Even though the pandemic put a spotlight on the need for and availability of remote workers, this trend has been around for a number of years. Hiring remote engineers in your offices’ surrounding areas is a challenge that has been on the rise for at least 10 years. And if on top of that you need to cut costs, then you’ll find yourself in a very tight situation.
With ever-improving communication and collaboration tools being more accessible to both companies and individuals, the rise of nearshore (and to a certain degree, offshore) outsourcing should come as no surprise. In fact, this is evidence that this is not merely a trend but a solution that corporations and SMEs around the world rely on to create, develop and launch software products on schedule. Places like Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and Peru are currently at the forefront of the industry and provide highly qualified, well-trained software engineers to companies in need of this talent, mostly to the US.
However, while top software outsourcing companies provide real solutions, not every company that’s in need of talent knows how to make software development outsourcing work, or hire remote engineers (or even aware that it’s a possibility).
In this blogpost we will share our top 8 tips on making software outsourcing work, based on over 16 years of experience in the field, successfully helping companies achieve their goals.
1. Do your research
It’s a crowded space. Many companies claim they have the best talent, that they’re close to you and that you will get exactly what you’re looking for, but unfortunately this is not always the case.
Whether you’re looking for help with an urgent need, or a long time engagement to build and scale your software projects, you will be committing to a lot. As such, research is the key to finding the right match for your needs.
Find alignment
2. Cultural alignment
Even though you’re looking for technical expertise, finding a company that understands –and matches– your values, your culture and goals can dramatically accelerate the results you’re aiming for. If time-to-market is of utmost importance for you, or if building a highly-talented development team is your long-term goal, cultural matching of your team members will have such an impact that it very well may be the key to your success.
3. Technical alignment
Finding the specific knowledge in specific technologies, frameworks and methodologies you’re looking for is not always as easy as it seems. Successful software engineering providers will have many ways to prove their experience and expertise: look for certifications, partnerships, technical content and client stories.
4. Don’t fall for false promises
It’s easy for a company to say that it has the best talent, yet you can’t be sure until you have actually started working with them, long into the engagement process.
But there’s a way around it: search for proof of a strong approach or process to find, select and hire the top talent worldwide. Otherwise it’s just a nice, baseless claim.
5. Avoid people marketplaces
While hiring developers in crowdsourcing platforms or dev marketplace is usually a simple process that provides instant access to a large talent pool, they fall way behind in the process of vetting, managing, and taking care of those individuals to avoid attrition. What you need is a trusted partner that will understand your goals and adopt them as if they were their own. By doing this you will have your back covered, and you will be able to focus on your business needs.
6. Review external opinions
External, user-powered review platforms are not a new resource. Always search for actual customer reviews to validate a company’s claims and to learn how they’ve been able to help other organizations in the past.
7. Nice destinations are key
Outsourcing software development to Argentina, Peru, Brazil or Colombia is a good idea not just for the large talent pool and solid, well established companies such as Inclusion. It’s also a good incentive to travel to those destinations to meet and work side-by-side with your team members. All these destinations are not only safe, but also beautiful places with vibrant cultures, amazing food and a great variety of attractions to visit.
8. Define the right type of engagement
There’s no “one-size-fits-all” type of engagement when it comes to finding, hiring and retaining the best talent available. Especially if you need to match new engineers to existing teams and your company’s preferred way of working with talent. Companies that are flexible will work with you to find the best way to make the new talent –and your existing teams– succeed.
These are the key tips from our multiple years of experience helping companies achieve success while also reducing the total cost of both development and hiring.
Have any other tips you think are key for hiring remote engineers? Share them with us! We’d love to hear them.
