> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.lemon.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.lemon.io/vetting-developers.md).
# Vetting developers
Lemon.io, a vetted developer marketplace, uses a rigorous multi-stage vetting process to ensure only top senior engineers make it onto the platform — only 1.2% of total applicants are accepted.
*The vetting process includes:*
### Profile & experience review
Every application starts with a detailed review of the engineer’s resume, LinkedIn profile, and portfolio, including an identity and consistency check. Only senior developers with proven commercial experience advance to the next stage.
### Soft skills & English proficiency
Candidates go through a structured pre-screening covering motivation, availability, work style, startup fit, and English fluency. This is followed by a live 20-minute call with a Lemon.io recruiter to confirm fit and discuss next steps. Candidates who prefer a fully human-led process can opt out of automated pre-screening and speak directly with the recruiting team.
### Technical pre-screening
Before the full technical interview, candidates complete a role-specific assessment covering both multiple-choice and open-ended questions tailored to their tech stack. Results are reviewed by the recruiting team, who can override automated outcomes when context requires it.
### Technical interview
The tech interview at Lemon.io is conducted by a senior engineer or CTO from the Lemon.io community and includes real-world problem-solving, non-Googleable questions, live coding, debugging, and [AI tools fluency](https://lemon.io/blog/ai-engineer-requirements/). The tech interview covers:
* **Experience.** How and why candidates used specific tools, and how they handled real-world challenges (legacy code, performance issues, team collaboration).
***Example:*** What’s the most difficult part of a monolith-to-microservices migration you’ve led: what broke first, and what would you do differently now?
* **Theory.** Specific questions to confirm genuine knowledge versus memorized answers.
***Example:*** The given function passes tests now — how will it break if the load increases 100x? Let’s walk through the memory and CPU implications.
* **Practice challenge.** System design, live coding, code review, bug fixing, or algorithm analysis.
Start hiring engineers