For many businesses, remote and offshore software development becomes the only viable way of accomplishing their projects. Companies across different regions struggle with shortages of developers, meaning higher costs of hiring local experts — and the trend likely won’t change in the coming years.
To help you get through these tough times, we decided to prepare an ultimate guide to hiring offshore developers. From the most important advantages of going remote to hints on how to hire actual experts — below you will find everything, you need to start hiring offshore developers who can truly deliver.
Why hiring offshore developers is a great opportunity for your business?
The most popularized reason for hiring offshore developers is the idea of cutting costs. Indeed, offshore developers very often ask for lower salaries than their peers from the Western countries — this is because the costs of living are lower in the most popular offshore development hubs.
But there are many more reasons that should convince you to hire offshore developers. We asked our industry insiders from companies who use offshore devs why they decided to push for this kind of investment — we collected some of their most interesting answers below.
- Hiring offshore developers means high quality
Offshore developers should not be considered simply a cheaper alternative — these devs can actually deliver better results than their peers from the West. As SkillValue reports, the 5 top countries with the best programmers are all considered as popular offshore development hubs by foreign businesses. Four of these countries are based in the Central and Eastern Europe region: Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine. The one exemption in the top 5 is Mexico.
- It’s easier to hire teams for specific projects
Hiring offshore developers to supplement your team is one thing — but it might be that what your company should consider even more is to hire an offshore development team. Such teams can handle specific projects for you (e.g. developing software to be used by you in-house or a new feature for your main product) during a pre-planned period and for a pre-planned cost. In such cases, you can worry less about management and just wait for the results to be delivered.
- Hiring offshore developers drives improvement of processes
Including offshore developers in your processes pushes for improvements useful also for your in-house teams. Most commonly, the results include better documentation for your product, making it easier for everyone to follow guidelines and to introduce new employees across the business. Focus on offshore development can also help with cutting meetings to a minimum, giving everyone more time to focus on other work.
Busting the myths about offshore developers
Despite all the amazing advantages that come with it, many more traditional companies are still afraid to hire offshore developers. Multiple old school managers criticize the new approach and speak out on the topic, often based on their biases rather than their own experience.
To help you make a conscious choice on whether your business should hire offshore developers, we analyzed the most common myths on the topic and busted them based on the experience of our own and of industry experts whom we’ve talked with.
- “We will have issues with communication due to language differences”
Most IT projects nowadays are handled in English. Even if a startup is based in a non-English speaking country, part of their team are often foreigners, meaning the company has to find a way to connect everyone. Developers without a good understanding of English won’t get anywhere on the market and every graduate is aware of that. This is also partly because all the most popular coding documentations and guides are in English — meaning if a developer really wants to get good at their job, they have to speak and read English at a professional level, with an understanding of technical terminology.
- “There will be a technology gap”
Don’t be afraid that your offshore developers will use different technology than your in-house team. In the end, it’s you who makes the rules and decides what stack is being used — hire offshore developers who are experienced in the software you are already using and/or provide additional trainings, and you won’t have issues with the mythical technology gap.
- “There will a timezone gap”
In most cases, there is some overlap across working hours in different timezones. Your offshore and in-house teams don’t have to be constantly in touch — there is usually so much on a developer’s plate that they can do another thing while waiting for an answer from the HQ. And if you really want them to be available exactly when you are, there are plenty of people who prefer working in hours different than their 9-to-5, including at night. This means that when you hire offshore developers, you can use them to provide 24/7 secure maintenance for your products.
How to hire offshore developers that will truly deliver?
Of course, not every offshore developer pick will be perfect. Just like when hiring a new in-house team member, you have to be careful when you decide to hire offshore developers.
To help you make the right decision, we’ve collected below a short checklist you should always remember about when hiring offshore developers.
- Check their hard skills match
Avoiding the technology gap can only be achieved by making sure your developers have the exact stack your project requires. When you want to hire offshore app developers, for example, make your requirements clearer. If your priority is an iOS Swift expert, you don't want to end up with a Kotlin dev who worked only with Android. Make a list of programming languages, frameworks, libraries, and other tools that are crucial for you and run a check with your candidate.
- Check their soft skills
This point is especially important when you want to hire a supplement developer for your in-house team. Software development is a cooperative work, so smooth communication across the team is crucial — especially when your devs are scattered around the whole world.
- Consider the three areas of the company fit
To make sure your new hire fits well your business and your plans for the future, make sure to look for a person that matches your requirements across the three areas:
a) Industry fit
Explore the portfolio of your candidate and look for companies similar to yours — such a fit will ensure your new offshore developer has an understanding of the client niche you are aiming for.
b) Product fit
Get an even better match by choosing offshore developers who worked on projects similar to the one you have planned. Look not only for technology fit but consider also the unique features you want to have in your product. Has your candidate worked on such features before? If so, they will be a great fit for your business, able to deliver results faster based on their experience.
c) Company culture fit
As many people are still afraid of the miscommunication between them and their offshore devs, company culture fit is a crucial feature. Consider the values your business is driven by, such as diversity, style of management, or approach to flexible working hours. Then find and hire offshore developers who share these values as well and enjoy smooth cooperation that brings great results.
Other things to consider before you hire offshore developers
We also have a few great tips to end up with — they will help you make sure that your company is truly ready to start working with offshore developers and that your cooperation with them will go smoothly from day one.
- Make sure you have clear product documentation that will allow your offshore developers to understand your needs and guidelines easily.
- Establish leadership and point of contact for your offshore developers.
- Decide on the specific responsibilities of your offshore developer. Will they work in close cooperation with your in-house team or do you want to give them clear objectives to accomplish? This will directly impact how flexible working hours you can offer.
- Prepare your in-house team for working with remote developers — figure out the best way to include everyone in standups and other meetings.
- Make sure your infrastructure is reliable to ensure smooth communication (issue-free calls).
- Make your company policies transparent. Create clear guidelines to be followed so that your candidates understand from the start what to expect when working with you.
The best way to hire reliable offshore developers
In conclusion, hiring reliable offshore developers involves a mix of strategic planning, thorough assessment, and effective communication.
Understanding your project's needs, selecting the right location, using reputable platforms or partnering with offshore development centers, and fostering clear communication lines are key elements to success. It's also important to consider cultural nuances, time zones, and legal aspects in the process.
The goal isn't merely to reduce costs but to build a strong, dependable team that can deliver high-quality work, align with your business objectives, and potentially foster long-term relationships. By taking a balanced and thoughtful approach, you can unlock the vast potential that offshore development offers in 2023 and beyond.
