The demand for nearshore software developers among U.S. businesses has been consistently high and is expected to continue growing, highlighting the increasing importance of recruiting nearshore developers effectively. This trend is driven by the need for businesses across all industries to innovate, improve efficiency, and stay ahead of the competition. However, this surge in demand has also led to a shortage of competent software developers, making the task of recruiting nearshore developers more challenging for companies looking to find the technical expertise they need.
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Contact Us Today!As such, businesses are outsourcing software development to nearshore developers for various reasons – to save money, access a larger talent pool, tap into fresh perspectives, accelerate the development process, and free up internal resources to concentrate on the business’s core competencies and strategic initiatives.
But with an expansive talent pool of nearshore software developers flourishing in Latin America, choosing the right nearshore software development company or team is not easy. Recruiting an agile dev team is a challenging task that requires attention to detail and a solid understanding of the industry. Many hiring managers make mistakes that can lead to poor hires and negatively impact the company’s reputation, productivity, and bottom line.
Hence, we decided to compile a list of the most common mistakes in recruiting nearshore software developers, with tips on how to avoid or overcome them.
Mistake #1: Hiring an inexperienced and unreliable developers
Hiring and onboarding an inexperienced and unreliable nearshore developer on your team can be a waste of resources. While it might be a quicker and cheaper option, selecting a candidate who is inappropriate for the position or the team is a risky investment that doesn’t ensure long-term success. Novice developers may lack the technical and problem-solving skills to deliver high-quality work. They may also struggle to adapt to new technologies and work effectively in an agile nearshore team, which may lead to poor performance, bad morale, and even project failure.
Solution:
Software development is a complex and dynamic field that requires extensive knowledge and experience. If you want your business to succeed, you need to conduct comprehensive technical assessments to avoid hiring inexperienced nearshore developers. Thoroughly review their past work to gauge the candidates’ skills and knowledge and investigate how long it takes to provide the final product. Additionally, consider working with a nearshore software development company like Next Idea Tech that specializes in building world-class engineering teams of seasoned nearshore developers.
Recommended Tools
- LinkedIn: For background checks and verifying work history.
- GitHub: To review candidates’ coding samples and past projects.
- CodeSignal or HackerRank: For technical assessments and coding tests.
Mistake #2: Relying too much on credentials and certifications
Focusing too much on resumes, degrees, and certifications can be a critical hiring error because these may not always reflect a candidate’s true abilities. Resumes can be misleading, and having a degree or certification in a relevant field may not accurately indicate a candidate’s practical experience or skill level. In software development, problem-solving skills and experience often hold more weight than formal education and credentials.
Relying solely on credentials and certifications in your hiring process can overlook valuable skills, practical experience, and creativity. Effective coding and problem-solving often go beyond formal qualifications, so a holistic approach to assessing candidates is crucial for building strong, innovative teams.
Solution:
When making hiring decisions at Next Idea Tech, our initial criteria are a small number of technical requirements: specific technologies, languages, and expertise. But for the broader pool of candidates who satisfy those basics, the primary focus shifts to evaluating their demonstrated attitude and aptitude.
Focus on employing practical tests, coding challenges, hands-on exercises, and in-depth interviews to evaluate candidates. The interview process at Next Idea Tech, for instance, consists of several stages of performance-based coding assessments to certify the candidate’s skills and ensure they are the right fit for a given role.
It’s also essential not to disregard candidates with non-traditional backgrounds who may have acquired skills through self-study or real-world experience. These individuals often bring fresh perspectives, innovative problem-solving abilities, and a capacity to adapt to new technologies swiftly.
Recommend Tools
- Coderbyte or LeetCode: For hosting coding challenges and skill assessments.
- Interview Mocha: Provides a variety of tests to assess different tech skills.
- SkillSurvey: For reference checks that go beyond credentials.
Mistake #3: Ignoring soft skills
Knowing how to code is undoubtedly a critical factor when hiring a nearshore software developer — but coding skills won’t matter if the developer can’t communicate effectively, work well in a team, lead a project, and think critically. These traits are related more to personality than skill and are essential when building a collaborative and cohesive team. Ignoring these vital skills can lead to performance, productivity, and team morale issues.
According to a recent study by Leadership IQ, which analyzed 20,000 new employees and 5,247 HR managers from 312 public, private, business, and healthcare organizations, 46% of newly hired employees left the company (or were fired) within the first 18 months. The study revealed that poor interpersonal skills are the primary reason for new hire failure, not technical skills, as is commonly believed. Many managers admitted to overlooking these flaws during the job interview process. Attitudes were responsible for 89% of hiring failures, while technical skills accounted for only 11% of hiring failures.
Solution:
Take a holistic approach when assessing candidates. To improve the results of your recruitment process, consider both technical and soft skills so as not to miss out on candidates with excellent soft skills and a proven ability to learn and adapt. Furthermore, incorporating behavioral and situational questions into your interviews can help you evaluate an individual’s soft skills and ability to work with others.
Recommend Tools
- Pymetrics: Uses AI to assess soft skills through gamified assessments.
- HireVue: Combines video interviews with AI-driven assessments for soft skills.
- Criteria Corp: Offers a range of personality and aptitude tests.
Mistake #4: Failing to create a clear hiring process
Having a well-defined hiring process is crucial as it ensures consistency, fairness, and transparency throughout the entire process. It provides a positive experience for candidates and reflects the company’s professionalism and commitment to its values.
On the other hand, failing to establish a clear hiring process can have several negative consequences, such as inconsistent candidate evaluation, hiring unsuitable developers, high turnover rates, and increased recruitment costs. Therefore, it is important to have a well-structured and defined hiring process that aligns with the company’s goals and values.
Solution:
To set up an effective process for recruiting nearshore software developers, it’s important to define the job requirements, develop a structured interview process, use technical assessments, and check references. Create a scorecard to evaluate candidates consistently enabling data-driven hiring decisions. Moreover, communicate the hiring process and timeline with candidates to maintain transparency and professionalism.
Recommended Tools
- Breezy HR or Greenhouse: For streamlining the recruitment process with clear workflows.
- Trello or Asana: Project management tools that can be adapted for tracking recruitment stages.
- GoodTime: Scheduling software to efficiently organize interviews and assessments.
Mistake #5: Not looking for social proof
In the age of social media, social proof manifests in the way we investigate people’s social media accounts, their interests, posts, followers, and checking comments from other platform users, to help us draw a conclusion on what we think about the person in question. Essentially, social proof provides a quick and easy way to check references on a candidate.
Not seeking social proof on these platforms can be a big mistake when hiring. A survey by CareerBuilder found that 60% of recruiters check candidates’ social media accounts when drawing up shortlists. As you peruse a developer’s LinkedIn or GitHub account, you should be able to get an open and “unfakeable” history of their career and achievements, hopefully, backed up by a reputable list of connections and followers.
Solution:
With the proliferation of platforms like Stackoverflow, GitLab, GitHub, Medium, LinkedIn, and blogs there are multitude of options for talented software engineers to showcase their talent. Using these channels for sourcing as well as verification of resumes can empower you much better in your search and screening for a nearshore developer.
Recommended Tools
- Stack Overflow Careers: To view candidates’ contributions and expertise in specific tech areas.
- Behance (for creative roles): To assess candidates’ portfolios and previous work.
- Glassdoor: For insights into candidates’ previous workplace behaviors and reviews.
So, what should you keep in mind when hiring nearshore software developers?
In today’s remote-first world, hiring nearshore software developers who are right for your business is a key concern for many recruiters.
With the global talent shortage for talented developers, businesses must avoid these mistakes and pitfalls. To hire the best nearshore developers, you need to have an in-depth understanding of how the IT industry operates, have an in-depth understanding of the role you’re hiring for, and have a clear hiring process in place for sourcing the best nearshore software developers.
Say Goodbye to Hiring Headaches: Recruit Nearshore Software Developers with Next Idea Tech
Are you tired of recruiting remote software developers who don’t meet your expectations? It’s time to make a change.
With Next Idea Tech, you can avoid the costly mistakes of hiring the wrong candidates and instead recruit nearshore software developers from Latin America who are committed to delivering high-quality work. We offer a unique solution to help you build a team of skilled software developers guaranteed to elevate your business to new heights.
With a rigorous selection process that includes coding challenges and behavioral interviews, we ensure you onboard software developers with outstanding technical and soft skills. Additionally, we provide continuous training programs, equipping our nearshore Latin American developers with the latest tools and technologies to stay ahead of the curve.
Don’t let hiring mistakes hold your business back. Partner with Next Idea Tech and hire top-tier nearshore software developers from LATAM today.
