Whether you are a small business or an established firm, looking to hire skilled remote software developers for your remote development team should be your priority. Embracing a strong remote work culture is essential for adapting to this new working style. After the COVID lockdown, the world stopped working at a fast pace, and that is when firms discovered a new working style. What’s surprising is that it didn’t stop there; people are still attracted to a job in a remote setting.
Table of Contents
- Who Is A Remote Developer?
- Top 6 Reasons Why Hire A Remote Software Developer
- Challenges Of Hiring Remote Developers For Your Project
- How To Hire Remote Developers In 2024
- Where to Find Remote Software Developers
- How To Hire Remote Software Developers In Your Team: Hire Dedicated Remote Developers
- Top Sites to Hire Remote Developers
- Summary
- FAQ
This blog is meant to give you a deep insight into:
- What are remote developers: Let’s look in detail at what is meant to be a remote developer and other basics of this job role.
- Top reasons to hire a remote developer: Here, I’ve mentioned six reasons why hiring a remote developer is important
- Challenges of hiring remote software developers: Yes, finding remote jobs can be challenging, so I ‘ve just gathered a few challenges in hiring them
- Finding the right remote employee: I’ve explained in detail how to hire and find the right remote developers for your small company.
After COVID, people have started preferring work-from-home opportunities. Remote jobs bring an ease into life and give a tremendous amount of prospects to discover. This blog promises to give you the tiniest possible details about the hiring process for remote developers, and you will be able to learn how to hire the best developers for your business.
Who Is A Remote Developer?
Remote developers are like software developers in that they interact with the team virtually. Their work setting remains remote, i.e., they work from home, which is often referred to as a remote work environment. A remote developer could belong to a different state or a country if he agrees to work under a designated time.
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Full-time developers must do all the work as a software engineer. Even part-time remote developers have the same roles but with fewer working hours. They would develop applications and computer systems. They are qualified to understand and perform coding languages.
Some remote engineers say that they are more productive in remote collaboration and are able to concentrate more cohesively.
Top 6 Reasons Why Hire A Remote Software Developer
Hiring a nearshore development team may be beneficial and can turn out to be the best decision for your company. App developers will contribute to the success of your company and play a major role in improving your computer systems. A few benefits of hiring a team of remote developers are:
1. Flexibility To Scale The Startup
If you have decided that you need to hire a team member, you have indirectly agreed to expand your horizons based on culture, work ethic, quality, and expertise. Most skilled developers would be from a place different from your company headquarters.
It helps the company to have a better outlook on the team of developers from different cultures. The company will get insights into a person who does not belong to the exact geographic location. Remote programmers can also give you a fresh perspective on the task you are working on.
Remote team of developers bring their expertise with fewer resources. They will have their flexible timing but remain within their deadlines to complete the given task, showcasing remote work flexibility.
Talented developers in your team will give a perspective of your hiring outlook. It provides an impression that your company is ready to hire anyone who has hands-on expertise.
2. Knowledge About The Right Software Development Technology
It has become the trend of hiring remote developers since COVID-19, and they have a better understanding of how to manage time efficiently. They would already have experience working in a virtual environment.
With the right tools and subscriptions, such as AI tools, Flutter, iOS, and virtual collaboration tools, they are adequate enough to complete their projects. The most beneficial thing is that you wouldn’t have to train the remote developers about virtual work ethics.
An IT firm is required to remain at its best and competitive at all times. The benefit of working just with their devices is that it also gives them leverage to work from anywhere. That is why even after the Covid lockdowns, IT workers had the least difficulty working remotely.
3. Access To Global Workforce And Talent Pool
Working with remote developers gives the firm an advantage by allowing it to hire software developers from anywhere. This gives the firm a tremendous amount of options when it comes to offshore developers. Working from home enables remote talent to work remotely and efficiently.
Many big companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Q2, and many more have resorted to remote work during the pandemic. Even after the pandemic is over, few of their workers are still working in remote settings.
It gives the company an opportunity to hire the best remote developer. The best software engineers might not be available in the region they work in. With remote settings, they increase their bandwidth to find an experienced, efficient, and smart candidate.
The employee doesn’t need to be from the same country; you are free to choose and hire people from different countries as well.
4. Saving Cost To Hire Developers
Hiring a remote developer saves your budget for the office and the required resources. It reduces the firm’s annual cost of an office.
Furthermore, suppose your focus is on hiring an outsourcing hiring agency to hire your experienced developers. In that case, you will save money on recruitment, training, office rent, equipment, tools, and various in-office perks. Instead, you can put all your energy into building a better working environment for everyone.
Strategically, you will also grow your business by allocating your savings to AI research or the development tools needed for your company.
5. Increased Productivity In Remote Work
It is clearly seen that in the office, employees tend to have more breaks and gossip times than at home. It creates a lot of distraction for the employees to work on their coding or any designated task.
In a work-from-home environment, potential developers do not have access to gossip or waste time on unnecessary politics. Their major focus remains on completing the project and their designated tasks of the day. Although this might create a sense of monotony for them, it increases productivity for the company.
Experienced remote software engineers have the freedom to choose their working hours and suitable settings. This gives the employees satisfaction and efficiency to work smartly. They will readily push themselves to do even better, which in turn proves to be an asset for the company.
6. Saving Time And Focusing On The Future
Generally, remote developers stay away from the ongoing scenarios of the office. This gives them a determined thought process to diligently work on the daily task sheets and complete the project as soon as possible.
This saves the company a lot of time and gives the hiring authorities ample time to focus on the company’s future. You can now strategize and channel your energy and time into building the future.
You can now approach more clients with your efficient team, who are completing the tasks within the deadlines.
Challenges Of Hiring Remote Developers For Your Project
Everything is not a fairy tale and comes with a fair share of challenges as well. Similarly, remote working also brings a few challenges to the company owners and the in-house team. Over time, these challenges can be overcome with a bit of experience. Yet, it requires you to be vigilant in keeping your stance clear. If you want to hire remote developers, have a look at a few challenges as well:
1. Difficulty In Finding The Right Expertise In Freelance Developers
It is very typical to choose the best remote candidates for you. The IT industry is very competitive, and thousands of remote developers are unemployed due to mismatched skill sets. There are hundreds of skills and languages that are specific to each company. People are ready to work as a freelancer developer as well.
According to your requirement, you will have to research thoroughly about the future of the company and the possible applicants for the role. In remote settings there is a higher chance of mismatched skill sets.
You might want to hire a remote developer on the basis of online tests and interviews. This leaves a gap in hiring a skilled remote developer.
2. Gap In Managing Remote And Office Communications
Miscommunication could be a significant gap on the company’s part because now you have to take care of the employees who are not in-house developers. There might be scenarios where the necessary information does not reach them.
There might be a gap in the software development team’s ability to inform the remote workforce about the latest advancements and the required bugs to be solved. Your decision to hire expert developers could disrupt the current employees.
With the perks and working efficiency it brings for the employees, they might feel friction against you. This can result in ruining the working culture.
This can be solved by creating a clear communication channel which would be the same for both remote and in-house developers. There are many online communication platforms for offices that will help your business manager keep in touch with other employees and record their attendance of the day.
3. Security And Compliance Issues Of Software Development Companies
When an employee works in a remote environment, there will be times when it is hard to trust them with the personal company’s data. Managing the security of your data with software experts and full-time workers can be a hectic task.
This has a loophole of thorough security checks of each of your employees in advance before presenting them with the offer letter. Be thorough in your research about the new hiring and then take your decision.
For this same reason, many companies have incorporated security and compliance protocols such as two-factor authentication (2FA), VPN usage, and Password management or password managers. Breaching them could result in the termination of the employee.
Another thing that has become common in the software world is providing remote workers with laptops and pre-installed software. There are strict policies on the usage of the company’s tools, such as not using them for personal storage and usage. Few companies tend to install some lockers and trackers as well.
How To Hire Remote Developers In 2024
As discussed earlier, it can be a difficult task to hire the best remote software developer for your team. That is why it is critical to choose your priorities well in advance. The majority of the decisions should be taken with respect to the needs of the project and the working culture. A few things that should be kept in mind while looking for a remote developer are:
1. Technical Expertise Of Top Remote Engineers
You are running a company and should be well aware of the technical requirements of the projects. If you have a new project coming in and requires a different skill in your team, or some other employee has left and you have a new opening.
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Keep a note of the stances where your team is lagging behind and the technical expertise you require. Choose remote professionals in the software development team who are suitable for your project and have a deep understanding of a particular knowledge.
2. Analyze The Experience
If you are not hiring a fresher, then the remote developers who have previously worked should be your priority. Be attentive while reading the resume to find and hire the best employee for you.
Examining the candidate’s background will offer insight into their approach to working methodology. Investigating their experience can help gauge if they align with your requirements. Adapting this term naturally, you might refer to it as “Lean Methodology” or “Streamlined Approach”. Another method is to conduct a technical test of the candidate with tech related issues that you might face. If the candidate is successful enough in reaching the solution, you know that you have got the expertise.
3. Strong Communication Skills Among The Remote Development Team
Remote working is a different type of working style where an employee and their remote development team will not have face-to-face interaction. That is why it is important to find and hire a remote developer who is good at communication skills, as effective communication is crucial for the success of a remote development team.
The team will be responsible for the projects. If they have good communication between them, it can solve various problems in less time. Find remote developers for hire who can speak one language, and there is no language barrier among them. Additionally, incorporating language translation tools can help facilitate better understanding and collaboration.
4. Ability To Collaborate
Find remote developers who are ready to collaborate efficiently with the existing team and have the humility to ask anything they are confused about. They must also have the skills to work in cooperation with the clients and work according to the project.
Where to Find Remote Software Developers
Finding the right remote software developers can be challenging, but there are several platforms and communities where you can discover top remote talent.
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How To Hire Remote Software Developers In Your Team: Hire Dedicated Remote Developers
Now that we have understood our needs from the developer and have taken into consideration the challenges as well. The most crucial thing is to find and hire the best person for the job. The drill for the remote developer team remains approximately the same. This section of the blog will help you get on with the hiring method easily.
1. Prepare A Job Description Stating That You Want To Hire
In order to find skilled remote developers, the first step is to prepare a job description for the job. It will help you and your team analyze the needs and available positions in the company.
In accordance with the necessity, your job description should include the essential and required qualifications. You will also have to mention the skill sets required for the role. Skills could include the language they are well-versed and experienced in, any type of course they have taken and applied to, and having worked in a remote setting before.
The job description should also include the necessary experience in their previous jobs. With that said, your role preference could also have successfully completed projects in their previous jobs. Also, have a column mentioning the average hourly rates for remote working you are ready to hire for and any compensations and perks your company adheres to.
Last but not least, you must clearly mention that you are looking for an employee who is comfortable working remotely.
2. Search For Best Remote Developers
The next step is given: when you have already prepared your job description, you are all set to post it on various job-hunting sites to hire remote developers. This gives you an opportunity to move ahead with the job application process.
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Post Job Description On Job Hunting Websites
There are a variety of job hunting websites available on the internet that can help you hire a remote workforce. A few such websites are Upwork, Indeed, LinkedIn, Monster, and Wellfound. You just need to post your job description with clear fonts and last date of applying. Soon, you will start getting applications from the candidates from where you can download their resumes and start screening.
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Approach Possible Candidates On Social Media
Social media such as LinkedIn and Facebook have proven very beneficial for those who are trying to find work. You can approach these candidates on their accounts and have a word with them. On social media you will be able to screen the work experience, skills and completed projects of a person. On these platforms you can have a word with the candidates and find your developer.
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Screen The Applications
When you are done posting a job advertisement on the websites, you are likely to receive hundreds of applications. You cannot spare time to interview each one of them. That is when you will have to take a step to read their resumes and figure out the one who is selected for an interview. This step would require you to match the qualifications, experience, and skills that are required for your project. If they match correctly, you can move ahead with their applications.
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Background Check
After receiving the resumes and details of the possible employee, you have everything you need to begin your background check. This will require you to check their details with the references they might have provided. You can also check and screen their social media for authenticity. If they have provided their completed projects, then you must also check them out.
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Telephonic Interview
This type of interview is just an introduction call to let the candidate know more about the job and the work timings. In a telephonic interview, you make sure that the applicant has read the job description clearly and is ready to move forward with the application. You also make sure that the remote worker is ready to agree to your conditions.
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Technical Round
The technical round interview would include a test of the candidate, during which you can stay in the video call and ask them to code or solve a bug in front of you virtually. Otherwise, you can also create an automated test for the applicants to give. This will test their skills and the authenticity of the things they have mentioned in their resumes. This test will give you confidence about the candidate you might choose.
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Virtual Interview
The next round of an interview is to check the personality and soft skills of the candidate. This will let you know if the software developer is a person who can work in a team and take instructions or not. Human resources can take this virtual interview. Although soft skills interviews are easy to crack and almost everyone fits your choice yet, find a person who is humble and has the determination to work.
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Make An Offer
If you have made it this far then you have already found a perfect remote developer for your project. After all the interview and screening procedure is completed, you will have to curate an offer letter for the employee. Your offer letter will consist of all the necessary details about the job, salary, perks, employee benefits, leaves, bonus and termination.
Top Sites to Hire Remote Developers
Here are some top sites to hire remote developers, each offering unique features to help you find the best talent for your team.
- Upwork: I’ve found it to be great for finding freelancers and contract-based developers.
- Toptal: Its rigorous screening process ensures you get high-quality talent, which I really appreciate.
- GitHub Jobs: It’s ideal for finding developers who are passionate about open-source projects.
- Stack Overflow Jobs: This platform leverages the community of developers who use Stack Overflow, making it a valuable resource.
Summary
The hiring process can unsettle your mind because there are so many things to take into consideration. When you have a specific requirement, it becomes even more tactical. The solution to your problem is to go step by step and keep checking your checklist.
You can definitely find skilled and efficient remote developers for your company. Now that you know the things that are needed to be taken care of, it will be much easier for you. Just remember not to hurry through the process, and take time to get to know the candidate and build your trust.
FAQ
1. How long does it take to hire a remote developer?
It is mostly dependent on your efficiency to channel the process as fast as you can. If you are fast in streamlining the hiring process, then it would take you less than a month to hire a remote developer for your company. You will have to form a team that can screen the applicants as soon as you get the applications on the online platform and conduct interviews with the candidates. By the time the technical round is completed, you must be sure of the candidate you want to hire, and that is when you know you are going to hire a software engineer within a few days.
2. Is it hard to hire remote developers?
It can be a little confusing to understand the process of remote hiring. All developers have the same work, whether they work in an office or at home. The only hard part is to become well-versed in the process and manage the working style of the remote workers. Remote developers work in a flexible working environment but nonetheless are ready to put in the same kind of effort for the business. After a month of managing the work of in-office and at-home employees, you will be able to manage it properly.