Remote work is not something we need to be told about anymore. All of us, especially the ones involved with the software industry, are well aware of the surge in remote work over the past couple of years. Almost every company is completely or partially hiring remote resources. This change only infers a significant value provided by remote workers that would not be available to employers otherwise.
One of the greatest values obtained by hiring remote resources is that you can work with teams or talents outside of your geographic region giving you access to a larger number of potential and resourceful employees. This is particularly helpful if you are in an area like the USA where there is a shortage of tech talents. In fact, in the USA, up to one million IT security job openings are not filled every year. With a lower unemployment rate in the tech industry and the vast number of job openings, it is not always easy to find a tech professional in the region of your operations.
By enabling a remote work model, you can hire resources for your software project from areas with higher unemployment rates or less job opportunities in tech. Moreover, many of such regions have specialized software talent export industries that nurture and provide highly talented tech resources to employers like you!
The important question is where and how you can find qualified talent and what will their onboarding process look like? No worries though, we have prepared this article to answer exactly that!
First of all, define your requirements.
- → Cybersecurity
- → Data analysis
- → Cloud computing
- → Machine learning
In order to somewhat remedy this situation and help your HR professionals know exactly what they are looking for, your first step towards hiring should be listing the job’s requirements and outlining the project’s advantages and benefits.
And of course, your willingness to let the employees work remotely is an added benefit as it would let the professionals do their best work from a more convenient environment. Providing incredibly high amounts of salary and creating an office space with all the modern amenities are not always something today’s professionals look for.
Where can you find remote software developers?
Now that you have your job requirements and benefits package well-defined, it should be time for you to start looking for suitable candidates. However, finding remote workers is not the same as finding in-house professionals. You need to look for strategies and procedures beyond the traditional hiring methods. Don’t worry, we are here to help.
Let’s discuss a few different hiring models for your remote developer or development team!
Hiring model #1: Outsourcing
The traditional outsourcing model is the most known method for most hiring managers.
There are many outsourcing agencies available all around the world and many of them have offices set up in more than one global region. This means, you might find an agency whom you can meet in person before making a hire and if your project runs into any issue. Software outsourcing companies like Astha IT, TechMagic and RadeMade can offer you a team of backend and frontend developers complete with a dedicated project manager.
Hiring model #2: Sourcing freelancers
Freelance networks like UpWork and TopTal can hook you up with a wide variety of qualified freelance developers. Although the freelancing route can be faster and more efficient sometimes, there are some risks associated with it.
- If you are trying to form a remote team from scratch, managing multiple freelancers might be too much hassle for you.
- The freelancer may or may not have the communication skills necessary for a remote position of such manner.
- You can not always get a vouch for quality of work and punctuality.
If you are okay with working around all these risks, freelancing might be a good option for you. But we would suggest you evaluate all the possibilities first.
Hiring model #3: Contracting sites
Nowadays, there are plenty of sites available where remote developers can apply for jobs. These sites can provide you with developer CVs who are actively looking for remote positions and give you the ability to post advertisements for your remote position openings.
If you prefer hiring this way, here are some of our favorite sites!
- Crossover can provide you with the top 1% global talent with its promise to give you an unprecedented level of workplace productivity.
- Cybercoders has a history of successfully filling 40 thousand positions in different industries over its lifetime.
- Indeed lets you tap into various local markets from offshore locations.
This model is generally considered to be better than the previous one because this one can provide you with developers who will give your project a greater degree of focus than freelancers will.
Before we approach the 4th hiring model, here is a word of caution. The above three are all great hiring models to consider. But none of these are fool-proof. You can not be sure about the quality of the candidate unless you interview them thoroughly. And you can not be sure of their remote working ability. Most importantly, though, it would be quite difficult for you to scale your team if you are following either model 2 or model 3.
Now, let’s move on to the last model. This one is our favorite.
Hiring model #4: Specialized hiring platforms for tech professionals
Hiring platforms like Prodigies provides you thoroughly vetted tech professionals with various skill sets and experience levels. This mode can be the perfect way to hire a remote software developer or even a remote development team!
What sets this model apart from the previous ones is that platforms like this have a talent pool of thoroughly vetted tech professionals. They are tested on not only their technical skills but also their remote communication abilities. And you almost never need to go through an elaborate selection process yourself. The platform will suggest to you a shortlist candidates whose profiles already match your requirements.
Is hiring remote professionals cost-effective?
Let’s look at a few average hourly rates of software engineers around the world according to our research.
| North America | Western Europe | Eastern Europe | Latin America | Asia | Africa |
| $90 | $67 | $55 | $52 | $25 | $28 |
For example, a senior software engineer from Ukraine with the same skill sets and similar experience level as one from the United States is likely to work for you even at $161,000 per year. That’s almost 60,000 USD savings in wages per resource every year!
How can you vet and manage remote software developers?
Vetting a talent for a remote position requires some extra care. Not only do you need the resources to be skilled in tech, you also need to ensure that they have good communication and teamwork skills. For instance, Prodigies has a multi-step vetting process that ranges from technical exams to video interviews assessing soft skills.
On the same note, managing a remote team is slightly different from managing an on-site team too. For example, you will have to heavily rely on online collaboration tools so that the project goes smoothly. Otherwise, creating a culture of participation and casual video meetings within the team can motivate team spirit and feeling of involvement for everyone.
Now that you have an idea of the different hiring models, what is the one that suits your project most? Are you willing to find a freelancer or contact a remote hiring platform? Our recommended option, Prodigies, can offer you a massive thoroughly vetted talent pool with skills in Python, Java, CSS, Angular and almost every other tech stack. To conclude, we wish you desired success in your future endeavors. And let us know if we can help!
