How to Hire a Full Stack Developer (What to Look For)

Ask for a recent story with a messy middle. Smooth portfolios are curated; you want someone who describes trade-offs and fixes.

Separate “knows a framework” from “ships to production.” Deployment, monitoring, and rollback matter as much as syntax.

Give a paid, bounded exercise instead of a week of free spec work. Respect their time; you still learn how they think.

Check how they write: tickets, emails, handoffs. Remote work dies on vague updates.

Reference calls still work. Ask former clients about deadlines, surprises, and whether they would budget again.