5 Simple Steps To Hire Developers in Eastern Europe

1. Overview of Software Outsourcing in Eastern Europe

Businesses seeking a skilled and cost-effective tech talent pool often find Eastern Europe a promising destination. The region boasts a strong tradition of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, producing a well-regarded workforce in software development. The region is home to more than 1M programmers. Nearly one-third of them (47%) are located in Poland, another 32% live in Ukraine, and 19% in Romania.

• Poland: The country now houses approximately 525,000 software developers.
• Ukraine: The number of IT professionals in Ukraine is around 363,000.
• Romania: There are about 221,000 programmers in Romania​ 

Eastern European countries are known for their strong educational focus on science, technology, and engineering. The region houses over 200 universities and colleges, which produce 60K IT specialists annually. Plus, 87% of newly minted professionals claim they have learned a technology or a programming language by themselves, proving that most Eastern European developers are passionate about their work and consider it rewarding.

In addition to a solid tech background, Eastern Europe can boast one of the highest English literacy rates worldwide. According to the EF English Proficiency Index, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Belarus, and Ukraine are ranked among the 45 best countries by English skills.

2. Pros and Cons When You Hire Developers in Eastern Europe

2.1 Benefits of hiring developers in Eastern Europe

When considering the decision to hire developers in Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe presents an increasingly attractive option. Here are several key benefits that make them stand out:

• Cost Efficiency

Hiring developers from Eastern Europe is more budget-friendly. This region has a lower cost of living, which translates into lower salaries compared to Western Europe or North America. Companies can save on development costs while still accessing high-quality services.

• Cultural Compatibility

Developers in Eastern Europe often share cultural values with their Western counterparts, making communication smoother. They are familiar with Western business practices and work ethics, which helps in managing projects more efficiently and avoids common misunderstandings.

• Favorable Time Zones

The time zone overlap between Eastern Europe and Western countries facilitates easier collaboration. For example, when it’s morning in the US, it’s afternoon in Eastern Europe. This allows for real-time discussions and faster decision-making during common working hours.

2.2 Challenges of hiring developers in Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a veritable treasure trove of tech talent gems, but top-notch professionals may not be easy to find. If you decide to hire developers in Eastern Europe on your own, you should be aware of the hurdles that might lie ahead:

You will need at least basic native language proficiency to browse local job boards. Since these websites target their domestic markets, they don’t have an English version to facilitate user navigation in most cases.

• Lack of Information Online

Your recruitment efforts can fall short because local tech specialists may not have enough online exposure. Some offshore development companies expand their business through recommendations and recurring sales rather than B2B portals like Clutch or Goodfirms.

• Knowledge of the Local Job Market 

Hiring developers in Eastern Europe requires a good understanding of the local market. You need to find out through which information channels developers learn about open vacancies and their job search mechanisms.

For example, in Ukraine, some of the most popular means for seeking employment are Djinny, a local IT matchmaking platform, and Dou.ua, a dedicated tech industry portal. Ukrainian developers also pursue new opportunities via job boards like Work.ua and Robota.ua. Other common channels include LinkedIn, social media postings, the company’s website, and recommendations from friends and colleagues.

3. Where To Hire Developers in Eastern Europe

Businesses looking to hire developers in Eastern Europe can follow one of the following strategies. Each approach offers unique benefits and caters to different needs, whether you’re looking to expand your operations or enhance your existing capabilities.

3.1 Leverage Your Networks to Hire Developers in Eastern Europe

To find reliable remote service providers, begin by seeking references from your network—friends and business partners—or by engaging with dedicated tech communities on social platforms. This initial step can offer valuable insights from those who have already navigated hiring developers in this region.

3.2 Hire Developers in Eastern Europe on Linkedin/Clutch

Platforms like LinkedIn and Clutch are excellent starting points for locating a dependable offshore development partner. These sites are popular among international businesses that are shifting their IT services to nearshore Eastern European locations. They provide crucial information on potential partners, including details about the firm’s location, workforce capacity, and past projects.

3.3 Check Freelance Marketplaces 

There are many online platforms to find qualified Eastern European developers for your project. Portals like Upwork, Guru, and Fiverr offer access to a vast talent pool of engineers with diverse experience, backgrounds, and tech stacks.

Hiring freelancers might be convenient for small projects with a tight budget. It’s also a good choice if you plan to outsource only specific tasks or need to bring in additional expertise. On the downside, freelance platforms usually don’t provide skill assessment testing to ascertain the competencies of their users, so you run the risk of hiring an unreliable developer.

3.4 Partner with Local Recruiters 

You can save yourself a lot of hassle if you work with local consultants who are attuned to the peculiarities of the local market. Partnering with HR specialists from your preferred offshore destination is a good idea because they can scan all the relevant sources, perform background checks, and review resumes and portfolios to hire the right developers in eastern Europe.

The primary goal of recruiters is to put you in touch with suitable developers or offshore development teams. However, you must participate in the process and assess the prospects yourself. Apart from your active engagement, this option also requires considerable financial outlay, as the agency will charge you a fixed fee for every tech pro they find for your project.

3.5 Hire Eastern Europe developers with a Software Outsourcing Company

When you partner with software outsourcing firms in Eastern Europe, you gain access to a diverse talent pool ready to tackle complex software challenges. These firms handle everything from recruitment to management, so you can focus on core business goals without the overhead of direct hiring. These companies can offer you highly skilled developers who are proficient in the latest technologies and culturally aligned with your practices.

By choosing a trusted software outsourcing company, your development needs are met with professionalism and security.  Now you’re free to leverage their local expertise and technological prowess for your projects.

4. Hire Developers in Eastern Europe: Step-by-Step Guide

4.1 Defining Project Scope and Requirements

To attract top-tier software developers in Eastern Europe, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your project’s demands. Start by pinpointing the customer pain points that your product aims to solve. This may seem basic, but it’s a vital step in clarifying the full scope of work, covering all aspects of the project comprehensively.

With a detailed vision of the desired end product, break down the overall task into smaller, manageable milestones. This breakdown not only simplifies the project for potential vendors but also aids in clearer communication and expectations setting.

Next Steps:

• Develop a Detailed Action Plan: Convert your project vision into a concrete action plan that outlines each step required to achieve your goals.
• Prepare Technical Questions: Be ready to discuss the technical requirements of your project, including:
  • The types of professionals needed
  • Essential technology stacks for success
  • Desired experience levels
  • Infrastructure requirements
  • Expected time-to-market

These preparations are key to effectively navigating the talent-sourcing phase. Armed with this information, you’ll be equipped to evaluate dozens of developers and outsourcing companies.

4.2 Tech Screening

There are over 2500 IT outsourcing companies and nearly 1.3M software developers in Eastern Europe, so you can find the offshore development team that will perfectly suit your needs. While you browse candidates’ profiles on Linkedin, sift through their resumes, or check out their website, it’s essential to focus on these aspects:

Your tech partner should provide engineering talent in most web, mobile, or desktop technologies. It might be easier to evaluate candidates if you create an extensive list of the programming languages, front-end and back-end tech stacks, and database systems you need to get your project off the ground. You can assign value to each criterion and then total your results to identify the best outsourcing team to execute your technical vision.

Deep tech expertise is a unique selling point for most Eastern European software development companies. But this trait alone won’t get you very far if your remote workforce doesn’t understand the goals you want to achieve with your product.

So to ensure a fruitful working relationship, try to narrow down your search to agencies that have some previous experience in the field you are operating in. Such business expertise helps to speed up the development process and empowers your vendor to deliver the project according to the industry’s best practices.

In IT, experience demonstrates the level of a developer’s maturity and is an indicator of technical know-how. The higher the engineers’ competence, the more varied the challenges they have faced. It means they have had to come up with out-of-the-box solutions and more efficient approaches to troubleshooting.

4.3 Work Review 

Proficiency in your tech stack is not enough to find out which team is the best. You must look for someone well-aligned with your style and approach to work. It may sound like a daunting prospect, but their track record can give you a hint.

Project portfolios and customer testimonials allow you to see what your potential vendors have done in the past. Feedback from past clients tells you a lot about the abilities, knowledge, and innovation that offshore software companies in Eastern Europe can bring to the table. Verified reviews provide you with information on their tech maturity, team composition, client involvement strategy, and competency in the domain.

You may dig deeper with your due diligence and try to reach out to your vendor’s former business partners to confirm their satisfaction with the project outcomes. This may give you some insight into the organization of the development process, including time management, communication with clients, data protection standards, and resource pipeline. It can help gauge how well your domestic team and remote developers will work together.

4.4 Coding Test 

A trial programming task is the best way to ensure you are hiring Eastern European developers. It’s a perfect tool to facilitate your headhunting efforts as it helps screen their tech abilities in mere hours.

Tech sourcing platforms like HackerRank, Codility, or Devskiller offer online coding assessments that allow you to interview candidates for all sorts of mobile, web, and software development roles. Once applicants submit their work, the system will automatically analyze and score their code and generate a detailed report about each candidate’s coding abilities.

Such code-assessment platforms are convenient for companies looking to streamline their technical interviewing process and make data-driven hiring decisions, especially if they don’t have in-house tech experts.

4.5 Final Interview 

This is the last step before you begin negotiating rates and terms. At this point, both you and potential prospects can unwind after a challenging selection process. Now you can shift your focus to the often overlooked aspect of nearshore software development — direct human connection.

Unlike tech expertise, this domain can’t be scored or standardized, so you need to trust your instinct. It might take several meetings or calls to identify the most suitable candidate. However, some indications can show that you’ve already found your perfect match. For example:

• Smooth communication skills

This defines how effectively Eastern European developers can support your domestic team. It fosters active cooperation between the two parties and allows them to resolve misunderstandings, lead discussions, and track the progress of each other.

You need to make sure everyone is on the same page and can express themselves without misunderstandings. Luckily, Eastern Europe has one of the highest English literacy rates, with 49% of IT specialists having high language proficiency and 35% showing intermediate level.

Your potential tech partners should be flexible enough to allow you to add or remove programmers at any stage of the development process. To be on the safe side, check out how they allocate tech specialists for their offshore development team and whether they can guarantee a sufficient number of engineers for your project.

• Knowledge Management Strategy

Knowledge transfer refers to mechanisms that convey critical corporate information to a system that can easily be stored, shared, and used by all employees, both in-house and remote. Thus, the environment within the partner company has to encourage developers to share their wisdom, experience, and specific occupational knowledge with their colleagues on the project.

A key to building a dedicated development team is to align individuals to your organizational goals. Adopting a culture of empowerment helps create a setting where employees are granted authority and power to exercise their discretion and take ownership of their work. When your remote staff feel valued and see why their work matters, they are more inclined to deliver high-quality results.

5. Final Thoughts

To wrap up this blog on how to hire developers in Eastern Europe, you should remember that business relationships are a two-way process, so the choice is not only yours to make. The software development company is also appraising the possibility of working with you. They have the right to ask questions to make an informed decision. The sure way to find the right match is to be open about your company’s expectations and future objectives.