Why Most Companies Fail to Hire Great Developers (And What Actually Works)
Authored by: Tiberiu Trandaburu
In theory, the task of bringing on board exceptional developers has never been easier/having access to have global talent is apparent (by means of remote work, )
In practice, there are more delays, complexities, and frustrations than before because of poor hiring models that encourage companies to wait until they find a “reasonable candidate” instead of simply moving forward due to their inability to engage with their potential candidates’ interest.
From my time with our clients throughout Europe and North America at Uptalen, it is evident that the issue isn’t a lack of talent; instead, the issue lies within the method of approaching the hiring process for all candidates.
The Real Problem: Overcomplicated Hiring
Most companies try to reduce risk by adding more steps:
- More interview rounds
- More stakeholders
- More tests
Your intentions are correct, but you’re not quite there with your results. And each additional step that is added makes it more difficult for strong applicants (especially senior-level engineers) to stick around after applying, because they’re going to have other opportunities available to them.
Now we’ve seen some processes that take 3 to 4 weeks (5 to 7 stages), and by the time the final decision has been made, the top candidates are already long gone.
What Actually Works: Fewer, Better Steps
The companies that consistently hire strong developers follow a different approach. They don’t remove rigor—they focus it.
A high-performing hiring process usually looks like this:
- Fast qualification – Clear alignment on experience, expectations, and rate
- Relevant technical validation – Not generic tests, but evaluation tied to the actual role
- Decisive feedback loop – Quick internal alignment and clear next steps
That’s it.
One of the most impactful changes we’ve seen is reducing unnecessary interview rounds. Cutting from 5 stages to 2–3 doesn’t reduce quality—it improves it. Why? Because it forces better preparation, clearer evaluation criteria, and faster decisions.
Speed Is Not the Opposite of Quality
There’s a common misconception that moving fast means lowering standards.
In reality, speed is often a signal of clarity.
Companies that move quickly usually:
- Know exactly what they’re looking for
- Have aligned stakeholders
- Trust their evaluation process
On the other hand, slow processes are often a sign of uncertainty, not rigor.
The Hidden Bottleneck: Decision-Making
Most hiring delays don’t come from sourcing candidates—they come from internal indecision.
We’ve seen cases where candidates completed all interviews, but feedback was delayed for days because:
- Stakeholders weren’t aligned
- No one “owned” the decision
- Teams kept looking for a “perfect” candidate
Top candidates don’t wait for perfect. They accept strong, clear opportunities.
Hiring Is a Competitive Process
Companies often forget that hiring is not just evaluation—it’s competition.
Candidates evaluate you just as much as you evaluate them:
- How fast you move
- How clear your communication is
- How structured your process feels
A slow or confusing process signals risk. A clear and decisive one signals confidence.
A Practical Takeaway
If you want to improve hiring outcomes immediately, start here:
Audit your process and remove one unnecessary step.
Not optimize—remove.
Then make sure every remaining step has a clear purpose:
- What are we evaluating?
- Who decides?
- How fast do we move forward?
Small changes here can dramatically improve both speed and quality.
Author bio: Mr Tiberiu Trandaburu, CEO & Founder, Uptalen