Dedicated developers work when the brief is concrete: stack, seniority, timezone overlap, and the first two tickets they will own. Vague “full stack help” briefs produce slow starts.
Write the first month, not the job ad
List the repos, tools, and meetings they join. Name the person who reviews their PRs. Define done for week one. That onboarding plan matters more than the CV.
Interview for delivery
Ask how they would approach one of your real tickets. A short paid task on your codebase beats a whiteboard puzzle if you need shipping speed.
Keep employment and IP clear
Who employs the person, who owns the code, and how knowledge is handed back if the engagement ends should be in writing before day one.