As 2024 unfolds, the digital landscape is not merely evolving—it’s transforming. The pace at which technological innovation is advancing intensifies the need for strategic sourcing of tech talent. More than ever, aligning with skilled web developers isn’t just beneficial; it’s imperative for companies aiming to solidify their digital presence.
In this transformative climate, Latin America (LATAM) stands out as a pivotal force. Once primarily viewed as a classic outsourcing destination, LATAM has redefined itself as a hub of tech innovation and skilled remote development talent. The region’s unique blend of advanced technical skills, cultural alignment, and cost-effectiveness makes it an excellent choice for businesses poised to lead in the digital arena of 2024.
Growth and Opportunities in the IT Sector
Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina are spearheading substantial growth in Latin America’s developer population, which is expanding at an annual rate of 7%—almost double the global average. This surge is supported by significant investments in technology education, with the number of graduates in computer science and engineering doubling in the last decade.
Complementing this educational advancement, English proficiency in major urban areas across the region has surpassed 50%, facilitating seamless integration with international teams. This linguistic capability is crucial for effective collaboration, positioning Latin American professionals as ideal partners for remote projects.
Advantages of Hiring Remote Tech Talent from the Region
Engaging with Latin America’s IT workforce offers several strategic benefits:
- Cost-Effectiveness: Businesses can achieve up to 20% savings on operational costs, presenting an economically attractive option for growth-focused companies.
- Access to Niche Skills: With a 50% increase in specialists in emerging technologies like AI and blockchain, the region boasts a talent pool brimming with advanced expertise.
- Improved Communication: The significant improvement in English proficiency across major tech hubs ensures smoother interactions and fewer communication barriers with international teams.
Deepening Tech Capabilities in LATAM
The technological landscape in LATAM is not only expanding but also deepening. There is a growing emphasis on specialized fields such as cybersecurity, cloud services, and big data analytics. This focus is driven by a mix of local startups and international corporations establishing R&D centers, enriching the region’s skills diversity and expertise.
This deep pool of talent, eager to tackle new challenges, makes LATAM an optimal choice for outsourcing sophisticated projects. Additionally, the region’s alignment with North American business practices and the widespread adoption of agile methodologies ensure seamless collaboration. This cultural and operational synergy is invaluable in remote work settings, where understanding subtle project nuances and aligning with client expectations are crucial for success.
Strategies for Hiring Remote Developers from LATAM
As technology evolves rapidly, defining clear and effective strategies for integrating LATAM talent into global projects is more critical than ever:
- Project Clarity: Businesses must outline their needs precisely, especially when projects involve cutting-edge technologies. Clear expectations help align LATAM developers’ efforts with strategic business goals.
- Vendor Selection: Choosing the right partner is vital. Companies should evaluate potential vendors not only on their technical expertise and past successes but also on their ability to adapt to a rapidly changing tech landscape. This includes proficiency with modern development methodologies and tools.
Is your business poised to leverage LATAM’s booming IT sector? With its rich pool of tech talent and strategic advantages, LATAM offers a unique opportunity to enhance your digital operations effectively. Contact Intersog today to discover how our solutions can seamlessly integrate LATAM’s expertise into your projects, ensuring you stay ahead in the competitive digital race.
With the ever-evolving nature of work, the traditional 9-to-5 office job is becoming a thing of the past. Instead, companies are embracing a more flexible approach to work, with hybrid and remote models becoming increasingly popular.
In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits and challenges of hybrid work models and dive into some of the best practices for navigating this new way of working. Whether you’re an HR leader, manager, or entrepreneur, this blog is a must-read to identify the best ways to adapt your business into a hybrid working model. So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s dive into the future of work structures!
What does a hybrid work model look like?
Hybrid and remote working models are often discussed in the same conversations. However, remote work is done entirely somewhere other than the office. In contrast, in a hybrid work model, employees have the flexibility to split their time between working remotely and working from a physical office or other designated workspaces.
In a hybrid work model, employees have the freedom to choose when, where, and how they work based on the requirements of their role, the needs of their team, and their personal preferences. This type of work arrangement allows for a more flexible and adaptable approach to work, which can benefit both employees and employers.
However, there is no one fit-for-all hybrid model. Instead, every company should develop a hybrid model according to its business needs.
Pros & Cons of a Hybrid Work Model
As the world evolves and becomes more digitized daily, with everything moving online, hybrid work has gained rapid popularity. As remote work is an excellent way to find the best talent by looking beyond the city or country to hire employees that best fit the role, a hybrid working model can help boost employee productivity, enhance information security, and improve employee engagement.
A large number of employees desire the advantages of both remote work and in-person collaboration. Specifically, 74% of employees seek flexible remote work options, while 67% are hopeful for increased opportunities for face-to-face interaction and collaboration following the pandemic. Therefore, it is crucial for businesses to stay open to adapting and consider the possibility of implementing this new hybrid working model to succeed in the long term. This model can provide several advantages for both employers and employees, but it also comes with some challenges. Here are some of the top pros and cons to have in mind when considering a hybrid work model.
Hybrid work models
Most companies currently implement five primary hybrid working models.
Flextime model
This model allows employees to choose their own schedules as long as they meet the required hours or deadlines. For example, an employee might work from the office in the morning and then work from home in the afternoon as long as they complete their work on time.
Split-week model
This model involves working some days in the office and some days remotely. For example, an employee might work from the office on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and work from home on Tuesday and Thursday.
Rotational model
In this model, employees alternate between working in the office and working remotely. For example, an employee might work in the office for two weeks and then work remotely for two weeks or rotate on a monthly or quarterly basis.
Hoteling model
This model involves reserving office space on an as-needed basis. Employees may reserve a desk or workspace for a specific day or time, as needed, to collaborate with colleagues or work on specific projects.
On-demand model
This model involves working almost entirely remotely but coming into the office on an as-needed basis for specific meetings or events. For example, an employee might work from home most of the time but come into the office for team meetings or client presentations.
Each of these models has its own benefits and drawbacks, and the best model for a particular organization will depend on factors such as the nature of the work, the preferences of the employees, and the organizational culture. Employers should carefully consider the needs and preferences of their employees, as well as the goals and objectives of the organization, in order to choose the best hybrid working model for their needs.
How to Get The Right Hybrid Work Model
The key to making the most out of the benefits of hybrid working and minimizing challenges is a well-formulated plan that outlines responsibilities and considers employee well-being prioritizing meaningful work. Here are some easy ways to adapt the best hybrid work model for your company.
Identify the right balance: Hybrid work models require balance. A company needs to be able to provide employees with a balance in the work environment. Start by identifying which employees can work from the office regularly and how many days. In addition, when employees work from home, work with them to establish realistic and workable deliveries and plan for the effectiveness of your employee interaction with their colleagues while working remotely.
Establish clear guidelines: Clearly define policies and expectations around remote work, in-office work, work schedules, communication, and collaboration to ensure a smooth transition to a hybrid work model.
Ensure effective communication: Use tools such as video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management software to ensure that team members can communicate effectively, regardless of their physical location.
Foster a culture of trust and collaboration: Emphasize the importance of trust and collaboration among team members, regardless of where they are working, to create a positive and productive work environment.
Manage Information Security: Work with your IT department to ensure security measures are in place if remote employees handle or access confidential data. Also, remember that adopting a hybrid work model includes cyber security training, software, and company-issued systems.
Provide the right technology and equipment: Ensure that employees have access to the right technology and equipment needed to work remotely, such as laptops, monitors, headsets, and high-speed internet connections.
Evaluate and adapt: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the hybrid work model and make adjustments as needed to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of both employees and the business.
In conclusion, the shift towards hybrid work models has been a game-changer for organizations and their employees. Employees can enjoy a better work-life balance, increased productivity, and reduced stress levels with the flexibility to work from home or in the office.
At the same time, businesses can enjoy lower costs and a more productive workforce. While there are challenges that come with adopting hybrid work models, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. As long as organizations put in place clear guidelines, effective communication, a culture of trust and collaboration, the right technology and equipment, and are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, hybrid work models can be a win-win situation for everyone involved.
What is Staffing?
For a business to succeed, it is crucial for the HR team to find employees who understand your goals and mission. Staffing involves the process of finding suitable candidates for the right job at the right time and in the right conditions.
On that note, the staffing process is what pumps talent fuel to a company; it involves locating, selecting, hiring, and maintaining a professional relationship with all potential and current workers. An effective staffing strategy will make the recruiting and hiring process more efficient; the only decision left would be to follow an in-house staffing model or to hire outside professionals with a remote work plan.
Benefits of Staffing
We have heard before that the secret to any great organization is its people. Therefore it is crucial to use every tool possible to find the best talent. Temporary staffing can be both the short and long-term solutions to ensure a company’s growth and future success. Here are some of the main advantages of staffing.
Wider Pool of Talent
One of the biggest limitations for businesses that are not using remote staffing models is talent acquisition. For a person to be hired, they don’t only need the proper qualifications, but they also need to live in the same city where the office is. This limitation reduces the talent pool significantly.
Companies that apply remote staffing models successfully have no geographical limitations for hiring. They can focus on building the right team and not worry about relocation or sponsorships. A great way for organizations to handle talent acquisition once they are free of geographical limitations is through nearshore staff augmentation.
Less Recruiting Work
Let’s be honest; recruiting takes a lot of time and effort, even for a single potential employee. Relying on a capable team to help you with your remote staffing can help you shift a lot of duties to another talented team, reducing time and resources.
The end goal is for you to partner with a staffing company that fits your company’s specific needs as much as possible. Vendors that employ a one-size-fits-all approach are more likely to fail to provide you with good solutions than those that tailor their staff augmentation services to your industry. By assessing your company’s staffing needs, researching a potential vendor, and assuring a good cultural fit, you will be able to find a staffing partner that perfectly fits your company’s staffing needs.
When done efficiently, coordinating efforts between the staffing company and yours can be seamless and bring important benefits like time-saving, increased efficiency, and team collaboration. In other words, with staff augmentation services, your temporary team members fall into step more effectively and quickly than new hires.
Scalability
This is the ability of a business to adjust to market changes without losing value. In other words, scalability allows companies to generate revenue and grow without being held back by a rigid structure or lack of resources.
Remote staffing allows businesses the possibility to modify and update their existing solutions to help them meet new business challenges. Therefore, having the ability to scale upwards or downwards depending on the demand can help companies to sort out any obstacle by adding strategic resources where they are needed.
Staffing Process
When finding the best candidates, it is important to have an adequate staffing plan in place and follow it each time there is an open position. Here are some helpful steps to set up an effective staffing process.
Determine Needs and Goals
Before starting any candidate search and recruiting, it is vital to plan and define the company’s staffing needs. It is crucial to sit down with the management team and company leaders and evaluate the current staff capabilities and identify the required talent necessary to achieve the business goals.
At this stage, it is essential to discuss and identify which departments or employees are overwhelmed by too much work, what tasks or projects still need to be completed and why different members of your company’s management believe a new hire could improve their efficiency. It helps to make a detailed list of departments and positions to be filled, the desired number of new employees, and the open roles required.
Plan the Budget Accordingly
Once the company’s staffing needs are precise, it is time to define the responsibilities and qualifications needed for each role. At this stage, the HR team should determine the hiring priority for all the open positions and the salary dedicated to each.
Setting a clear budget for hiring and onboarding new employees will clarify an effective staffing plan. If the budget only allows you to hire a few full-time employees, consider options like hiring temporary workers.
Search for Talent
After the budget is clear, the HR team can proceed with the recruitment process by searching for prospective employees. At this stage, companies should publish job descriptions on different outlets and job listing sites.
Let’s keep in mind that the job description should list the qualities needed in an ideal candidate and clearly outline the job responsibilities. Once finding potential talent to fill the job, we recommend narrowing the list of candidates to three to five strong prospects and eliminating all those that don’t fit the job description. Conduct screenings and interviews to ask candidates relevant questions about the role to help determine whether they will be a great fit for the position.
Onboard Your Candidates
Once new employees are hired, the placement process starts. This starts by putting the persons on the job, introducing them to the team and new duties, and starting the training process. Here, we recommend having in place an “orientation system” for new hires that involves teaching them how the team is built, all the relevant processes, and how the company operates. This includes introducing them to employees and instructing them on company policies or brand guidelines.
Nowadays, considering the multiple technological changes, the need for training employees is crucial to keep the employees in touch with the various new developments.
Closing
A company’s staffing strategy is often as unique as the company itself, which means the staff augmentation partner hires should be a good fit and as flexible as the business is. Therefore, the most important consideration to augment your team is to do it with a partner with software engineers skilled in the technologies you need.
Are you ready to explore our staff augmentation solutions? Talk to us, and let us help you build or extend your development team easily. We support companies of all sizes that need agile teams of the best engineers. Let’s ride the tech wave and make great things happen – together.
How we work today is almost unrecognizable from how people used to work 10 years ago. Since Covid hit, the world has changed completely, putting our social interactions upside down and pushing us to reinvent our ways of communicating and engaging with each other. And although we’re beyond the chaotic early days of Covid-19, companies around the globe still need to make a considerable effort to accept and readapt to the new reality. Zoom calls and working in casual attire from the comfort of our living rooms became part of our new normal, and there might be no going back to the old days of everyday in-person meetings in suits and ties. Human Resources faced the challenge of responding to a remote team while recruiting new potential employees through a computer screen.
On this note, the work environment has changed significantly, becoming more difficult, yet more exciting for companies to reinvent how work is done and to adapt to our new world.
As 2023 begins and more challenges like recession arise, recruitment teams can’t let their guard down. Therefore, understanding what is coming and adapting to it has become one of the best business skills. HR teams need to identify new trends to become more adaptable to change and, therefore, more efficient despite the global setup and the unique challenges we might encounter.
With that in mind, here are seven 2023 workplace trends that will define the future of work.
1. Remote Work
For some years now (even before Covid-19 hit us, forcing us to adapt to a new reality of working), many companies have started following the increasingly common practice of having remote teams. Now, as we move into 2023, organizations will become more comfortable with implementing this work structure. Many workers, will gravitate to companies that allow remote work with the option to come to the office when needed. According to Forrester, the number of remote workers at the end of 2021 was 3x pre-pandemic levels, and 74% of professionals expect remote work to become standard.
Remote teams are a great way of cooperating and leveraging skilled specialists. In the case of software development, hiring a remote team of developers and engineers is a great strategy for success. Now more than ever, companies, big and small, around the globe are leveraging remote work to their advantage by hiring tech talent remotely.
Also, remote hiring allows companies to access a pool of tech talent around the world so that they can select the best talent for their project. In 2023, employers will reassess current hybrid working arrangements in order to rebuild culture, improve mental health and retain talent.
2. Automation
Companies worldwide are automating as many processes as possible because they have figured out that employees spend a lot of time on repetitive manual tasks. A study by McKinsey and Co. found that 85% of companies have accelerated the digitization of their businesses.
These tasks can become frustrating and even lead to human errors. Automation eliminates that factor. A company can automate transactions, approvals, and workflows, among other processes, to free employees from manual tasks that only waste time. Automation is the big growth area – introducing automated systems to replace what was previously done manually.
In addition, companies are also able to automate product and service deployment. Automation, in combination with AI, is a great tool for companies to let their employees spend their time solving complex issues instead of doing mundane tasks. That will mean some existing roles changing or becoming obsolete, but also new roles being created.
3. Anywhere Operations Model
Remote operations are not only possible, but they also come with plenty of advantages. According to Gartner, through 2023, 40% of organizations will blend virtual and physical experiences, leading to increased workforce productivity and customer reach.
Anywhere operation is an organizational model that allows IT companies to operate fully remotely while supporting customer service, enabling employees, and managing the deployment of products/services from anywhere in the world.
Anywhere operations, also known as “remote operations,” create decentralized models, enabling better business flexibility and access to a broader talent pool. This means that companies can perform at the same scale and with the same effectiveness across a wide range of roles and responsibilities, regardless of their geographic location. On that note, anywhere operations can enhance companies’ performance, by reducing costs of aging hardware, improving employee and customer experience, and giving companies access to a broad talent pool of experts ready to join the team.
4. Technology as a Business Strategy
If the last years have taught us technology is a crucial tool for every business to survive, it’s not a surprise that one of the most popular trends of future work has to do with it; today, more and more organizations realize the importance of incorporating a tech strategy into their internal process to keep their business working.
Technology as a business strategy simply refers to implementing technology and IT solutions at all levels of business planning. This is, rather than considering technology on its own, it is considered a core piece of all aspects of business operations. A solid technology strategy consists of a business plan with clear principles, objectives, and tactics for using technology to achieve organizational objectives.
It may define specific IT solutions, identify staff members’ responsibilities for managing these technologies, scalability possibilities, and, most important, how these technologies will align with the business’s objectives.
5. Employee Experience at the Centre
The workplace of 2023 will focus on employers and their happiness. An employee’s journey from hire to exit is full of different behaviors and experiences, both good and bad. Therefore keeping a good employee experience is vital, for it determines not only the permanence of an employee within an organization but also their productivity and engagement.
Employee experience impacts every business facet. Therefore, it is no surprise that as the years pass, companies that actively manage to keep a good and permanent culture maintain higher employee retention and boast higher employee engagement rates than those with weak cultures.
6. Flexible Work Scheduling
It’s time to rethink the standard 9 to 5 workday. In 2023, experts believe that more organizations will embrace the idea that outcome is better than input, but why exactly? Flexibility makes workers happier, and, eventually, more productive.
A flexible working schedule allows employees to create their own calendars and to concentrate and eliminate distractions. Also, as workers are free to take more breaks, it’s easier for them to feel less stressed and relaxed, and, therefore, more efficient and engaged with the company’s mission.
A few years ago, we could not have imagined that we would be working with engineering teams remotely, without even an in-person interview or an in-person team meeting instead of a Zoom call. Now, as we get closer to 2023, we are less scared of remote models and ready to take on any new challenges to come.
The presence of new technologies and organization models is undeniable; therefore, there is no better time to seize the opportunity and get all the necessary insights on what is new and how to adapt your company to not fall behind in the market.
If the Covid-19 pandemic taught us something, it is that (almost) anything you can do in person, you can do from the comfort of your own home. After the Covid pandemic hit us, the remote became the new normal, and companies around the world had a pleasant surprise: working remotely is not only possible, it is more cost-effective.
On this note, remote interviews for jobs became more and more common, and while many people prefer in-person interviews, remote interviews are proved to be more convenient for both hiring managers and candidates, and are the easiest and smartest solution to situations where a candidate is in a different geographical location or there are social distancing concerns.
Stating the obvious, a virtual or remote interview is just an interview that takes place remotely, often using technology like video conferencing. However, although the interviewer’s questions are likely to be similar to the in-person interview ones, there are a few differences between interviewing in-person versus interviewing virtually.
First of all, interaction is definitely more challenging in Zoom meetings, as things like gaining trust, paying more attention, and picking up body language are harder to do through the screen. Therefore, prospective employees need to be able to communicate effectively during a remote interview to demonstrate they can work effectively with remote team members in the same context.
Now, let’s be honest, no matter the format, applying to a new job is a stressful and challenging process. It’s easy to get rattled by a high-stakes job interview, thus it’s also normal to let the jitters get in your way, maybe the answers you gave were completely off the mark, or you entirely forget to include a key piece of information about your experience that could be the key to getting the job.
Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. We prepared this short guide so you can let the nerves outside the door and ace your next remote interview.
Be prepared
Like in a regular in-person interview, the most important thing you can do to succeed is to be well prepared for any question the interviewer might throw at you. So remember, the job interview process doesn’t begin when the camera starts, you should start researching and preparing for it as soon as you get invited to an interview. Start by building your research on the data found in your initial application to the position and make notes of how your experience can be applied to the role you are applying to.
Also, don’t forget to research the company and its culture. You need to make sure you understand what they do and be aware of any relevant content from their careers page or handbook if it’s public. If you can, find out about the investors,the team, and make sure you understand the size of the company. You need to be able to communicate clearly why you want to join the organization, how the company mission resonates with you, and the value you will bring.
Test your technology beforehand
This is short but sweet advice, consider a 10-minute window of spare time before the interview and make sure your devices and apps are working correctly. It’s important that you test your technology a few times by double-checking your wifi connection, camera and audio, and video conferencing platforms to confirm they are all working seamlessly.
Present your best self
We know, it might feel kind of weird to wear formal attire in your living room, but a remote interview is as important as an in-person one, so you need to treat it with the same level of gravity. Before your interview, put some thought into your attire and setting to convey professionalism in your interview while remote.
You also shouldn’t neglect your background and environment. Unlike in-person interviews, virtual interviews will allow your interviewers the chance of an intimate glimpse into your personal life, so be sure you are showing a tidy and comfortable space for work. In this sense, a clean background like a wall behind you and good natural light usually works best. It is also worth making sure you’re in a quiet space and making sure you won’t be disturbed while you’re interviewing.
Engage!
Although in a virtual interview there are a few (or more) miles between you and your interviewer, that doesn’t mean you can’t form a connection with the person on the other side of the screen. Let your personality shine through and bring your charming self to the game! In addition to showing your knowledge of the company and professional skills, it’s also important to open up and show who you are as a person.
Remember to always look into the camera. Maintaining eye contact with your interviewer is a sign of confidence and respect, and the only way of doing this virtually is by looking into the camera as you are speaking. This creates the illusion that you are looking at them directly.
Last but not least, consider preparing some questions in advance and taking notes as you go through the interview. This will show that you are paying attention to what your interviewer is saying and asking the right questions can really demonstrate your interest in the role.
Be confident
Confidence is almost everything! The most important thing in a virtual interview is for you to be able to demonstrate effectively that you are the right person for the job, and the only way to do so is to be 100% confident of yourself and what you are talking about. Be aware of your body language; be sure to use proper posture, and maintain your head up throughout the call and focus. Also, remember to speak clearly. Do your best to enunciate when talking with the interviewer and pause after speaking.
If you are feeling anxious, try to practice what you intend to say in the interview and do some mock interviews with people close to you. It’s also helpful to anticipate some of the questions the interviewer might ask you, and practice your responses. Think thoroughly of the answers and practice saying them out loud; this will help you feel more comfortable and boost your confidence during the interview.
After your interview process, remember to send your interviewer a thank-you note for their time; this will send a clear message of how committed you are to getting the position you are applying for.
We also recommend you to treat yourself and relax, as stated in the beginning, a job interview, remote or not, is a stressful process, so don’t overthink your answers or doubt yourself, remind yourself you did the best you could and trust the process, if you are the right fit for the job, you’ll get it!
Whereas before the COVID-19 pandemic you could be forgiven for thinking remote work was a distant possibility, to ignore its prevalence now would be naive. It has become a reality for many companies in the tech and IT industry, which has seen a sharp increase in hybrid work models that cater to employees who work from home.
Even though the trend of remote work was starting to pick up before the world was turned upside down, it has now been forced upon a lot of businesses, many of whom weren’t equipped for this change.
To avoid becoming another business that goes under as a result of a failure to adapt to changing times, we strongly recommend that you adopt a remote hiring strategy going forward. That way, you can snap up the best talent in the tech industry, limited though it may be, and push forward to new heights.
Why Remote Work is the Future
It won’t surprise you to learn that remote work really kicked into gear following the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. In fact, according to a recent worldwide study carried out by Statista, 56% of workers had only been working remotely for less than a year.
What was once a luxury for workers has now become the norm, and this doesn’t just apply to the tech and IT industry. However, this is an industry that has likely been most impacted, due to the nature of the work. If 100% of the work can be done using a personal computer, then why not reduce overhead costs and encourage remote work throughout your organization?
Of course, there are issues with the remote work model.
The primary obstacle for many companies is that employees might not be equipped with everything they need to kickstart their careers from home. Turning a traditional 9-5 workplace into a digital hub isn’t an easy transition for everyone to make, which begs the question, how do you fill open vacancies while also offering the remote or hybrid work model?
To answer this, we’d invite you to expand your horizons, and rather than looking internally within the organization avert your attention to external sources.
The Benefits of Offshore Teams
If you’re not familiar with offshoring, it’s all about hiring teams from abroad to streamline the hiring process easier and save company resources.
You could stand to gain a lot from looking abroad to fill open positions.
Here are some of the most compelling reasons to consider hiring remote offshore teams to plug gaps in your company:
Fill Talent Gaps
The tech talent you’re looking for might not always be available domestically, especially considering that we’re in the midst of an IT talent shortage that’s been looming for several years now.
Plus, the tech talent that does exist within the US can command high salaries for this exact reason.
So how can offshoring help?
By focusing your sights on foreign talent markets, you can secure top talent with reasonable salaries, so it’s a win-win scenario.
Boost Profits
What’s one of the best reasons to consider offshoring?
To improve your company’s bottom line.
As we just mentioned, by searching for talent abroad you can save money on lower salaries.
The other profit-boosting benefit comes with working with an offshore partner. When you work with an offshore team, they will usually take care of most of the costs you’d typically associate with the hiring process so you can save money on that front too.
Scale
Scaling your business is no easy feat.
It becomes more complicated the more employees you take on and can take much longer than you initially anticipated.
However, with offshoring, you keep costs down which should free up funds to roll out the next stage of your expansion plan.
Another key benefit offshoring provides for scaling is how quickly you can onboard new employees, which accelerates the process and makes it easy to expand your business to new shores.
Perhaps best of all, you won’t have to assume any extra admin tasks, since your offshore partner will do the heavy lifting on your behalf.
Expand Your Horizons
Even with access to offshore talent in the global talent market, the solution to your hiring issues may be closer than you think.
What if the answer was in a neighboring country rather than another continent?
Hiring a nearshore team based in a nearby country can be advantageous for a host of reasons. First, there’s timezone compatibility, which means that the domestic workforce won’t need to bend over backward to maintain communication with new employees from distant countries.
There are also cultural similarities to consider since there’s far less risk of encountering cultural clashes when your remote teams are based in a neighboring country.
For US-based tech companies, it isn’t uncommon to look north of the border to Canada or even to Latin America for establishing a talented nearshore team. Here are some of the main reasons why the latter has become such a popular choice for nearshore hiring:
Why Latin America?
Latin America has emerged as a hotbed of tech talent in recent years, with several big tech startups making it out of the region.
The main reasons for the popularity of the region for nearshore hires include widespread access to the internet, growth in eCommerce, and the prevalence of urban life.
Whereas in the past, Latin America was a region with low internet connectivity, these days it’s estimated that around 73% of the population can access the internet. As such, there’s been a rise in digital opportunities and many South American citizens are technologically literate and picking up a number of useful digital skills.
In tandem with the rising numbers of people with access to the internet, Latin America also now has the infrastructure to allow this. City life is becoming more and more popular in the region, which means more workers have the tools they need to work remotely and on board with tech companies.
Even if some of your team members are still getting used to the idea of having to work from home, the reality is that the way teams work around the world has completely changed. Throughout 2020 many companies faced the challenge of switching from having their operations under the roof of an office to going completely remote; this brought many challenges. Still, it also opened the door to even more opportunities for companies to grow.
People’s routines and the way they work have entirely changed, and as a consequence, how companies are building teams has also shifted. There are different pros and cons regarding remote work experience, but one thing is sure, there has not been a better time to find fantastic talent across the world and build a remote dream team.
Finding and hiring the right talent for any open position is complex, and when it comes to IT talent, the challenge can be even more significant. So now more than ever, it’s crucial to take extra steps to find the best talent and make the remote work experience a successful one for everyone in the IT team.
Many times it isn’t easy to judge if a candidate going through an IT recruitment process will be a good fit for your company, based on their work experience, interviews, and reference checks. So, when you hire remote workers for your team, these challenges can be magnified.
Define the skills your team members should have
Something we learned during 2020 is that not everyone is cut out for remote work. Before you begin the recruitment process for a remote position, it’s essential to list the skills you think your team needs to fit in your company’s culture and be successful in the remote work environment.
Look for talent in the right places
We already said it, but we repeat it, finding and hiring the right IT talent can be a big challenge, so it’s crucial to create a strategy that will allow you to access multiple profiles to find the right fit for your team. Leverage platforms like LinkedIn, Github, and Stack Overflow to connect with talent across the world. You’ll be surprised by the fantastic talent that’s out there. Of course, make sure that you and your team are ready to support this remote growth strategy.
Create a roadmap for your recruiting strategy
It’s crucial to create a remote recruiting experience and have a clear roadmap that allows you to be one step ahead of the game and make sure you have everything you need to support your company’s growth. Align your recruitment process with company goals and projected growth; this will help you plan, have a defined strategy in place.
Build a cohesive remote recruiting experience
From the moment that a person submits their information to be considered for the position to when they receive their formal offer to join your team, they should feel positive that you are excited about joining the organization. It’s essential to commit to applicants and get in touch with them once per week while going through the hiring process, no matter the outcome.
Make sure you have all the resources you need
It’s time to ensure that you have all the help you need to implement it. We’re not only talking about software tools that will help you keep things running; having the internal resources to ensure that all the hiring processes are on track is key to achieving your recruitment goals.
Confirm that your company is ready to hire remotely
Hiring remotely comes with challenges for the HR team and other departments in the company, like the Finance and Legal teams. Why? Because by expanding, you’ll find out that additional requirements need to be met, even more, if you are growing your team to another country through a nearshore model.
Have an onboarding system in place
So how do you successfully onboard and train new staff, so they feel as welcomed and productive as your current team members? It’s important to have a plan that helps the new team member settle in the organization and coordinates the different stakeholders this new hire will be working with. To make sure that they all get to know him, that communication channels are established, and that he is set up for success in his new role and responsibilities.
Foster stable communication channels
Effective communication in the virtual workplace helps the team to be more productive, support decision-making, and foster relationships across the organization. So it’s critical to create and nurture effective communication channels across the IT team to ensure that everyone is aligned and that everyone supports the achievement of the company’s goals.
As companies of all sizes continue to expand their operations worldwide, the opportunity to work with talented engineers, developers, project managers, and IT specialists has never been bigger. And a trend that we’ve seen with our clients over the past couple of years is expanding their teams through a nearshore staffing model.
Yes, building a multinational remote team from scratch can be a challenge, but you’ll get to success with the right support and guidance. 2020 changed how businesses operate; companies are still navigating the new world of work to optimize their daily operations and face the IT talent shortage while keeping the business running.
Companies need a tech partner to support their growth, help them achieve their goals, and scale their teams under a cost-effective solution. Intersog delivers high-performance and agile team staffing solutions that help businesses be more successful through a nearshore model.