OUTSTAFFING WITHOUT ILLUSIONS: HOW WE TRAIN SPECIALISTS, PLACE THEM ON PROJECTS, AND WORK WITH CLIENTS

The process of assigning a specialist follows a standard workflow: we receive a request from a client and select relevant candidates and send their details to the client. The client reviews the options and, if satisfied, invites candidates for an interview. If the interview is successful, we proceed with onboarding, providing access credentials, and the specialist begins work. Most of them join long-term projects—for a year or more.

We regularly gather feedback on our specialists, track their performance, and incorporate this into our internal review process (which happens twice a year at Doubletapp). This way, we can quickly address any issues that arise. Our employees typically integrate seamlessly, becoming part of the team and adapting quickly to all processes.

The main difficulty is usually delays in providing access credentials—a common issue in large corporations due to their complex internal structures. Even full-time employees often don’t receive access immediately. Other bottlenecks include equipment logistics (if the client requires work to be done on their hardware), token distribution delays, if personal devices can be used, or security restrictions, which sometimes prevent specialists from accessing essential systems, rendering their work impossible.

When these problems occur, team leads and CTOs often have to negotiate with their security teams to ensure the specialist can start working effectively. At the same time, contractors are bound by even more obligations than full-time employees: contracts, NDAs, penalties, and potential legal risks.

However, once access is granted, our employees integrate very quickly. For example, in one major international big tech project, after six months of security approvals, our specialists completed onboarding in one day and started coding on the second day.

We primarily communicate with product owners, HR teams, team leads, and CTOs. We discuss budgets, contracts, and legal matters. We have regular feedback sessions to assess progress and identify new needs. We also monitor the market—we track demand for new specialists daily, remind clients about our services, and engage in both online and offline networking.

Some clients expect an all-in-one developer at a low rate. In such cases, we explain market realities—it’s impossible to find a highly skilled, experienced specialist for a junior-level salary. This is especially common with emerging technologies: some clients demand 5 years of experience in a technology that has only existed for 5 years. Sometimes, we manage to adjust expectations, but if not, we simply decline the request if we can’t find a suitable candidate.

Most of our specialists work on long-term projects and receive positive feedback. It’s rare for a client to suddenly terminate a contract. When projects end, it might be due to internal restructuring—sometimes a project is absorbed into another department; project non-renewal or budget cuts—external teams are often hired for hypothesis testing and MVP development; or if the employer decides to leave.

Our contracts clearly outline notice periods, ensuring smooth transitions. Thanks to a steady flow of new requests, we reassign specialists without rushing.

However, last-minute terminations do occur. For instance, one client’s partner company mistakenly removed our specialist without prior notice due to a bureaucratic mix-up. In such cases, we negotiate for an extension (at least two weeks) to ensure a smooth transition.

Some clients invest in external specialists by funding corporate events, branded merchandise, and training programs. At Doubletapp, we prioritize employee growth and development by providing funded training and conference trips, 10% of work time dedicated to learning, and semi-annual performance reviews with opportunities for promotion and salary adjustments. Clients also benefit from upskilled specialists, as our projects are long-term—we are not just a staffing agency selling work hours.

Every six months, we conduct a review to reassess grades. Typically, contracts with clients are signed for a year with a fixed rate and grade, but we always strive for promotions whenever possible. For example, in April 2024, we introduced a frontend developer as a senior, but the client initially evaluated them as mid+. Four months later, we revisited the discussion about upgrading their grade. After gathering feedback, the client confirmed that the developer met the senior level and subsequently raised their grade, rate, and task complexity.

Team leads handle the preparation, while I provide a brief overview of the project, the interviewers, and some basic guidelines. Preparing for specific questions doesn’t make much sense since they change frequently, so we focus on theory, algorithms, and practical tasks—regardless of the tech stack. We regularly conduct mock interviews and provide a set of algorithmic problems for employees to solve and track during work hours as part of their preparation. And our training is effective—our specialists typically pass interviews on their first or second attempt.

A detailed resume helps our candidates stand out from the general pool. We highlight both their hard and soft skills, allowing clients to assess their relevant experience, qualifications, and overall fit for the project.

Our developers are generally quite strong—even interns meet the junior/junior+ level in terms of preparation. We recruit interns from our own courses, which are based at a federal university, but we evaluate more than just their scores. We also consider how pleasant they are to work with, their level of engagement, and their motivation.

I think the most important one is responsibility—being punctual, staying on top of tasks, and meeting deadlines. Soft skills are also crucial, such as politeness and the ability to communicate ideas effectively. And, of course, technical knowledge relevant to the specific company and project.

I believe spending 5–10% of working hours on learning is enough. Developers naturally research and study additional materials while solving work-related tasks to ensure quality execution.

It also depends on task complexity. If you're just tweaking UI elements, you can quickly lose your hard skills, in which case having a personal project is necessary. But if your tasks involve complex architecture and challenges, that alone is enough to maintain your skills.

Poaching attempts are inevitable when working in an external team. We invest in our people and, naturally, don’t encourage this practice. That said, we do everything we can to ensure our employees feel comfortable working with us.

Some companies openly state that they view outstaffing as a talent pool and even mention it at conferences. Another large client has a job portal where they indicate whether they plan to hire a specialist permanently. If they do, the transition is only possible with mutual agreement between the company and the employee. When we propose candidates, we assess in advance whether we’re open to them potentially joining the client’s in-house team. This level of transparency benefits everyone: we know which positions we’re willing to delegate and where the collaboration should remain strictly outstaffing.

In 2025, developers specializing in Go and Java, system analysts, business analysts, and project managers will be in demand in industries like manufacturing, fintech, and telecom. There is also a growing trend for AI specialists in fintech—companies are actively integrating AI agents to automate routine processes. This creates demand for professionals skilled in working with LLM models, data science engineers, and analysts who can develop RAG models. Additionally, 1C developers are highly sought after.

In terms of seniority, companies are mainly looking for mid+ and senior-level specialists, as the market already has plenty of mid-level and junior candidates.

We’re keeping up with these trends and are developing our LLM division at Doubletapp—taking on custom AI projects and providing specialists for outstaffing.

Major outstaffing firms predict that the market will grow by 20% annually over the next few years. Right now, this growth is fueled by government-funded import substitution initiatives, which are likely to continue until 2028–2030.

Companies are reassessing their investment strategies—after a period of heavy spending, they are now focused on cost optimization. This means hiring freezes and budget cuts, but this cycle is expected to be short-term. By Q3 2025, the market should start recovering, provided there are no major external disruptions. In the long run, demand for outstaffing specialists will return to previous levels.

• Lengthy approval processes and access provisioning. From selecting a candidate to their actual project start, a month or more can pass. During this time, the company pays their salary but can’t fully utilize them. Most developers don’t like sitting idle, and internal projects aren’t always enough to keep them engaged.
• Lack of a transparent evaluation system for outstaffing vendors.
  Some unreliable companies submit fake resumes, sending unqualified candidates to interviews, where they fail. Only after multiple failed attempts do they present more suitable candidates, delaying the hiring process.
  One of our clients has implemented a rating system for vendors, and we currently hold one of the highest scores due to the number of successful hires we’ve placed. While this practice isn’t widespread yet, it’s clear that quality is always rewarded.
• Poaching. After working on a project for a couple of years, outstaffed employees may start getting direct job offers from clients. This is a recurring issue.

For clients, this change isn’t critical, but it’s beneficial: it guarantees that specialists work solely on their project for eight hours a day without distractions.

Additionally, outstaffing now operates as an independent business unit with its own manager responsible for sales and development. Clear positioning makes the service more visible to clients.

Any questions left?
Check out our website for rates, tech stacks, and case studies. We also share our available specialists in our partner Telegram channel (in Russian).