HIRE BACKEND ENGINEERS
Find Backend Engineers Who Can Actually Build Scalable Systems
Evaluate system design thinking, API architecture decisions, and debugging approaches with structured assessments designed specifically for backend hiring.
The Hiring Challenge
Backend engineers are the foundation of your technical architecture. A great backend engineer builds systems that scale, perform, and remain maintainable. A poor one creates technical debt that compounds for years.
The problem: backend skills are hard to evaluate in traditional interviews. A candidate can discuss microservices fluently without ever having built one. They can whiteboard a system design without understanding the operational reality.
Common Hiring Mistakes
Testing syntax, not judgment
Fizzbuzz doesn't tell you if they can design an API.
Focusing on current stack
Good engineers learn technologies. Great engineers make good decisions regardless of stack.
Ignoring debugging ability
Anyone can build greenfield. The job is often debugging, optimizing, and maintaining.
Skipping behavioral evaluation
Backend engineers work with frontend teams, product managers, and ops. Collaboration matters.
Evaluation Framework
What LayersRank Evaluates
Technical Dimension
45%System Design
- Trade-off reasoning (consistency vs. availability, complexity vs. simplicity)
- Scalability thinking (what breaks at 10x, 100x load?)
- Data modeling decisions
API Architecture
- RESTful design principles
- Error handling philosophy
- Versioning and backward compatibility
Debugging & Operations
- Systematic troubleshooting approach
- Production incident handling
- Performance optimization thinking
Behavioral Dimension
35%Technical Communication
- Explaining complex systems to non-technical stakeholders
- Documentation practices
- Code review philosophy
Collaboration
- Working with frontend teams on API contracts
- Cross-functional coordination
- Handling disagreements on technical approach
Ownership
- Taking responsibility for system reliability
- Proactive problem identification
- On-call and incident response attitude
Contextual Dimension
20%Growth Trajectory
- Learning approach for new technologies
- Career goals alignment
- Interest in the problem domain
Sample Questions
Sample Assessment Questions
Walk me through how you would design an API rate limiting system. What trade-offs would you consider?
What this reveals: System design thinking, awareness of distributed systems challenges, trade-off reasoning between precision and performance.
You're debugging a production issue where API response times have suddenly increased by 10x. Walk me through your approach.
What this reveals: Systematic debugging methodology, familiarity with observability tools, ability to stay calm under pressure.
Describe a technical decision you made that you later regretted. What would you do differently?
What this reveals: Self-awareness, learning orientation, intellectual honesty about mistakes.
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a frontend engineer about API design. How did you handle it?
What this reveals: Collaboration style, ability to advocate for technical positions while respecting other perspectives.
Describe a situation where you had to maintain a system you didn't build. What was challenging?
What this reveals: Attitude toward legacy code, documentation practices, empathy for future maintainers.
Evaluation Criteria
What separates strong candidates from weak ones across each competency.
System Design
Code Quality
Debugging
Collaboration
Ownership
How It Works
Configure your backend assessment
Use our template or customize for your stack
Invite candidates
They complete the assessment async (35-45 min)
Review reports
See scores with confidence intervals across all dimensions
Make better decisions
Know exactly where to probe in final rounds
Time to first assessment: under 10 minutes
Pricing
| Plan | Per Assessment | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | ₹2,500 | Hiring 1-5 backend engineers |
| Growth | ₹1,800 | Hiring 5-20 backend engineers |
| Enterprise | Custom | Hiring 20+ backend engineers |
Start Free Trial — 5 assessments included
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the backend assessment take candidates?
35-45 minutes. Mix of video responses (system design, debugging scenarios) and written responses (technical explanations).
What if we use a specific tech stack?
The default assessment focuses on language-agnostic backend concepts. You can customize to include stack-specific questions.
How does this compare to HackerRank or Codility?
Those test coding speed. LayersRank evaluates engineering judgment. Different signals — many teams use both.
Can we see the questions before inviting candidates?
Yes. Full preview available after signup.
Ready to Hire Better?
5 assessments free. No credit card. See the difference structured evaluation makes.