So, you’re a freelance developer. A professional of your niche, with solid experience and a decent portfolio of cases.

You’re out there exploring new job opportunities, scrolling through LinkedIn, Upwork job postings - or god forbids - online job boards. Same actions again and again, and no guarantees for a successful outcome…

Are you doing something wrong? Not at all.

Maybe, it’s something you have NOT done yet. For instance, things may change if you try some alternative job search channels like Spark X.

WHAT IS SPARK X?

We are a global talent network that works as an alternative channel for top talents to get matched with top companies and projects. We vet developers in a curated community and provide them with exclusive career opportunities.

Spark X may substitute you such freelance platforms as Upwork or Toptal.com. We take care of the all job search stages and help reinforce the time-to-hire for remote developers.

Up next, we’ll disclose all benefits of becoming a member of the Spark X community.

But first…

Talent Vetting — the Future of Hiring

Not a long time ago, the freelance environment was dominated by bidding platforms like Upwork. Software engineers, designers, and other IT specialists would search for job opportunities by placing bids (setting the desired rates) on a job posting and waiting for clients to accept/decline it.

It turned out that bidding platforms work more for junior and middle specialists. Most entrepreneurs on Upwork would rather hire someone less skilled but ready to work for lower rates. As a result, top-rated developers don’t withstand a competition.

Yet, there’s some good news for skilled developers working at higher rates. The IT workforce is moving towards talent acquisition from closed talent communities like Spark X. Compared to bidding platforms, they offer a more exclusive selection of middle & senior developers.

Spark X tests and filters developers beforehand to eliminate the number of screenings and interviews for both devs & clients. Talents are pre-vetted and ready to work in the shortest terms.

Expose Your Talent with Spark X

Spark X was founded by a fellow developer Artem Misiura who knows firsthand the hardships of being a freelancer on Upwork (been there too 😀).

For Artem, Spark X stands for 3 major goals:

1. To help developers match up with companies at easy and secure terms;

2. To build a community of experts willing to share professional experience and provide help;

3. To facilitate the remote workflow + make remote work accessible to every developer.

We curate a network of 100+ (and constantly growing) software developers from all over the world, but mostly from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Poland, Armenia, and Turkey. All of them are engaged in long-term collaboration with international companies from the USA, Australia, Canada & Western Europe.

We are constantly in search of top developers ready to expand their professional horizons. Yet, only 1 of 5 developers can join the Spark X network after all the vetting stages.

5 stages of Spark X vetting for devs:

1. You fill in this form;

2. We make screening tech AND non-tech interviews;

3. Candidates who pass join our networking platform (Discord);

4. We contact you once there is a job offer that matches your skill set, experience & other criteria;

5. In most cases, we arrange the developer/client interview to discuss all the details.

6 Reasons to Become the SPARK X New Talent

Becoming a SparkX member is worth it, and here’s why:

You Don’t Search for Jobs — Job Finds You!

Imagine: you finally break the vicious circle of a freelancer and stop job searching every few months once the project ends up. No more daunting Upwork proposals, job offer searches, resume tailoring, and time-consuming interviews.

Members of a talent community can “share” their resumes with tons of companies without doing it physically. Your profile stays in a database, so once a suitable job posting pops up, you’ll always be considered. 一 Artem Misiura (CEO of Spark X)

Compared to well-known Upwork (or actually, any other freelancing platform), Spark X indeed has more benefits to offer:

1. As stated, we find projects for developers. No need to prove your excellence for every job offer.

2. We don’t charge a commission. Meanwhile, Upwork takes the 5-20% fee as a percentage of total earnings.

3. Spark X prioritizes far-reaching & impactful job opportunities. Upwork, however, offers more short-term and average-level jobs.

Knowing firsthand how many freelancers with an introverted mindset struggle with a constant recruiting process, Spark X took this burden on itself. We will eliminate the number of interviews and screenings while you stay focused on the job you’re good at, or else, get extra time for fun things :)

Start Networking on Another Level

The remote-work reality canceled out traditional networking channels, yet reinforced the alternative ones. Local meetups, hackathons, and offline conferences were amazing until covid and other uncontrolled events led to all kinds of restrictions. So today, networking takes place mostly on social media.

But hear me out. With closed talent networks, you can take the networking routine to a completely new level.

This is how it works. As a closed community, Spark X maintains a certain level of incoming devs and projects to secure quality matches. As a member of an exclusive network, you will establish connections with other skilled engineers, and more importantly — with top startups & companies.

Spark X made it easier for you to “add new names to your contacts list”. Need advice from a pro Node.js developer? Our Discord channel has dialogs for specialists in all technologies, so you’ll always be one message away from contacting a needed person.

Get Firsthand Job Opportunities

Assuming the exclusivity of the Spark X community, you may already guess that our job opportunities aren’t usually posted somewhere else. It makes no sense for clients to hunt for talents outside their close networking circle (and this circle has Spark X included). We can satisfy the need of a new team member faster than by any other method.

What’s more, exclusive relationships with companies allow us to maintain a certain level of flexibility for talents in terms of their career. For instance, you decide to expand your skillset by learning new technology but you have no experience in it. Knowing your professionalism, some employers may assign projects to help you gain practice.

Save Time On Administrative Tasks

As a freelance remote dev, you must know what it’s like to handle international payments, track your timing, track compliance, pay taxes, etc. That’s a lotta work and time!

At Spark X, we want to have your back for all the routine hardships of remote work. As a part of our recruitment service, we are responsible for negotiating the hourly rate, making payments, checking on legal compliance, tracking hours, and other non-work administrative tasks.

Enjoy Perks of a Close-Knit Network

Some freelancers may lack being a part of a corporate community by being just a “contractor” for a limited time. While full-time employees take advantage of mentors & colleagues ready to provide advice or support, freelancers barely get such an important privilege.

Spark X flips the coin in your favor and provides all the perks of being a community member. You will join a group of software engineers with years of experience and connections. They come from different backgrounds and have certain knowledge to share (so do you). All members, including our CEO (as a fellow developer), are ready to assist you with any question or even team up to achieve your goal faster.

The partnership behind a Spark X community bears confidence, and reliability, as well as broadens current knowledge. It makes the freelance work experience more personal and corporate-like.

Gain Impactful Benefits

Although we’ve already mentioned the valuable benefits of Spark X, we wanted to specify the perks that really make an impact on talent growth.

Along with a chance to network with a broad circle of professionals, we are planning to provide resources for self-development as a tech specialist. The Spark X network will include podcasts and webinars with valuable “insider” info. On top of that, we distribute industry news, educational pieces, and more.

Time to Join Spark X as a Developer!

Talent networks will get your back for every occasion, whether you’re actively hunting for new projects or discovering possible job opportunities at a slower pace.

Become a Spark X member now! We will make freelancing a more pleasant experience, from payments to surrounding people’s environment.

FAQ:

• What is a talent network?

A (tech) talent network is an alternative recruiting channel for international remote freelancers. Their main goal is to facilitate the hiring procedure between remote candidates (devs) and employers. Members of talent networks may explore new job opportunities in either active or passive mode.

• What does a talent network do?

A talent network helps match suitable candidates with companies and projects. First, they pre-vet specialists by certain criteria, then, assign them to a curated talent community. Finally, talents receive job offers in accordance to their expectations.

Some talent communities - such as Spark X - will even assist you with administrative work like international payments, time tracking, legal compliance, etc.

• Is it worth joining talent networks?

Absolutely! These are 6 reasons to join a talent community now:

1. They find relevant job opportunities for you. You will not research jobs yourself.

2. You will reduce the number of screenings since your “profile” stays in database and is visible to employers.

3. It’s a great way to network with companies and other talents.

4. You will access firsthand job vacancies, which are not posted anywhere else.

5. As a member of a close-knit community, you may receive expert advice, get a valuable insight, broaden up your network, and more.

6. For instance, the Spark X network even takes care of administrative moments, which many freelancers find struggling: payments, legal compliance, time tracking, etc.

• Can junior developers join talent networks?

Most talent networks guarantee customers a certain level of expertise. They would set strict qualifications for candidates to become a community member. Unfortunately, junior-level developers may not always fit these criteria, particularly, if it comes to tech experience.