Chris HennigfeldFractional CTO
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Hiring Your First Developers

“Who should build my product and how do I find them?”

You need your first developers but can’t judge technical skill yourself. A wrong hire costs you months.

Who it’s for

You’re a good fit if you…

  • are hiring your first developers or an agency
  • find plenty of candidates on platforms but can’t tell who’s good
  • had a hire that didn’t work out and want to get the next one right

Probably not a fit if you…

What you get

  • A job description posted on the platforms of your choice
  • Screening and interviews that test how candidates think and decide
  • Reference checks with past clients or employers
  • A clear recommendation and advice on terms such as hourly or monthly

How it works

Two to four weeks, from the discovery call to your hiring decision.

  1. Discovery call

    Free

    We talk about what you’re building, who you need, and your budget.

  2. Fixed quote

    Within two working days

    A fixed price per role and a timeline.

  3. Job description and posting

    First week

    I write the job requirements, you add details of your company, and the post goes out on the platforms of your choice.

  4. Screening, interviews, and recommendation

    One to three weeks

    I screen applicants and run the first interviews myself, then we do a second round with the shortlist together. You get my recommendation, with reference checks and advice on terms. You make the final call.

Tiers

Find and screen

From €1,800per role

From 2 weeks

From the job description to your decision: posting, screening, interviews, and reference checks.

Find, screen, and onboard

From €2,500per role

From 4 weeks

The same, plus an onboarding plan with goals for the first weeks, set together with your new developer.

Example

Real client work. Outside the case studies, client names are left out for confidentiality.

Finding a developer you can trust with your payment systems

Monetization platform for content creators, Spain, 2026

Two first-time founders needed a back-end developer for a platform where payments sat at the heart of the system. I wrote the job post, screened dozens of applicants, and interviewed the strongest four, two of whom stood out. The founders and I then had a call with each of them. The deciding factor was deep experience building payment processing in Python, one of the most critical parts of the back-end. He was new to the freelance platform where we found him, so instead of a track record there, I checked his references and got glowing feedback from his past clients.

The founders hired him. He turned out to be an excellent developer, responsible and skilled at working with AI coding agents, and one I’d gladly work with again.

Common questions

Do you find the candidates?

Yes, through a job post I write and run on the platforms you choose, such as Upwork or LinkedIn, using your company account. Where it fits, I also tap into my own network.

What if we don’t find the right person?

Sometimes the first round doesn’t bring the right candidate, especially for a very specific role. Then we look at why: the profile, where the role was posted, or the budget. You decide whether to adjust and run a second round, which I quote separately at a reduced fee, or stop there. The fixed price covers one full round.

Freelancer, agency, or employee?

A freelancer gives you flexibility: you can start small, scale up to full time, and keep working together for years. Offshore, it also spares you the HR requirements of employing someone in another country, in exchange for a slightly higher rate. An agency adds continuity: cover for holidays, a replacement when someone leaves, and a wider pool of people to draw on. An employee makes sense once you’re committed and need the knowledge in-house, which enterprise customers and auditors may ask about.

Full time, hourly, or per milestone?

Hourly suits experimental work, where you need to try things out. Per milestone, with written requirements to check against, protects your budget but leaves less room to change course. A monthly or full-time arrangement works well once you trust the person, or have someone like me making sure the work goes in the right direction, so you don’t spend a lot with little to show for it.

Can you help hire a designer or other roles?

Yes, for roles around the product, such as a designer or a QA tester. The process is the same. I’m not a designer myself, so for that role I focus on how the candidate works with you, the developers, and the product.

Can you help me find an agency instead of individual developers?

Yes, if you want an agency to build a defined project at a fixed price. Finding and vetting that agency counts as one role. If an agency only supplies individual developers, each developer is a role, as with freelancers.

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Where does your product stand?

Tell me what you’re building and what’s on your mind. In a free call we work out the next step, whether that’s working together or something you can do yourself.

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