Guide for Hiring Offshore Developers in 2020

Hiring offshore developers has become a trend. But the cost is not the only factor that companies look for while outsourcing. Regardless of whether you have or have not hired or worked with offshore development services, you might be already familiar with the pros and cons of the same.

However, despite all the cons, some companies prefer outsourcing rather than getting an in-house resource to work on a project. The reason? They have mastered the guide to find the right vendor or individual that can help then. Before moving forward, let's read about what an offshore development company is.

What Is an Offshore Development Company?

A company located in a country with enormous tech talent and offers IT services at a much lower price than your residence country. Some of the most popular projects that are more likely to be outsourced in 2019 and 2020 are:

• Custom UI/UX design
• Software development and maintenance
• Cloud computing and migration
• Training and consulting

Whether it's a startup or a big shark, industries including Fintech, healthcare, construction, or insurance, are looking for tech solutions to solve their problems. In terms of software development, many companies in India offer enterprise-grade solutions for these industries. From hiring Java developers to work on your software to database administrators to configure your backend, you can get dedicated resources or teams depending on your requirements.

People believe that outsourcing vendors is a one time process. However, to ensure success, you should make sure that the IT solution provider follows an engagement model and SDLC process in place, and that works for your organization. If you can, then go for an end to end services that will take care of development, business analysis, and maintenance.

I mentioned above that cost is not the only factor, but it is an important one. The desire to save on costs is lucrative. The average salary of a developer in the US reaches up to 70k dollars. However, that's not the case in India. You can get things done at half the price; no wonder people are outsourcing. You get the same, sometimes better results without emptying your pockets.

If you are new to outsourcing, despite all the pros, you might have your doubts about whether it's worth it. It is, I can vouch for it. But you have to make sure you find the right one for your business. To help you out, I have compiled a list of steps to follow while hiring offshore developers.

5 Tips for you to follow for a Successful Outsourcing

Step 1 – Place the information about the vacancy and filter resumes

The process of getting a qualified developer on board is completely opposite to finding a sales or project manager. In jobs that require communication or social interaction, the experience is the main parameter. However, you can't determine a developers' level without testing his skills firsthand.

To find the best resources, you need to post the vacancies on portals and industry sites that already have a resume database. It takes a lot of time to shortlist the right resources from a pile of resumes that you will find on these global sites. You will have around 15 leads within one week with proper proposals. But most of them are inexperienced developers that you'll need to test. Apart from portals, try social media and common connections. You might get good leads.

Step 2 – Hold an interview and Shortlist

Always ask for completed projects. No matter how many languages the developer might be proficient in, if he can not show you a completed project, there is no use. If you like the resume, invite the developer on-site for an interview. If on site is not possible, then video interviews with a group of specialists will work to check the experience, technical knowledge of the candidate

Specialist will help you to check the code quality of the candidate. The questions they ask may vary depending on the position and the language. Make sure to ask basic questions; it might tell a lot about the candidate's understanding and project approach. Questions about the structure of language, the pattern of OOPS( object-oriented programming languages, and security are enough to determine the level of a candidate.

The above-mentioned steps will help you weed out a large chunk of candidates. Make sure you shortlist a candidate who can develop a program from the start that keeps security, performance, quality in check from the start.

Points to keep in mind after selecting your desired outsourcing company or individual developer.

Tip1 – Determine your goal and focus on it

You should trust your outsourcing partner and believe that they want the best for your business. Allow them free reign to implement their way of working. You should just have an end goal that you want to achieve, concentrate on that, and not how the outsourced team will do it. That's their job; you are paying them for it. It doesn't make sense if you do half the work for them.

Tip 2 – Experience matters

Try and find the company or individual that has the knowledge and expertise; they will make sure that you get the best software keeping the best industry standards in mind. However, their expertise doesn't mean that you'll sit idle. You'll need to stay involved and oversee things from the background because nobody knows your business better than you. Intervene when you feel things are not up to the mark or if they don't go well with your business morals/ ethics.

Tip 3 – Expectations and Contract Details discussion

For successful outsourcing, a clear business agreement and expectations discussion prior to signing a contract are crucial. Contracts should reflect all the points that both parties agreed on during the negotiations. As a client, you should be specific about your project objectives and clearly express your expectations to the vendor. It will help deliver better results when they know what you want.

If you are planning to outsource resources for your next project, then keep these tips in mind. They will help you to find the best offshore team or individual to help make your project a huge success.

Amit is the Co-Founder of Signity Solutions and Your Team in India . A tech-evangelist, he has an uncanny ability to synergize and build associations.