Are You a Software Development Company Ready for International Expansion?
As a software development company, you already know software and web developers are among the most sought-after professionals in the United States. As a result, they're also expensive. There's no question that software is at the core of how almost every business operates. If there's one thing that nearly every organization needs to keep itself running, it's well-developed software. That's why many companies invest in custom solutions to help them streamline processes and improve day-to-day operations. And yet, you need several professionals who can help build an app or any other software necessary to run and expand your business. What do you do?
An Easy Answer?
The easy answer is to hire developers from overseas. In the USA, software developer salary levels continue to increase as companies offer higher salaries to gain more tech talents.
In 2020, average salaries for top engineering roles went up by 5% in the S.F. Bay Area, 3% in New York, 7% in Toronto, and 6% in London, continuing to grow despite the massive economic downturn and an overall drop in hiring demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
With these numbers in mind at Bydrec, we've put together five considerations when deciding to hire developers from another country:
1) Should You Set Up a Central Office Overseas or Manage a Distributed Team?
When you're deciding to hire overseas, one of the first decisions you need to make is whether you're going to hire developers working together in a central office or whether they'll work remotely. Although many companies tend to view freelance relationships as project-based, hiring developers requires a long-term vision. Even once the project is completed, you'll need bug fixes, new features, and attention to the changing roadmap.
Consider hiring short-term developers with long-term possibilities in mind. In other words, every developer you hire should be ready and willing to continue working with your organization in the future. Otherwise, you risk having to bring in somebody new for every project, in turn wasting resources on the search process and getting them up to speed.
This ongoing relationship doesn't have to be contract-based. But it should include an understanding between everyone involved; if the relationship works out, the team keeps working together. The benefits of finding an overseas developer whom you can count on moving forward can be immense. Long-term relationship building is a cornerstone of how we do business and one we recommend to our clients.
2) Where to Hire Developers For a Distributed Team
A significant benefit of hiring a developer overseas is cost savings. Hiring a full-time skilled developer 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 command upwards of $150 per hour. Compare that with the cost of outsourcing your project with a team of nearshore developers, which can come in at $50 per hour for a comparable skillset. At face value, this difference in price makes hiring from outside the U.S. a simple next step.
3) Communication is Critical
When the developer working on your app, software, or website does not sit in your office every day, communication becomes even more critical than it would otherwise. Prepare to establish an outline of open communication between the developer and anyone in your organization engaged in the development process. Regular video conference check-ins make sense. Have a clear mutual grasp of project goals and establish an early knowledge of how time zones might affect quick feedback and responses. And, of course, language nuances might need to be considered for professionals outside an English-speaking country such as Columbia, Venezuela, or Mexico.
4) Why You Should NOT Hire a Pre-Built "Team" (With Some Exceptions)
We are referring to hiring a company with several developers to handle an entire project for you. This can be a terrible decision if the technology they're building is central to your company. If you hire a pre-built team, there's often an inherent conflict of interest. Theirs is to do the minimum work necessary to maintain you as a client while searching for more clients and more revenue. Your primary interest is to get the best possible development team that you can, and you want your hires to be dedicated to you and you only. The challenge is that the developers work for their direct employer. Since you haven't hired them directly, they're not essentially loyal to you.
The exception is where you have a defined project and where the technology is not the core of your business. In this case, it's OK to outsource it to a person or a team (perhaps at a fixed price) to get it done.
5) Paying Your Remote Staff
If you're hiring people directly, you'll need to figure out how to pay them. It's not that difficult, and there are options to pay people in any location worldwide, including working with a third party such as Bydrec. Some developers already know the hoops they have to jump through to work with clients in the United States. Others, however, don't. It's your responsibility to ensure everything is above board, so be sure to avoid exposing your company or your developers to potential legal issues.
Finally, it's well known that in Silicon Valley, there is perpetual talk about the shortage of good developers and the war for talent. When you have Google, Apple, Microsoft, and hundreds of other companies competing for the same talent, it's a highly competitive market. If you broaden your horizons and consider hiring from a developers hub such as Latin America, your chances of finding fantastic talent are much higher.
Talk to an International Software Development Company
We hope you found this article helpful in allaying any fears about hiring outside the U.S. Because, at Bydrec, we focus on matching proficient and experienced developers who can help you reach the best results for your software development projects. We work in several nearshore countries. Whether it's a mobile app or an enterprise desktop software project, we can provide the resources you need to get the job done on time without compromising quality.
You can easily reach one of the team by contacting us via Phone: (866) 219-7733 or Email: info@bydrec.com
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