Five things you need to know before hiring a developer overseas
Software and web developers are among the most sought-after professionals in the United States. As a result, they’re also expensive. And yet, you need a professional who can help build your website, app, and any other software necessary to run and expand your business. What do you do?
The easy answer is to hire developers from overseas. HTML code is the same, regardless of whether it’s written in English or Romanian. But of course, outsourcing to professionals outside your country can also come with its own challenges.
The key to success is preparation. Hiring a developer from outside the United States can save money, time, and other limited resources for your business. To make sure you actually leverage these benefits, here are 5 things you need to know before hiring a developer from overseas.
Credibility and “Good Fit” matter most
Developers outside of English-speaking countries are just as skilled as those in the United States, UK, and Australia. But just as in those countries, not every professional is created equal. When hiring a developer, your first step should always be to verify the credibility of the person you’re about to work with. These tips can get you started:
- Examine past work, particularly in industries related to yours
- Ask for qualifications, such as degrees and/or certifications earned
- Look for references beyond single-sentence testimonials
You can also work with a local liaison to point you toward developers who have built a good local reputation. This liaison can complete the legwork in areas you cannot easily access or communicate with.
After credibility and expertise come the determination of whether the developer you’re about to hire is actually a good fit. Unlike the steps mentioned above, this is a more subjective exercise. A few conversations about the type of technology or website you’re looking for should help you determine whether or not you’re on the same page before you make the hire.
Cost savings need to be considered holistically
A major benefit of hiring a developer overseas consists of cost savings. Hiring a full-time professional from within the United States, including benefits, can easily cost more than $150,000 per year. And even high-quality freelancers within the U.S. tend to charge upwards of $150 per hour.
Compare that with the cost of hiring overseas, which can come in at $50 per hour for a comparable quality. At face-value, this difference in price makes hiring from outside the U.S. a simple next step.
But that comparison ignores the additional cost you have to consider. As outlined by Forbes.com, various hidden fees can include extra time spent managing the project, which brings an opportunity cost most companies don’t consider.
When finding the right professional, outsourcing still saves you significant money without a drop-in quality. However, only a holistic consideration of these costs can help you find that professional and actually make your overseas hiring process a success.
Communication is crucial
When the person who is working on your app, software, or website does not sit in your office every day, communication becomes even more crucial than it would be otherwise. Prepare to establish a framework of open communication between the developer and anyone in your organization involved in the development process.
Regular video conference check-ins tend to make sense. Have a clear mutual understanding of project goals and establish an early understanding of how different time zones might affect quick feedback and responses. And of course, language nuances might need to be considered for any professional outside an English-speaking country.
Upwork’s 5 Keys to Developer Success are a great resource to get you started. Your communication should be planned out before the developer is hired so that when the project start, everyone can hit the ground running and work toward a common goal.
Cleared legal details first
Naturally, whether you’re hiring from within your own country or overseas, everything should be above board. Before you start the project, make sure all legal issues are taken care of by your legal team.
Mashable has a great series of tips for clearing legal issues when working with freelancers in general. This article from a specialized law firm takes those general tips and applies them to international relationships. Inform yourself early, to avoid potential problems later.
Some developers already know the hoops they have to jump through in order to work with clients in the United States. Others, however, don’t. It’s your responsibility to make sure everything is above board, so be sure to avoid exposing your company or your developers to potential legal troubles.
Long-term relationships are beneficial
Many companies tend to view freelance relationships as project-based. Hiring developers requires a long-term vision. Even once the development project is completed, you’ll need bug fixes, new features, and attention to the evolving roadmap.
Consider hiring short-term professionals with long-term possibilities in mind. In other words, every developer you look into should be ready and willing to continue working with your organization in the future. Otherwise, you risk having to bring in someone new every time, wasting potentially significant resources on the search process, and bringing them up to speed… again.
This ongoing relationship doesn’t necessarily have to be contract-based. But it should include an understanding between everyone involved: if the relationship works out, we’ll keep working together. The benefits of finding an overseas developer who you can count on moving forward can be immense.
Quality developers in the United States are expensive and difficult to find. As a result, it’s natural to look for help from professionals overseas. Doing so does, in fact, come with a number of benefits, but only if you get the process right.
