Sergey Anisimov

How I would hire a frontend developer in 2025 It is late 2025. You post a role on LinkedIn and within days you have 250 applications. You start thinking about finding a recruiter to filter CVs for you. The best candidates either ignore your tech test or have already taken another job by the time you open their CV. Here is the playbook I use to hire frontend developers today. 📝 Write a clear job description Be upfront about the tech stack. If the role is mainly in Python, say so. Make it obvious so developers who want to code in something else can quickly see if it is not for them. Clear matching saves time for both sides. 🌐 Post in trusted spaces first If the role is in office in Tokyo, do not post it globally on LinkedIn Jobs straight away. Start with meetup organisers, active Slack or Discord communities, or recruiters who are trusted within those groups. This is where you find candidates with a proven and ongoing commitment. ⚡ Respond quickly to CVs When CVs arrive, skim them and reply promptly. The strongest candidates will not still be available if you wait weeks to build up a pile of applications. 💻 Look for evidence of programming Even a dusty portfolio site or a dormant GitHub profile is better than nothing. It shows the candidate has written some code outside of a CV bullet point. That is always a positive signal. ⏱️ Use short practical tests if needed If a CV has no clear evidence but you still want to progress, set an equal time test. Keep it light and fair. For example, a 15 minute React button app or a short dataset review. With an experienced developer reviewing the output, you can often get a reliable sense of ability. You can run four of these in an hour. 🤝 Focus on collaboration Once you know they can code, the real question is whether you can work with them. Ask their opinion on a language or framework, then challenge it. Share your view. See if they can argue well but also listen. Ask how they would start a brand new project. This shows you their thinking style and attitude to teamwork. 🏛️ Manage stakeholder approval Often a final step involves senior leadership. This can be intimidating for candidates. Make sure they know you are already impressed, and that this is either formality or part of the job. Be clear if winning over a senior stakeholder is an actual requirement. ✨ The outcome If you follow this process, you make an offer having seen both technical evidence and cultural fit. You hire in a human first way, without wasting weeks of time or filtering for the most desperate and time rich applicants. Those candidates are rarely the best choice.

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🧠 Great developers write clean code. 💡 Exceptional developers bridge the gap between technology and business outcomes. At Lumenalta, we believe soft skills are what elevate devs from individual contributors to trusted experts, advisors, and even future CTOs. Whether it’s communicating trade-offs to a product manager, staying calm when production breaks, or proposing a more efficient solution that saves the client money—soft skills are what multiply impact. In our latest blog, we dive into: ✔️ The soft skills that matter most (think: communication, empathy, strategic thinking) ✔️ How we help engineers grow beyond the code ✔️What it really means to shift from “order-taker” to strategic problem solver If you’re a developer looking to level up—or a business leader looking for engineers who think like partners—this one’s worth a read: https://vist.ly/3n4962h #SoftwareEngineering #ConsultingMindset #SoftSkills #TechCareers #Lumenalta #EngineeringExcellence #RemoteWork #DeveloperGrowth

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How we hired a Senior Frontend Engineer in 3 weeks: 7 key steps We break down the exact process we used to fill a high-bar role at a web3 client of ours: Here’s how we built momentum and closed fast. 1️⃣ Ideal Candidate Profile - We started with a crystal-clear ICP: mindset, context, likely objections. - Must-haves: React, TypeScript, Styled Components, Rx.js - Location: Remote GMT ±2 - Industry fit: Web3 or consumer apps, 5–7 years. - Deal breakers were clarified upfront to avoid later recalibration. 2️⃣ Profile Calibration - We translated the ICP into a clear calibration table guiding sourcing, screening, and scorecards - This reduced fuzzy preferences and aligned decisions across hiring managers. 3️⃣ Talent Pool Analysis - Mapped the TAM across 4 European regions: Tier 1: Web3 + Rx.js Tier 2: React + TypeScript. - Key insights: - Eastern Europe = strongest Tier 1 source (96 candidates) - 1,100+ Tier 2 profiles mapped. This let us remain selective while managing market trade-offs transparently. 4️⃣ Question Bank - Built a structured kit across 10 categories with: - Core questions + follow-ups - Strong vs weak indicators. 5️⃣ Messaging -Tested a 4-part email sequence: - Employer Value Prop hook Re-engagement + CTA reset - Why this job is cool (market/team context) - Final nudge with slots + urgency. - Tone: casual, confident, and engineer-focused (team, product, scope). 🤖 AI-Enabled Outreach Added automated flows (n8n + custom LLM prompts): - Personalised GPT-4 messaging in company tone. - This let every TP operate like a full-stack hiring squad, reducing manual bottlenecks. 6️⃣ Created candidate database - LinkedIn profiles, tier classification, resume notes, messaging status. This kept parallel sourcing streams flowing. - Ready to go for future hiring rounds 7️⃣ Candidate FAQs - Prepped answers for screening calls: Summary: A complex hire delivered efficiently by codifying our process and building shared tools. This is a snapshot of how we deliver across many roles when our talent partners work on an embedded project. ✌️

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4 comentários

Exactly one week ago, I had one of the most eye opening candidate interviews I've experienced, and it completely changed how I think about interviews. A candidate from the city reached out to apply to work at Swift. Instead of having them commute out, we mentioned that we'd already be in the city for an upcoming event and suggested meeting there if it was easier. That decision made all the difference. We met at the event and the interview unfolded in a totally different way. Not only did we have a great conversation, but we also got to see the candidate in action, how they networked, communicated, and interacted naturally in a real environment. That insight alone was invaluable. Because the interview took place in a setting where the candidate felt comfortable and authentic, the process was smoother, more natural, and far more revealing. It was so effective that instead of multiple interview rounds, that one meeting was enough. It really made me rethink the tradition .erview model. Sometimes an office setting limits people. When candidates are placed in environments where theycan be themselves, you get a much clearer picture of who they truly are. We ended up hiring the candidate and the experience was a huge success. Maybe it's time to rethink how interviews are conducted... #Recruiting #TalentAcquisition #SwiftStaffing

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𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻? I often receive messages like this: "Hi Mariana, I’m a Senior Kotlin Developer with 10+ years of experience. Do you know of any open positions?" There is absolutely nothing wrong with reaching out. I appreciate when people take the initiative, and I try to reply to everyone. But let’s be honest. What are the odds that I am currently looking for someone with that exact profile? It is not impossible, but you would need a bit of luck. Here is my advice: Start by finding a position that matches your profile (in a formal published job or in a post shared on LinkedIn). Then contact the recruiter or talent team who posted it. The chances are much higher that the person you message is directly involved in that vacancy or knows who is. #JobSearchTips #RecruitmentAdvice #LinkedInTips

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Book platform Hardcover has successfully migrated from Next.js back to Ruby on Rails using Inertia.js, resulting in dramatic performance improvements and reduced hosting costs after three years of Next.js development challenges. The migration addressed critical issues, including unclear caching behaviour, unpredictable serverless costs that grew from £30 to over £500 monthly, and slow development speeds where single-page loads took up to a minute locally. Why Rails + Inertia.js Won Over Next.js: 🔹 Server-side rendering maintained for SEO requirements whilst using React components 🔹 Direct database connections through ActiveRecord eliminated GraphQL API overhead 🔹 Familiar Rails caching with Rails.cache.fetch, providing predictable performance 🔹 Vite integration offering fast development with hot module reloading 🔹 Reduced complexity by leveraging existing Rails backend infrastructure The technical architecture combines Rails controllers rendering Inertia.js components with props, whilst Vite handles the React frontend compilation. Server-side rendering runs through a separate Vite SSR process deployed alongside Rails using Kamal. Performance improvements were immediate: Google PageSpeed scores increased significantly, Total Blocking Time dropped from over one second to much faster loads, and visit duration increased from 3 to nearly 6 minutes. Hardcover's experience demonstrates that Rails remains a compelling choice for applications requiring both modern frontend experiences and robust server-side rendering, particularly when teams already possess Rails expertise. What factors would influence your decision between modern JavaScript frameworks and Rails for new projects? We're connecting with developers experienced in both Rails and React ecosystem integration. #RubyOnRails #InertiaJS #NextJS #WebPerformance #TechRecruitment

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If you’re only hiring “seniors”, you’re missing 80% of the market. Because the best developers rarely call themselves that. And titles? Wildly unreliable. "Developer II" "Software Specialist" "Fullstack Wizard" etc. Last week I spoke to a dev who leads architecture discussions, mentors juniors, and carries his team in code reviews. His title? “Medior.” In reality? A disguised Tech Lead who is under appreciated by the management. Meanwhile, some “seniors” have been copy-pasting the same CRUD for three years. Never touched a greenfield build. Never had to make a tech choice that actually mattered. Here’s the kicker most hiring managers forget: Titles are often frozen in time. The CV says “mid-level” because that’s what HR handed out 18 months ago. Not because it reflects where someone is now. That’s exactly why I interview everyone with a solid described work experience in his or her CV or motivational letter. I don’t care what your title says. I care what you’ve built, owned, broken and fixed. Good hiring is pattern recognition. Not job title bingo. So tell me: What’s your method for spotting impact and value over titles and trendy tools?

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Build it yourself, or design within the platform? 🤔 I recently worked on a loyalty system that required complex state management and integration with an external API. The obvious solution would have been a custom backend. Instead, we asked: what does the business actually need, and what does the platform already provide? Using Shopify Flow’s Run Code action, we kept the solution entirely within Shopify: - Flow handled when and how things run - Run Code handled the business logic - Metafields acted as the state layer No external infrastructure. No additional backend to maintain. The most interesting part wasn’t the code, it was understanding the platform well enough to make deliberate trade-offs. I wrote about the architectural decisions here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gzhxu8-B Curious how others approach platform-native vs custom infrastructure decisions as systems grow.

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Remote-First Isn’t a Trend It’s a Strategy. At RepStack, we don’t see remote work as a benefit we see it as a blueprint for sustainable growth. Because the future of work isn’t defined by where people log in, but by how teams operate, communicate, and scale together. Remote-first success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through intentional systems ✅ Clear workflows that eliminate chaos. ✅ Global collaboration that fuels innovation. ✅ A culture grounded in trust, not proximity. When you empower people with freedom and focus, you unlock performance, creativity, and longevity. This is how we scale not by adding desks, but by building systems that empower teams to deliver results from anywhere in the world. Remote-first isn’t a phase. It’s the operating model for the next generation of high-performing agencies. #RepStack #RemoteFirst #AgencyGrowth #FutureOfWork #WorkCulture #GlobalTeams #EvolvingTogether

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