Outsourcing Your Development Team? 6 Tips to Hiring a Remote Software Developer
As an entrepreneur, you may already know that having a solid development team is one of the pillars for success. Businesses of all sizes will typically onboard developers to work on tasks/projects related to mobile app development, website maintenance, CRM development and more.
Oftentimes, finding talent or even an entire team that could help deliver the best software products, can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be, especially if you decide to outsource your talent.
Today, more and more businesses and larger companies are seeking remote software developers via online marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, Lemon.io and others. In fact, our recent report, The State of Freelancing During COVID-19, found that freelancer marketplaces have reported rapid growth in new freelancers entering the platforms, as well as steadiness in demand, even during the peak of the global pandemic.
Due to the current crisis and budget cuts made by many businesses, now may just be the best time hire remote developers who are already comfortable working solely online.
From increased productivity to affordable rates, the benefits of hiring a remote developer are pretty extensive. Let’s dive deeper into why you should consider hiring a remote software developer and tips to bring one onboard.
Benefits of Hiring a Remote Developer
Some of the benefits to hiring a remote software developer include:
- Increased Productivity – A remote developer, who can be more productive, working in their own time zones, can most likely meet your business needs in half the time, rather than one that works as an 8-hour contracted employee.
- Lower Costs – Hiring a full-time in-house position typically requires creating a compensation package such as salary, medical insurance, benefits and a whole lot more. When hiring a remote position, you’re able to bring down the cost to a significant extent by paying them just for their work.
- Greater Flexibility – With talent in so many different time zones, remote teams tend to work around the clock, providing businesses and companies with constant development and continuous integration.
- More Engagement – Just because your software developer is located on the other side of the world, doesn’t mean there isn’t room for establishing a business relationship. With the help of today’s numerous video platforms, your remote developers can feel more connected than ones who work in a traditional work environment.
Now that you’ve got an idea on why hiring a remote developer can be a critical element to your business’ success, let’s go over some tips on how to hire your best remote developer yet.
1. Define Your Business Needs
Before diving into a pool of top software developers seeking new opportunities, it’s important that you first understand what your project requirements are and what specific skill set/experience is needed in order to complete the project. In addition, what would you like the end result to be and how much could you afford to pay for this project?
Pricing up a development hire isn’t the easiest, so do your research and find out how much developers are earning. When working with remote talent, always remember to be aware of prices in different locations. For example, in outsourcing hotspots like Ukraine or other parts of Eastern Europe, your budget will go a long way.
Deadlines are also crucial, especially in a small business environment. Before you layout your job description, it’s best to decide on a due date that you think can work for both you and your worker.
2. Write up a Good Job Post
Many companies will post a very, and we mean very thorough job description that include language skills needed, certifications, must-haves and qualifications and will go on and on. Try to keep your requirements short and straight to the point. Do go into as much detail as possible but keep it short and sweet. It’s super important to find the right balance when posting, as you wouldn’t want to lose candidates who feel like they aren’t the perfect fit due to your extensive list of requirements.
Hiring a remote developer shouldn’t be looked at for short-term purposes. If you want to hold on to good talent, and there’s plenty out there, you’ll need to have a great sales pitch in order to attract those who are seeking long-term opportunities rather than just a quick paycheck.
3. Utilize Online Marketplaces & Your Network
Are you looking in the right places? Freelance marketplaces such as TopTal, Freelancer, People Per Hour, Guru and others are all great places for employers seeking quality tech talent. App developers, web developers, mobile developers, and others can all be found on these sites.
Aside online marketplaces, your second-best option is to take advantage of your network and touching base with your connections. Start by posting on remote job boards on social media, more so on channels like Facebook or LinkedIn. Make sure to include your preferred timeline for completion as well at the price you’ll be offering.
4. Create an Interview Process
How do you choose a candidate if you’re interested in more than one? First and foremost, it’s a great thing if you’ve found multiple candidates that you believe can deliver your project. When this happens, it’s best to put together a plan or interview process. Interviewing multiple candidates without a clear and structured process will make it harder to compare them.
Start out with a quick virtual interview via a video-conferencing platform to better get to know them.
Moving forward, technical screening is the most critical part of your screening process, because it allows you to check out the technical capabilities of your candidates. Offer your candidates a short, recorded test in which they need to hand in. Technical screens will also help you better understand if their skills do in fact match what’s written on their CV.
5. Put More Focus on Soft Skills
Aside from focusing on their past work experience, do pay attention to a software developer’s soft skills such as communication, discipline, initiative, balance and maturity. As it’s easy to get caught up in evaluating a developer’s technical skill, soft skills can quickly determine how valuable a developer is, especially if you’re looking for a long-term hire. Since software development requires a lot of engagement and collaboration, it’s crucial that you consider their soft skills a major factor in the hiring process.
Source: trio.dev
6. Confirm Their Remote Working Abilities
Most likely, you’ll be working with an experienced remote worker, especially given that in today’s climate, many have already shifted to working solely online. If that’s not the case, and you happen to be interviewing a candidate who has less experience in working remotely, verify with them that they have everything needed in order to work properly such as asking them if they have a reliable internet connectivity. Do they have a proper workspace set up?
Pay Your Remote Developers with Payoneer, Wherever They’re Located
Now that you’ve found the right developer for your business, you’ll need a way to pay them, especially if they are based overseas and that’s where Payoneer can help.
With Payoneer’s cost-effective and flexible payments solution, businesses and entrepreneurs like you can easily and securely pay remote developers in 200+ countries and territories. By registering for an account, you’ll be able to save on costly wire transfers, choose from multiple ways to send payments, track and manage all payments in one place and so much more.
Pay your remote developers with Payoneer
Bottom Line
Hiring top-notch software developers and interviewing them is not a piece of cake, but if you want quality talent, you’re going to have to put in the effort and make several preparations. Creating a structured hiring process should be one of your primary goals as an entrepreneur.
Happy recruiting!
Time spent on hiring is time well spent.
– Robert Half, Founder of Global Human Resource Consulting, Robert Half International