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.
Over the last decade, the demand for IT talent has multiplied across the world and specifically across North America. With the rise of new technologies and solutions, companies of all sizes and industries focus their HR efforts on attracting and retaining the best tech talent to support their growth.
But these new emerging technologies require particular resources to create, maintain and optimize the products and solutions. There is a high demand for specialized tech talent, and unfortunately, there’s also a skill shortage.
A study conducted during 2019 by ManpowerGroup revealed that 54% of global companies reported skills shortage; this represents the highest talent shortage in over ten years. Employers said the highest deficits in the U.S. (69%), Mexico (52%), Italy (47%), and Spain (41%). So now, more than ever, great technical talent is hard to find, competitive to hire, and expensive.
Many technology leaders believe that the challenges that this shortage brings could set the industry back. This has made companies look for alternative options to scale their engineering and development teams, filling the gaps that aren’t allowing them to be productive and deliver everything they require in time.
The nearshore opportunity
As companies of all sizes continue to expand their operations, the opportunity to work with talented engineers, developers, project managers, and IT specialists in Latin America has never been more significant. The nearshore model has become an excellent opportunity for companies to expand and grow their teams.
A Gartner study outlines why LATAM has become such an attractive place for North American companies to take their operations. The proximity, time zone compatibility, cultural similarities, and access to multilingual talent are just some of the reasons why these multinational companies are building their remote teams with Latin American talent.
What is a nearshore model?
Nearshore or nearshoring refers to outsourcing service to countries located nearby and similar time zones from the company contracting the service. For example, for the United States and Canada, it would be Mexico or other Latin American countries.
As we mentioned before, tech companies in North America have seen a great opportunity in expanding their IT teams through this model. Why? Because by being close and in a similar time zone, the communication between team members is more efficient.
Companies may feel overwhelmed by the idea of expanding their operations to a different country. But there are multiple solutions, such as staff augmentation, that can make the expansion completely painless.
What are the benefits of nearshoring?
Over the past year, we’ve learned that all organizations can move their operations to a remote work environment and have seen great success with this. Productivity has improved, employees have more flexibility in their schedules, among other things.
With this flexibility, companies feel more confident in expanding their teams through a nearshore model. Not only do they have the benefit of a remote team, but there are also additional benefits.
There’s excellent technical talent in Latin America. A Gartner study outlined why this region has become one of the most appealing options for North American companies. With the growing tech scene in countries like Mexico and Chile, there’s specialized talent emerging across the region.
There’s also the benefit of working in similar time zones. This makes the communication between teams more effective. It also helps boost productivity across the different projects that the company is working on.
Latin American neighbors also share cultural compatibility. They are in tune with social, cultural, financial, and business trends that North American businesses find value. There’s also the great advantage that there’s talent in Latin America that is proficient in speaking English, so all ideas and concepts aren’t lost in translation.
Partnering up with a nearshore neighbor brings multiple opportunities to technology companies across North America. It’s time to explore this fantastic opportunity and get to know an extraordinary talent that Latin America has to offer.