This is the third time I am starting from scratch and looking to hire developers. The first time was in 2020, just out of college myself. Along with a friend, I filtered through a lot of LinkedIn profiles and took a lot of interviews to find a dev who was in the 2nd year of college. His name was Ashutosh, and he was a 10x dev (he got into MotorQ after he graduated). We hired a couple more fellows after that, but they weren’t as good.
The second time I started from scratch was while building Vedvaani, and again found a couple of good devs after a lot of interviews. I would consider myself lucky to have found them—they helped me ship products within a month in both cases.
This is the third time, and it took me really long to hire—and for the first time, I’m finding it more difficult than ever to hire good folks. A couple of reasons include: the ecosystem is more involved, good folks are often taken by funded US/India startups, and there’s so much noise now with everyone publishing decent enough portfolios using AI-generated code.
A lot of folks joined and also left soon. The reason they almost always mention is that they got a better opportunity elsewhere. This made me realise I need to slow down and reflect on what’s going wrong.
So here is a guide on how to hire not just coders, but people who care about clean work, can communicate well, and are excited about solving real problems. Here’s what’s worked for me so far:
🔍 How I Find Good Developers
1. Having a Portfolio is Everything If a candidate doesn’t have a portfolio or project links (GitHub, deployed sites, etc.), I usually skip. Even on LinkedIn, if there’s no mention of side projects or tech contributions, it’s a red flag for me. We’re a small team, and we can’t afford to hire passengers.
2. Targeting Motivated Learners I’ve had good luck with folks coming out of programs like 100xDevs. These guys are usually:
- Solid with full-stack web dev basics
- Eager to build things
- Consistent in pushing to GitHub or shipping mini-projects
You can search:
- GitHub for 100xDevs repos
- LinkedIn profiles with “100xDevs”
- Twitter/X posts with #100xdevs
3. Smart Google + LinkedIn Search If you hit your LinkedIn connect/message limit, just use Google:
site:linkedin.com/in/ 100xdevs react developer bangalore
You’ll get open profiles which you can view and contact without being logged in.
📊 How to Attract & Retain Developers
Instead of just saying “30k/month”, I now structure it more professionally. Why? Because good candidates compare offers, and presentation matters.
🗓 Entry-Level Developer Offer (Up to 7 LPA CTC)
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fixed Pay (monthly) | ₹30,000 |
| Monthly Performance Bonus | ₹20,000 |
| Half-Yearly Retention Bonus | ₹30k–50k |
| Total CTC (Annual) | Up to ₹7,00,000 |
📈 Mid-Level Developer Offer (Up to 12 LPA CTC)
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fixed Pay (monthly) | ₹50,000 |
| Monthly Performance Bonus | ₹35,000 |
| Half-Yearly Retention Bonus | ₹75k–₹1L |
| Total CTC (Annual) | Up to ₹12,00,000 |
This kind of CTC structure:
- Shows clear upside
- Rewards both performance & loyalty
- Looks professional even at an early-stage startup
🔍 The Screening Process
1. Assignment First I always start with a practical assignment—something close to what they’ll actually work on.
2. Deep Dive Interview Once the assignment is done, the next step is a technical interview. Not just “does it work?”, but why was it written that way? What trade-offs did they consider? I only move forward if I feel confident in their fundamentals.
3. Define the Product Goal First Before you even start hiring, make sure you have a clear goal for the product and a timeline. This gives much-needed clarity to the developer and aligns expectations from day one.
⚡ Safety Checks That I Always Follow
These are non-negotiables for me now:
- Always have a paid probationary period (minimum 1 month)
- Clearly mention in the offer that they’ll work exclusively on this project during the contract
- Keep them on a contract basis unless you need to manage compliances
- Mention clearly that all code and IP belongs to you or your company
All of this should go into the offer letter. It protects both you and them.
Final Thoughts
Hiring your first few developers is hard. You need to find people who aren’t just technically sound, but are aligned with your pace, ambition, and resource constraints.
Sometimes even after all this, you might not be able to find or retain talent. It’s not on you. Sometimes the timing is not right (you have to keep in mind when final/pre-final year students are looking for internships or opportunities—before your competitors take them away). Sometimes you’re just not looking in the right place. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you have to persevere your way through.
Hope this helps you in your own builder journey!