Hiring a Software Engineer: The Questions Clients Ask Most

When prospective clients reach out, they usually want clarity on cost, timelines, collaboration, and impact. This guide collects the questions we hear most often at SotoDev and shares data-backed answers to help you make a confident hiring decision.

By the end of this FAQ, you will know what to budget, how to evaluate technical fit, and what to prepare so your project stays on schedule.

How much does it cost to hire a software engineer?

Pricing depends on the scope of work, integrations, compliance requirements, and whether you need ongoing maintenance. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual pay for software developers was $120,730 in 2022, which translates to roughly $10,000 per month before benefits for full-time talent. Specialized automation or AI projects typically command senior-level rates between $125 and $175 per hour, especially when rapid delivery is critical.

We help clients forecast by mapping user stories to measurable outcomes. For context, most of our automation engagements fall between $18,000 and $45,000 and deliver within 8–16 weeks. Start with a discovery workshop to align scope with budget, and revisit the roadmap in two-week increments to keep runway visible.

How do we keep the project on schedule?

High-performing teams pair weekly demos with sprint retrospectives and maintain a visible burndown chart. We recommend:

• Setting OKRs for each iteration to connect milestones to business value.
• Instrumenting automated testing pipelines and observability dashboards early so regressions surface immediately.
• Scheduling stakeholder reviews every 10 business days to confirm scope decisions.

This cadence keeps delivery predictable and gives your internal team the chance to request adjustments before they become costly rework.

Which tech stack delivers the fastest ROI?

Select a stack that matches your team’s long-term support capacity. Modern web applications typically combine TypeScript, Next.js, and Python-based automation services. At SotoDev, we lean on technologies like Next.js, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, and LangChain when projects demand secure integrations and AI-driven workflows.

For a deeper look at how stack decisions influence outcomes, review our case studies on the Work page. Each write-up covers architecture, automation layers, and the KPIs we improved.

How do we evaluate a software engineer’s collaboration skills?

Technical credentials matter, but communication cadence and stakeholder alignment are equally important. Ask candidates to share:

1. Their preferred planning ritual (scrum, kanban, dual-track agile).
2. Examples of collaborating with product managers, clinicians, or operations leads.
3. How they hand off documentation and knowledge transfer at launch.

During discovery calls we provide a sample delivery plan and introduce the engineer who will lead standups. This transparency lets your internal team gauge culture fit early.

What KPIs should we track to prove ROI?

Tie engineering work to business metrics. Popular signals include cycle time, deployment frequency, lead conversion rate, and manual hours saved. In our Auto Track case study, for example, automated booking reduced manual data entry by 68% within the first quarter.

Pair these quantitative metrics with qualitative feedback from the teams adopting the new workflow. Combining both views gives executives the confidence to reinvest in continuous improvement.

When should we hire a dedicated engineer versus an agency partner?

• Hire a dedicated engineer when you already have an established product roadmap, a clear backlog, and an internal team that can manage day-to-day execution.
• Partner with an agency when you need strategic guidance, end-to-end delivery, or access to specialized skills such as AI copilots, workflow automation, or systems integrations.

Hybrid models work well for scaling teams: retain a core engineer for ongoing maintenance and leverage an agency partner for feature spikes or complex integrations.

What should we prepare before kickoff?

Come prepared with user personas, the “job to be done,” and the KPIs you plan to improve. Assemble API documentation, brand assets, and sandbox credentials so your engineering partner can begin integration work immediately. Clients who invest four to six hours into discovery documentation typically compress their project timeline by 20% because blockers surface early.

We also suggest nominating an internal product owner who can answer questions within one business day. Fast feedback loops reduce context switching for engineers and keep sprint velocity high.

Ready to move forward?

If you’re ready to scope your project, book a consultation through our contact form or schedule a call directly. You can also download our automation readiness checklist, which we send to every new inquiry. This streamlined process helps you validate feasibility in under a week and kicks off development with confidence.

For additional due diligence, explore trusted third-party reviews on platforms like Clutch to benchmark service providers. When you’re ready, we’ll help you go from idea to launch with a repeatable delivery model.