How To Hire Remote Developers For Your Business?

It can be pretty challenging to find the right employees for your organization. The challenges can become even more intimidating when you look to hire professionals for remote work. 

The hiring process usually starts with drafting the ideal advertisements that clearly state what you are looking for, ending with potential candidates. Then starts reviewing the responses to identify what best matches your requirements. Ultimately, it is time for conducting interviews and asking the right questions so you can realize the actual skillsets of the interviewees. 

And after this, when you think you have found the right match, there could be a chance that the selected candidates turn down the offer, or it may turn out they are not as capable as you believed they are. And here, the process starts from scratch again. So, all in all, this process can be pretty daunting, and in this article, we are trying to ease off the pressure a bit by offering the proper approach to get hold of a qualified developer who can work remotely for you. You will learn reliable tips & tricks to hire remote developers. Let’s begin.

What Questions Come To Your Mind When You Seek Remote Developers?

The common questions that come to mind while hiring remote developers are:

• Where to search for capable & experienced remote developers?
• What to mention in the job posting to attract suitable candidates?
• How to know the candidate will fit in with the rest of the team?
• What basic skills & personality traits to seek in the candidates?
• How to hire remote programmers?
• What is the fair rate of pay for remote developers?

You can employ these strategies to help streamline the process. They ensure to a great level that your time & energy invested in hiring remote developers is not wasted. 

Why Should One Hire Software Developers & Programmers?

There can be many factors that can affect your decision to hire a remote developer, and it can be other than just cost. Even though it might not be ideal for all situations, there are usually different benefits for both employers and employees of hiring a remote developer. At the same time, hiring remote programmers also benefits the global environment, which certainly needs to be protected. 

Benefits For The Employers

Here we discuss the benefits of hiring a remote development team from the employers’ perspective:

1. Save A Ton Of Money 

Owing to remote engagement, employers can save the entire cost incurred by IT infrastructure, workplace utilities, office space, and other amenities. 

2. Get Access To A Huge Talent Pool

Companies can work with experts & specialists from different backgrounds when hiring remote developers.  

3. Flexible Approach

The flexibility that comes from hiring remote developers for a project offers a lot of ease and freedom in talent acquisition and workforce management. 

4. Better Employee Engagement

The easy and flexible engagement offers unparalleled ease for remote developers, eventually leading to better employee engagement and results.  

What Are The Benefits For The Employees?

Here we discuss the benefits of hiring a remote development team from the employees’ perspective:

1. They Are At Ease 

When able to avoid the entire commute timing & transportation problems along with the stringent timings, the employees are much at ease, resulting in more positive inputs from their end of the job. 

2. They Are More Accountable

When the developers are working remotely, they can be more responsible for all of their assignments, resulting in building credibility & job responsiveness. 

3. Able To Manage Time Efficiently

When the developers work remotely, they must adhere to different time zones and organize their workflow more productively.

4. They Are More Productive

The developers are more productive than the in-house resources due to the ease, accountability, and flexibility offered by the remote working concept. 

5. Wide-Open Career Opportunities

Development firms and projects worldwide seek remote expert developers. Hence they certainly enjoy better career exposure as compared to developers working in-house.

How To Hire The Right Remote Development Team?

Here we discuss several tips and tricks to hire the right remote development team:

1. Set Goals, Budget & Priority

First, get clear about why you exactly need distributed teams. Think about the goals you desire to attain, the budget you can dedicate to maintaining a remote team, and your priorities. Then, logically, a list of which experts you require to create a team of remote developers from scratch in the job description. On this basis, your HR team or third-party marketplace will be able to seek great candidates. After setting precise requirements and expectations, you can start the hiring process. However, the screening procedure can be the biggest challenge in hiring remote developers. The candidates available to work remotely might be unable to visit your physical office location, and hence the interview abilities are minimal. Regardless, you can follow a sequence to determine whether the potential candidate is the right choice for your business. 

Before Starting The Search Process:

• Discuss with your present team members and partners.
• Discuss ongoing & future project objectives and goals.
• Talk over budget constraints.
• Consider both short-term and long-term objectives.

This will give an idea about the amount of work that has to be done daily by the remote team. Hence, this step is crucial to building the remote unit and delegating tasks to achieve your mission. You can decide which channels you would prefer to hire a remote team of developers, and here several hiring platforms and communication tools can come in handy. 

2. Consider Different Hiring & Engagement Models

As you are hiring a remote developer, you can choose from other engagement models, like, the Onsite model, Offsite Model, and Hybrid model, and find a suitable hiring model, choosing between Fixed Pricing Model, Dedicated Hiring, and Time & Material. (I haven’t explained to the hiring & engagement models as it will further lengthen the article. In case you want them to be described, let me know)

3. Find The Right Job Board And Post Your Listing

After creating a job posting containing all the relevant information that best states your needs, it’s time to decide where to post it. There are several job boards available online to choose from. Some cater to specific niches, and others allow you to select a geographical region where your job posting will be public. However, not every board is widely known or has a good reputation. So, take your time to research the job board before you post and go for the ones that best suit your requirements. You might require posting on several job boards to find the desired remote programmer.

4. Screen & Interview Shortlisted Candidates

Once you have selected many potential candidates, the next crucial step is to evaluate each of the candidates through a meticulous screening process. This step must be emphasized to find the remote developers with the right skills & expertise appropriate for the job. Ensure these steps in the interview process:

a) Soft Skill Interview

Once the screening is done, it’s time to interview the candidates separately. Here the primary focus is to evaluate whether this candidate is ideal for your company culture, and you also need to find out whether they share your company’s values. This interview focuses mainly on the candidate’s attitude, personality, and value system, and hence here, they are mostly asked behavioral questions. 

b) Tech Skill Interview

While hiring a remote developer team, the technical part is greatly emphasized. Hence, a technical interview is scheduled when a soft skill interview occurs. These interviews are paired with a programming session. The technical team asks candidates about their past roles, projects, contributions, solved problems, and logic. Often live coding session is part of the interview while hiring a dedicated team of developers.

c) Sample Programming Test

In this interview segment, the programming session takes place where the candidate and the technical interviewer engage with the test project. Usually, remote developers give this test online. During this time, the technical interviewer has full and real-time access to the development environment used by the candidate so they can work on the same project. This pair programming session helps evaluate the candidate’s coding skills and helps review how well the candidate can collaborate with the in-house technical team. At the end of this step, if the technical interviewer is fully satisfied with the candidate’s skills, you’ve found the right candidate, and it is time to conduct the final interview.

d) Final Interview

When both the interviews were a success and you found the ideal candidate for the role of remote developer, it’s time for a final discussion. This interview covers the candidate’s work schedule, salary expectations, and benefits that the candidate can avail of being a part of the company. Ensure to address any queries they might have and must remember to ask the final questions yourself; these questions can be:

• Do you have prior experience working in a remote setup?
• Are there any concerns you have about remote working?
• Will you be able to meet strict deadlines?
• Can you track your KPIs on your own?
• How collaborative & team-oriented are you?

If you get the desired answers to these questions, you should offer that excites that candidate. If you are still hesitant about whether the candidate is the right fit or not, try asking other companies for feedback. This way, you will know how it is to work with a person you’re interviewing. 

5. Make A Job Offer With A Clear Job Description & Responsibilities

Now that you have found your desired candidate make the formal offer. Few companies prefer hiring a remote developer team for a trial period of up to three months with committed payment, whereas others might decide to hire the developers full-time. As for hiring remote software developers, the legal team must provide a legally valid contract as these contracts are crucial when hiring remote programming from different regions. These contracts specify validation rules for a tax deduction or healthcare deductions. Once the contract is ready, you send it to the candidate for approval, and after they sign it, you are prepared to have a new remote employee. 

Top Challenges Of Hiring A Remote Developer

The hiring process for remote developers comes with its challenges, and here we are discussing the challenges that companies usually face while hiring a remote developer.

1. Managing & Posting Requirements On The Job Boards

Job posting needs to be written to attract suitable candidates and avoid the interests of those who aren’t qualified for the job. Once the job posting is ready, you decide on the right job boards to post. You will be required to post on several job boards to reach the best pool of developers. To manage and post requirements on many job boards, you will need to devote a lot of your time logging in and out of the job boards until you find your ideal candidate. Hence, it can be a time-consuming process.

2. Selecting The Vetting Candidate Or Vendor

Once you get good results from your job posting, you get a bunch of potential candidates that have to be vetted. This process, again, will occupy a good amount of your valuable time.

3. Language, Time-Zone & Team Management Issues

When working with remote developers, a few common challenges you might face are:

a) Language Barrier

This is a common challenge associated with hiring a remote developer as the issue in communication can result in poor product quality, unmet expectations, and frustrations from both sides. However, this issue can be resolved if you hire your team of remote developers from South-East Asian countries like India, where the workforce is educated and possess fluent English-speaking skills to communicate with clients effectively.

b) Team Management Issues

Managing your remote team can be difficult, and the only way to avoid problems in this area is by trusting your team and empowering them by showing your belief in the group. It also helps to hire development companies that follow practices to keep everything transparent. Hence, you can be well-informed on every stage and stay much involved in the development process. 

c) Time-zone Issues

This is another primary concern companies face while setting up a team of remote developers. A significant difference in time zone can result in communication issues, and you might have to lose your sleep to learn about your project’s current status. This issue can be avoided by hiring remote developers from a country with a favorable time zone. Here, hiring remote developers from India can be helpful as it is a country with a single time zone all across the country. And as India has a favorable time zone, it overlaps with the working hours of many countries like Canada, the USA, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other Asian regions. There are also tech companies available in India that handle client queries 24*7. Also, project managers work with tech companies in India, assisting clients and providing them with project updates round the clock.

4. Data Protection & Business Idea Safety

With remote working, data security can be a big concern. Some employees use unsecured Wi-Fi networkers and workers who carry confidential papers to a public location. Hence, working remotely adds security concerns for companies and their data. However, this issue can be addressed by:

a) Establishing A Cybersecurity Policy

Here, you need to ensure that all the employees know that data security is a priority. So, establish a cybersecurity policy that has to be signed by all the company’s employees, whether they work remotely or not. The policy document should outline all the various security protocols employees should comply with and how the company will support them in complying by providing tools and resources. Everyone in the firm should take ownership to protect the employer’s data, and by having an established policy, all employees will be on the same page about the expectations. 

b) Use Secure Internet Connections

Ensure that your employees require using a virtual private network (VPN). Using VPN before they sign on to public Wi-Fi networks encrypts internet traffic of remote workers and monitors any signs of infection. This way, remote employees can get out of their homes whenever they want, and the companies can ensure that their data is secure.

c) Keep Strong Passwords And Use A Password Manager

Password safety is also essential in protecting the organization’s data. So, educate remote workers about password protection to secure the company’s data. Teach them how to keep the passwords strong and why it is essential not to use the same password again. Another way of dealing with this risk is by using a password manager that can randomly generate passwords for you and store the passwords safely. Hence, employees won’t require to remember all their different passwords for different programs, and this way, the company data can stay secure.

d) Two-Factor Authentication

This method, also known as 2FA, confirms the identity of users by asking for a username and password, and then it asks for other information, which can be a secret question or a PIN sent to their cellphone. Then companies can also move to multi-factor authentication that requires additional verification, including biometrics like fingerprint, voice, or retina recognition. This authentication is more complex and takes excellent care of the organization’s security needs. 

e) Use Encryption Software

Encryption software protects company data by barring access from unauthorized users of those devices. Also, businesses can ensure that any programs used to chat, email, or apps use end-to-end encryption. There are programs like Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office that can easily encrypt files & documents that remote developers use and share with their co-workers.

Hire Freelance Remote Developer Or Full-Time Developer

The big question is whether you should go with the freelance remote developer or a full-time developer from the agency. This depends on your company’s needs and budget, and you can decide on the right developer for your company by reviewing the pros and cons of both options.

Pros Of Hiring Freelance Remote Developers

• Offers Adaptability 
• Saves Time & Money
• Can choose from a vast talent pool

Cons Of Hiring Freelance Remote Developers

• As they are not full-time, they might disappear every now & then.
• It is harder to determine work experience and work ethic with freelance remote developers. 
• It could be tough to establish their loyalty to your company. 

Pros Of Hiring Full-Time Remote Developers From Agency

• It is comparatively less expensive in the long-run
• Employee satisfaction & productivity is much higher
• There is more talent to choose from

Cons Of Hiring Full-Time Remote Developers From Agency

• Time-zone issues
• Hours & availability
• Culture woes
• Transition Issues
• Communication difficulties 

If you have a small project or less budget, going with a freelance remote developer might be ideal. However, if you have an important development project or need development work constantly, then hiring remote developers from the agency would be most suitable for your requirements.

Conclusion

Hiring a remote developer with the right experience, skills, and exposure can be difficult, and numerous considerations and parameters must be followed to evaluate the candidates. You can make things easier by going for a development firm with a good reputation, strong credentials, and several successful app projects. EmizenTech can be an excellent choice for you, where you can hire an ideal development team with decades of experience in software and mobile app development.