5 min read

5 min read

Rayyan Khan

Rayyan Khan

Scaling Your Engineering Team

How to hire offshore engineers that actually ship

Most founders make one of two mistakes when hiring engineers:

  1. They overpay for prestige (us based contractors) without results

  2. They underpay and micromanage developers who can't execute

The best founders know how to find builders, not just coders. If you want engineers who take ownership, ship fast, and don’t need hand-holding—this guide shows you how we do it.

Clarifying what type of engineer you actually need

Clarifying what type of engineer you actually need

Clarifying what type of engineer you actually need

1. Hiring an engineer isn’t the same as hiring a product builder.

Before you post that job ad, ask yourself:

  • Is this role backend-heavy? Or UI-focused?

  • Will they be building MVPs or scaling infra?

  • Are you shipping fast and breaking things or building clean, stable systems?

Too many founders write a wishlist and hope for magic. Get clear on what your product actually needs next—and hire for that.

1. Hiring an engineer isn’t the same as hiring a product builder.

Before you post that job ad, ask yourself:

  • Is this role backend-heavy? Or UI-focused?

  • Will they be building MVPs or scaling infra?

  • Are you shipping fast and breaking things or building clean, stable systems?

Too many founders write a wishlist and hope for magic. Get clear on what your product actually needs next—and hire for that.

1. Hiring an engineer isn’t the same as hiring a product builder.

Before you post that job ad, ask yourself:

  • Is this role backend-heavy? Or UI-focused?

  • Will they be building MVPs or scaling infra?

  • Are you shipping fast and breaking things or building clean, stable systems?

Too many founders write a wishlist and hope for magic. Get clear on what your product actually needs next—and hire for that.

1. Hiring an engineer isn’t the same as hiring a product builder.

Before you post that job ad, ask yourself:

  • Is this role backend-heavy? Or UI-focused?

  • Will they be building MVPs or scaling infra?

  • Are you shipping fast and breaking things or building clean, stable systems?

Too many founders write a wishlist and hope for magic. Get clear on what your product actually needs next—and hire for that.

Where to source offshore engineers (and how we do it daily)

Where to source offshore engineers (and how we do it daily)

Where to source offshore engineers (and how we do it daily)

2. Where to find offshore engineers

We’ve hired out of:

  • Reddit (subreddits like r/forhire, r/webdev)

  • LinkedIn job posts + DM campaigns

  • Niche boards (WeWorkRemotely, RemoteOK, and Dev.to)

  • Referral networks we’ve built in LATAM, Egypt, Morocco, etc.

  • Paid sourcing pipelines (like outbound automation or agencies like us 👀)

Consistency is the unlock. You don’t need 100 candidates. You need 3-5 great ones.

2. Where to find offshore engineers

We’ve hired out of:

  • Reddit (subreddits like r/forhire, r/webdev)

  • LinkedIn job posts + DM campaigns

  • Niche boards (WeWorkRemotely, RemoteOK, and Dev.to)

  • Referral networks we’ve built in LATAM, Egypt, Morocco, etc.

  • Paid sourcing pipelines (like outbound automation or agencies like us 👀)

Consistency is the unlock. You don’t need 100 candidates. You need 3-5 great ones.

2. Where to find offshore engineers

We’ve hired out of:

  • Reddit (subreddits like r/forhire, r/webdev)

  • LinkedIn job posts + DM campaigns

  • Niche boards (WeWorkRemotely, RemoteOK, and Dev.to)

  • Referral networks we’ve built in LATAM, Egypt, Morocco, etc.

  • Paid sourcing pipelines (like outbound automation or agencies like us 👀)

Consistency is the unlock. You don’t need 100 candidates. You need 3-5 great ones.

2. Where to find offshore engineers

We’ve hired out of:

  • Reddit (subreddits like r/forhire, r/webdev)

  • LinkedIn job posts + DM campaigns

  • Niche boards (WeWorkRemotely, RemoteOK, and Dev.to)

  • Referral networks we’ve built in LATAM, Egypt, Morocco, etc.

  • Paid sourcing pipelines (like outbound automation or agencies like us 👀)

Consistency is the unlock. You don’t need 100 candidates. You need 3-5 great ones.

How to screen for technical + product thinking

How to screen for technical + product thinking

How to screen for technical + product thinking

3. How to screen engineers (without wasting 10 hours)

We use 3 filters:

  • Mini technical test (30–45 min): Solve a basic bug or build a feature (realistic, not HackerRank-style)

  • Portfolio check: Look at how they think, not just what they shipped

  • Comms test: Clear async writing, ownership language, and product thinking

Bonus: Ask them what AI tools they use when coding. If they’re not using Copilot or ChatGPT, that’s a flag.

3. How to screen engineers (without wasting 10 hours)

We use 3 filters:

  • Mini technical test (30–45 min): Solve a basic bug or build a feature (realistic, not HackerRank-style)

  • Portfolio check: Look at how they think, not just what they shipped

  • Comms test: Clear async writing, ownership language, and product thinking

Bonus: Ask them what AI tools they use when coding. If they’re not using Copilot or ChatGPT, that’s a flag.

3. How to screen engineers (without wasting 10 hours)

We use 3 filters:

  • Mini technical test (30–45 min): Solve a basic bug or build a feature (realistic, not HackerRank-style)

  • Portfolio check: Look at how they think, not just what they shipped

  • Comms test: Clear async writing, ownership language, and product thinking

Bonus: Ask them what AI tools they use when coding. If they’re not using Copilot or ChatGPT, that’s a flag.

3. How to screen engineers (without wasting 10 hours)

We use 3 filters:

  • Mini technical test (30–45 min): Solve a basic bug or build a feature (realistic, not HackerRank-style)

  • Portfolio check: Look at how they think, not just what they shipped

  • Comms test: Clear async writing, ownership language, and product thinking

Bonus: Ask them what AI tools they use when coding. If they’re not using Copilot or ChatGPT, that’s a flag.

Hiring checklist: timezone, tools, clarity, and culture

Hiring checklist: timezone, tools, clarity, and culture

Hiring checklist: timezone, tools, clarity, and culture

4. Hiring checklist (our internal framework)

What we check before any hire: Timezone overlap (at least 2–4 hours with core team)

English clarity (voice notes, async replies, Loom videos)

Tool comfort (GitHub, Linear, Notion, Slack, Copilot)

Culture fit (are they growth-oriented, coachable, and aligned?)

Ownership mindset (do they ask smart questions or just wait for next steps?)

4. Hiring checklist (our internal framework)

What we check before any hire: Timezone overlap (at least 2–4 hours with core team)

English clarity (voice notes, async replies, Loom videos)

Tool comfort (GitHub, Linear, Notion, Slack, Copilot)

Culture fit (are they growth-oriented, coachable, and aligned?)

Ownership mindset (do they ask smart questions or just wait for next steps?)

4. Hiring checklist (our internal framework)

What we check before any hire: Timezone overlap (at least 2–4 hours with core team)

English clarity (voice notes, async replies, Loom videos)

Tool comfort (GitHub, Linear, Notion, Slack, Copilot)

Culture fit (are they growth-oriented, coachable, and aligned?)

Ownership mindset (do they ask smart questions or just wait for next steps?)

4. Hiring checklist (our internal framework)

What we check before any hire: Timezone overlap (at least 2–4 hours with core team)

English clarity (voice notes, async replies, Loom videos)

Tool comfort (GitHub, Linear, Notion, Slack, Copilot)

Culture fit (are they growth-oriented, coachable, and aligned?)

Ownership mindset (do they ask smart questions or just wait for next steps?)

The onboarding system: turning engineers into high-output teammates

The onboarding system: turning engineers into high-output teammates

The onboarding system: turning engineers into high-output teammates

5. The 2-week onboarding sprint

Don’t throw them into a live repo with zero guidance. Our onboarding includes:

  • Day 1–3: Environment setup, access, SOPs

  • Day 4–7: First small tasks (e.g., bug fix or style tweak)

  • Day 8–14: Feature builds + feedback loop

  • Week 3+: Full tasks, async standups, and ownership

By the end of week 2, they should be in the rhythm.

5. The 2-week onboarding sprint

Don’t throw them into a live repo with zero guidance. Our onboarding includes:

  • Day 1–3: Environment setup, access, SOPs

  • Day 4–7: First small tasks (e.g., bug fix or style tweak)

  • Day 8–14: Feature builds + feedback loop

  • Week 3+: Full tasks, async standups, and ownership

By the end of week 2, they should be in the rhythm.

5. The 2-week onboarding sprint

Don’t throw them into a live repo with zero guidance. Our onboarding includes:

  • Day 1–3: Environment setup, access, SOPs

  • Day 4–7: First small tasks (e.g., bug fix or style tweak)

  • Day 8–14: Feature builds + feedback loop

  • Week 3+: Full tasks, async standups, and ownership

By the end of week 2, they should be in the rhythm.

5. The 2-week onboarding sprint

Don’t throw them into a live repo with zero guidance. Our onboarding includes:

  • Day 1–3: Environment setup, access, SOPs

  • Day 4–7: First small tasks (e.g., bug fix or style tweak)

  • Day 8–14: Feature builds + feedback loop

  • Week 3+: Full tasks, async standups, and ownership

By the end of week 2, they should be in the rhythm.

💡 Want help?

💡 Want help?

💡 Want help?

We’ve built an offshore hiring engine that does all this—sourcing, screening, onboarding. You just get a shortlist of 2–3 people worth hiring. Book a free consult if you want in.

We help startups hire cracked offshore talent.

© 2025 Founders Arm. All rights reserved.

We help startups hire cracked offshore talent.

© 2025 Founders Arm. All rights reserved.

We help startups hire cracked offshore talent.

© 2025 Founders Arm. All rights reserved.

We help startups hire cracked offshore talent.

© 2025 Founders Arm.
All rights reserved.