Hiring Offshore Developers: 3 StepsPosted by Rezaul karim on May 15th, 2019 Hiring offshore developers is common practice in modern business. The main reason for driving the trend being for most Western countries, hiring local developers is going to cost an unthinkable amount. Even if you’ve got enough capital to spare, you’re still likely to look abroad as so many businesses find cost-efficient success overseas. But, where do you start? How do you find developers with quality assurance? Once you’ve found them, how do you pick the best developer or development team for your company? All of these questions that will be answered below, so take a quick read before traversing beyond.
You may be looking for a developer where the dominant language is different from yours. Although most developers looking for offshore work will have an adequate level of English skill, you should still do everything you can to provide clarity and minimise miscommunication. Are you looking for certain experience with a certain framework, CRM or application type? If so, this should be stated and emphasised. The reality is, you’re probably going to get an overwhelming amount of resumes containing generalist developers that offer the possibility of low pay. These developers won’t serve you well if looking for general or speciality knowledge. But, outlining the skills you’re looking for will at least attract the few with the skills you desire. Depending on the level of expertise you’re looking for your job posting will differ slightly, but here’s a basic layout you can follow.
Remember that your job listing is reflective of your own standards. The more specific, succinct and clear you make your job posting look, the more seriously you will be taken. Sought after developers won’t apply for those jobs that look like they are unsure of what they need and will provide them with vague tasks. 2. Where Should You Hire Developers The first one is obvious, on your own company careers page. This may not be where most applicants view your job but are the additional link that invites developers to learn more about your company. Freelance Sites If you only want a single niche developer, then posting your job on a freelancing website is an option. The problem with freelancers is that work quality and time assurance will fluctuate. Also, most freelancers come with the expectation that they may not work some days or work irregular hours. The two most recommended freelancer sites are Toptal and Upwork, which have their own screening process that gives you an indication of each individual's skill level. Social Channels Then you proceed to your various social channels, including common social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin. Social media provides a unique way of attracting applicants, where you’re able to incorporate some imagery into your posting. This has the added bonus of creating a joyous reputation for your company, for those who follow you but perhaps aren’t looking to apply right now. Offshore Web Development Companies Looking to hire developers from offshore companies yourself can speed up the process but will take extra effort on your end. Finding the best developers in a certain country isn’t that difficult. For example, when searching for “Shopify developer” I found a reputable web development company, ‘CodeClouds’. This is one of the most popular development companies you would find on this SERPS, in which you will find similar on your own search. To differentiate between the best companies you find, take notes on the following: - Range of development services - Years of industry experience - Team size - Pricing options 3. Candidate Selection Patience is the key to choosing the right candidate for your project. Preferably you should start your hiring process well before the project start. Something that’s unique about receiving CV’s from offshore developers, is that you should give some slack for grammar issues. The only problem is that it may be hard to differentiate between those who have been lazy and those who understandably have a few words out of place. Another unique problem is obfuscation, where developers have written something that looks as if they have speciality experience, but it’s actually just random keywords bundled together. Simply put, expect the filtering process with offshore developers to take longer than what you’d expect hiring locally. Here’s a process that your recruitment team can follow! Resume Analysis When skim reading applications, there are some factors that should hopefully reveal the best candidates. The quickest way to filter out clients is by first getting rid of those who didn’t tailor their resume for the role. Meaning that none or little of their application refers to your company or relates to the requirements for your project. This shows that they paid little attention to the job description and are only interested in themselves. Secondly, filter all of those who have negative reviews and feedback on their profile. These applicants may have failed to provide a link to their profile, ensure you do your own credit checks! If they don’t have any feedback, check the date in which their profile was created, they may be new to the recruiting website. Narrowing Down Now let’s look for some positive things to separate the remaining applicants. Experience Working Offshore How many years of experience do they specifically working offshore? This should be treated separately to years of experience as a developer alone. Working offshore is another challenge that requires outstanding self-management and discipline to be successful. It can be risky, hiring a newly independent developer as they are yet to experience the reality of working remotely. Communication Skills Communication skills are becoming more and more sought after amongst local and offshore developers alike. The difference between a developer who can clearly contribute, provide feedback and listen is immense when compared to one who can’t. You could have the most technically gifted developer in the country, but if they can’t understand what you’d like them to do, what’s the point? So pay serious consideration to a developers communication skills, ask yourself whether you can envision a productive working relationship with this person? Work Portfolio All offshore developers should have a work portfolio they can draw upon to bolster and provide proof around any statements they’ve made about themselves. Sometimes, work proof will have to be requested by the hiring team if it’s expected to reveal personal code or sensitive information from a previous client. In this case, you’d request a snippet that shows their skill yet doesn’t breach any privacy issues. Pricing Offshore developers are cheaper than those in your locality. Yet, you still want to make sure you make a cost-effective choice that provides quality assurance. As stated earlier, too low is indicative of generalist developers who will take any look, whilst too high you may as well of hired locally. It’s recommended you stick to those developers who sit in the mid-range of pricing, these people know their worth and will live up to it. Many reputable web development companies provide the option of hiring a development team. This method saves companies money, as they can get all the expertise they’d usually have to acquire individually in one developer package. There is a big difference between choosing to hire from an offshore development company or a freelancer. Hiring an offshore developer isn’t as difficult as it seems, but it can become a little risky if you aren’t through with your hiring. What’s important is that you give yourself time and shouldn’t expect the role to be filled as quickly as it would locally. Following the steps above, you will find the right developer or development team for your project that represents the right balance between cost efficiency and quality assurance. Like it? Share it! More by this author |