

I have a really good team of developers but they are all contractors. some have been working for me full time for a year but they know that it can end. they also know that i will do anything to retain them if their work is good. It suits us both. i can get a graphic designer and as long as i can say " i will only have 10 hours per week for the next 6 months. they stay.
people need change and excitement but they also need promises you can keep.
dont try to bring freelancers in house...many of them dont like it and then you get problems once they are in the comfort zone.