10 Things To Consider Before Hiring Remote Developers

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  • By Ranjit Singh
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  • clock 11 minutes MIN READ
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  • calendar Updated: February 16, 2022

Remote development teams have sprung up in response to the increased need for software professionals & the Covid-19 pandemic. Businesses and startups are now more than ever using remote work to their advantage by hiring tech experts from all over the world. You have the option of hiring those software professionals as freelancers or through an outsourced development agency. It doesn’t matter how you recruit your developers to work remotely; what matters is that you hire the ideal individuals for the project and your company. To find the perfect developer and teammate, there’s a narrow line to walk.

So, the question is what to consider while hiring remote developers? You can’t always use the same measurements and assumptions that you would for other types of employees. It is wise to consider some factors before engaging remote developers. You already have a few requirements in place for prospective developers. And you will select the most ideal developers for your needs and develop a solid working connection with them if you give these factors considerable thought.

1. The Portfolio of Programming Skills

You should describe the type of programmer you are looking for in your job posting.

Is it a frontend developer or a backend developer that you need? Do they have to know how to program in a particular language, like Python or Java? Do they often have to deal with software, security, or quality assurance in their day-to-day lives? Is there any special training needed for this position?

It is important to outline these in advance so that you can compare and select the most appropriate choice.

To hire a remote developer, make sure he or she has appropriate credentials and experience. To qualify for a senior developer position, you need more experience than you do at a lower rank.

This is when you should begin thinking about the portfolio of each candidate. It will provide a look behind the scenes at the projects and code they have worked on. So, getting your fine-toothed digital comb-out will help you evaluate each candidate’s coding skills and attention to detail. Have all I’s been dotted and all T’s crossed? Spend some time investigating this with your team. With a portfolio, you get more than just a resume, since you can get a better sense of a candidate’s personality, interests, and technical skills.

For example, developers must be familiar with technologies such as AngularJS, ReactJS, Vue.js, and others if they want to create a fluid frontend for a single-page application. Making sure the candidate you hire as a remote developer must have hands-on know-how of relevant technology and resources will help you develop your product even better.

2. Remote Project Management Tool Experience

If remote developers you are more likely to hire have experience working remotely, they’ll be familiar with remote project management platforms like Trello, Basecamp, Asana, and others, so you’ll explain less to them and save time.

Developers who have never worked remotely before have a difficult time visualizing the picture. If you intend to hire these people, you’ll need to determine whether they can manage their workload and keep on top of project deadlines without having to be monitored.

If not, then ask how they manage their jobs now and if they haven’t used project management software before. Providing a project task to candidates will allow you to determine if they will be comfortable using the project management software on your team. This will allow you to discuss their experience during the interview.

3. Communication Skills & Familiarity With Communication Channels

To maintain security and accountability, it is imperative to use communication channels when working with a development team remotely. You need to determine what meetings your development team will need to attend and through which channel.

Right communication mediums and skills will be key in defining how well your in-house team will work in synchronization with remote developers when your organization has two separate schedules in two different countries.

Organizing short, productive meetings regularly is the best solution. Daily team updates will make team communication more effective. Using software such as Slack, Skype and Zoom will help you communicate effectively. With Zoom, you can work across time zones easily via its many communication techniques, such as screen sharing.

You must present your project objectives and outline them to your remote team transparently. The remote developer team must understand the project requirements and the overall vision to promote teamwork. When working remotely, developing a team mindset may be difficult; however, updating the team on progress can be helpful.

To communicate with each other, your group will need to use email, messaging apps, and online video conferencing. In the event of miscommunications, wasted time, costly mishaps, and lowered team morale are likely results. Thus, it is helpful to measure communication skills early in the development process.

4. Productivity

Monitoring productivity is challenging when working with remote teams. Remote working is full of advantages, but it also presents challenges. It takes a very specific set of skills for one to become productive outside of an office, where accountability is often greater, and watching Netflix instead of working isn’t an option. Before you hire a remote developer, consider these three key productivity parameters and set clear expectations before you make your final decision.

  • Flexible Hours

The time difference will make working remotely more convenient for your developers, so you should certainly provide some work-hour flexibility. Likewise, if you allow too much autonomy, it will make gathering the entire team for a synchronization call more difficult.

  • Track Time

Time tracking in an office setting is simple, even if attendance is not tracked, since you can see who comes in every day. However, managing remote teams doesn’t provide the same level of control as working with local counterparts.

Developing a culture of personal accountability and building trust from the outset is the best way to go. Once you do this, you will not need to log your time.

A lot of virtual time tracking software is available to you if you have an urgent need to track your work time. Remote team members can see what your team members are working on and what websites they are using in real-time.

  • Defining And Assessing The Deliverables

Ensure that each remote team member knows the important success indicators and what you expect of them. Be sure to record everything you do. Do one-to-one sync-ups a minimum of once a week to ensure everyone is on the same page.

  • Project Complexities

What are the complexities and time constraints of the project?

You’ll likely need more remote developers the more complicated your software development project is, regardless of whether you hire them all at once or gradually scale up.

With the increase in the number of developers needed, a well-established partnership can deliver better results. Therefore, you may consider hiring an entire remote development team with the help of an outsourcing service provider that also provides retention services and acts as a facilitator between you and your remote developers.

5. In-House Technical Know-How

Do you have the technical expertise and management capability to supervise the development process in-house?

Freelancers are more likely to meet your needs if you already possess technical proficiency and only require a few remote developers to carry out a specific, well-defined task under your control.

A remote development team can help you overcome the lack of technical skills in-house if you want to hire a development company. The provider can put together a cross-functional development team, along with an experienced tech lead. Whether you need to employ frontend, backend, DevOps, full-stack, or app developers, the job description should mention the programming languages, abilities required, and years of experience to attract the best candidates. Know which technical skills are desirable and which ones are essential and pick the best fit for your project.

6. Know Your Sources to Find Best Remote Developers

The world is home to millions of developers, some of whom work and others who are seeking work. However, the real issue is finding developers qualified and skilled to finish the job perfectly. Finding these developers starts with looking in the right place. There are a lot of platforms that can help you find your best developers.

These days LinkedIn has connected thousands of developers to recruiters. You can also advertise your resume on job boards, although you will have to be committed and persistent to see results. You can publish your job posting on job boards and await responses from qualified candidates. Even though they may respond, this does not guarantee you will receive the type of developer you’re looking for.

Remote developers can be recruited through online forums such as GitHub, Stack Overflow, Fiverr, and Hashnode. These platforms may prove difficult to find the exact person you are looking for.

There has been a revolution in remote recruiting in recent years due to the entry of remote recruiting firms. Organizations have been struggling with a lack of talent, and remote recruiting is proving a suitable solution.

Finally, the remote development agencies have changed the game. A professional remote development agency like RV Technologies can help you develop a remote workforce on-demand. They hire skilled developers after a series of tests to ensure that the work is of high quality. Remote developers from these agencies can help you to complete the projects quickly and efficiently.

Depending on the parameters under which you hire remote developers, you may owe significant tax and legal fees. Most of these factors depend on whether you hire employees directly or as independent contractors and whether you use managed services.

You’ll most likely need to register your company with the state’s revenue department (or a group similar to that) if you hire remote developers directly. In these cases, you may be required to submit income tax withholdings or pay into the workers’ compensation fund of the state. You can avoid fines for incorrect registration in the future by working with a skilled employment attorney.

However, when you work with an independent contractor through a managed service on a limited basis, your provider may handle legal matters for you. Legal counsel can protect you from violating any regulations for hiring remote developers.

8. Scalability & Flexibility

A little wiggle room is always a good idea. When experienced developers join your team, they will add value to your project/idea by making comments and recommendations. Be a little more flexible in your development approach, and make the remote team feel at ease so they can come up with creative ways to include flexibility and scalability into your project from the start.

9. Data security

Data security and the integrity of trade secrets are at the top of the list for almost every company considering remote access. With the increasing number of security breach instances around the world, it’s only logical to wonder about the ethics of remote teams. However, technology and a series of other procedures can enable you to make use of the advantages of remote computing while protecting your trade secrets and vital corporate data. But doing a couple of things can help you overcome the data security issues;

  • To secure your sensitive company information, sign an NDA before hiring a remote development team.
  • To reduce the risk of a security breach, set up 2-factor authentication solutions, virtual private networks, and good security hygiene for remote developers.
  • Establish measures to ensure that remote developers always adhere to security standards by clarifying your security requirements.

10. Cost

It’s always wise to consider the financial implications well in advance. A lot of companies hire remote developers to cut costs. Quick, high-quality service at a low price is the stuff of fairy-tales. When determining the cost, it is important to consider the skills, the resources available, the past projects, as well as the quality you desire.

Conclusion

If you recruit the right remote crew for your project, your idea can become a reality in no time. Whether you hire them out of lower-wage expectations or hire a star employee in your industry who is based far away from your firm’s home base, hiring remote developers may be an enormous benefit to your organization.

However, this is not a process you should rush through. So, when you’re ready to hire remote developers, keep the aforementioned points in mind. I hope you find this post helpful. If you’re looking for a remote web development business to help you with your next project, RV Technologies is here to help. We are a group of skilled and experienced developers who specialize in creating advanced web and mobile applications. Let’s work together.

FactorsRV TechnologiesIn-House DevelopersFreelancers
Time to Find Reliable Developers1 Week3 Weeks to 5 Weeks3 Weeks to 5 Weeks
Recruitment CostNIL$100,000-$500,000NIL
Development Cost1.5x2x1x
Timely Delivery100% On-Time DeliveryDelivery Time May ExtendTimely Delivery Not Guaranteed
Failure ProbabilityExtremely LowLowExtremely High
Dedicated ResourcesYesDepends on your recruitmentNo
Agile and DevOps ImplementationAlways YesSometimesNo
Communication and ReportingSeamless Communication with Detailed ReportingSeamless Communication with Detailed ReportingNo Communication Guaranteed
Availability24-hours availabilityOnly available during the working hoursAvailability is always a concern
High-quality InfrastructureYesDepends on your expenditureNo
Post Development MaintenanceYesYesSometimes

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