A Guide for Non-technical Founders to Hire the Right Talent Each Time
Looking to outsource your Ruby on Rails team but not sure where to begin? Let me walk you through a step-by-step guide to finding the perfect talent for your business.
Ruby on Rails is a versatile framework that lets developers build pretty much anything and everything under the sun. The intent was to have an easy-to-use programming language that had the capabilities to build a full-stack application without any hassle.
This framework was created by David Heinemeier Hansson in 2004 who used it to develop 37 Signals a web design company that has transitioned into a software company that makes innovative digital products.
A Ruby on Rails developer's responsibilities vary depending on the kind of business they are developing for.
Building an e-commerce store for your small business is not the same as setting up APIs for CRM integration.
Not every business needs to outsource talent. Sometimes businesses can fulfill their project needs internally without having to worry about hiring talent from outside.
If you have a complex project, budgetary challenges, or are looking for niche talent outsourcing can be a good option for your business.
Outline the core reasons why you are considering this decision before you decide to go ahead with it.
For smaller businesses and agencies it is better to take on a partner who can give you one-on-one attention and customize your project needs at hand.
Most offshore agencies have a set service and pricing that they offer and have a tendency to prioritize their enterprise-level businesses over small-size businesses.
You need to ensure your partner understands your project-specific needs and gives you the time and attention you need to fulfill your hiring goals.
Close to 60% of businesses outsource as a means to reduce high labour costs.
While this is a promising statistic and may attract many businesses into hiring from other countries; making decisions solely based on cost factors is a terrible idea.
Many offshore agencies will lure you with the promise of extremely low costs for high-quality labor which is always too good to be true.
So instead, look for experienced developers who match your budgetary needs. Don't try to find the cheapest deal cause it won't be cheap in the long run.
There are many benefits of outsourcing talent from other countries. But one thing that founders and hiring managers need to keep in mind is that while outsourcing is a low investment in costs it can be a high investment in time depending on the kind of offshoring partner you work with.
You need to be willing to invest time in building a communication process that works for your outsource and internal team.
Working in a different timezone as your team can be a barrier for some businesses. So be ready to be more flexible with the way you run your team.
Finding the right hiring partner can take weeks, if not months. Try not to start the hiring process right before your project begins.
If there is an urgent hiring requirement, there are a few offshoring agencies that specialize in finding niche talent with their vetted pool of existing talent.
There have been many instances where founders get caught up with their project and just don't have time to hire someone.
This leads them to onboard talent who don't fit the bill. This can be detrimental to the final output of your project. Be sure to plan before you begin your work on your project.
1. Access to specialized global talent
2. Low costs of hiring talent for the same quality
3. Divert resources to core business functions
4. Work on multiple projects with an outsourced team
1. Difficult to find the right outsourcing partner
2. High investment in time
3. Communication and timezone can be a potential barrier
4. Finding experienced developers who can produce good work.
1. Have already worked with the talent on projects.
2. Saving on hiring and training new talent.
3. Already knows the process of working in the team.
4. Lower employer turnover rates
1. Extremely high labour costs
2. Internal team maybe ill-equipped in performing specialized tasks.
3. Not enough manpower internally to handle complex projects.
4. Lack of efficiency as all resources are being spent on one project.
If you are an agency or business owner flirting with the idea of outsourcing you must be confused by the endless options available in the market. Searching on Google isn't any better because all the results just show other offshoring companies shouting, Pick me! Pick me! at you. So what should you do instead?
First things first. Make your life easy by partnering with an outsourcing company. Yes, I know it seems like I'm doing exactly what the search results are suggesting, but hear me out.
There are endless options out there for outsourcing right now. Each day more and more people from more and more countries are offering their services in every single framework under the sun.
For you to find the right Ruby on Rails talent in a massive global market is going to be extremely challenging. You are looking at sifting through thousands of resumes and conducting endless interviews without a clue about the job market and skill level of the talent in your chosen country.
To add to that, you have to then figure out their contracts, payroll, local compliance laws, IP, and data protection, all of which you are doing while trying to figure out your complex project needs.
Sounds stressful. Let's relieve some of that stress. Use this checklist to find your next outsourcing partner.
As a new business or even a business that is fairly set up, managing costs can be a real challenge.There are core business functions to look after while also taking care of overhead and internal costs.
Amongst all of this, hiring a specialized developer can be a real burden. As a business owner, you want to develop the best platform, but at what cost?
At present, in the UK the average salary of a Ruby on Rails developer is anywhere between € 50K - €90K/yr. The same is true for a developer in the USA, which is $130k - 150k/yr.In contrast, a developer with the same experience level and skill set can be hired.In India for:
In Mexico for:
In Ukraine for:
The options are endless if you look close enough.
Say cost is not a factor for your business, and you have surplus resources to spend on good talent. Finding good local talent has become a real challenge in the last few years. Especially when it comes to specialized talent.
84% of businesses in the UK are experiencing a skill gap issue when it comes to hiring tech talent.
Due to this, 4 out of 5 businesses are struggling to hire proper talent for their businesses.Reasons for this shortage have been due to the fast-paced emergence of new and advanced technology, increased global tech competition, and a lack of technical education or training available.
Things aren’t any better in the US.By 2025, according to a market research company, IDC, there will be a 4 million developer shortage.
So now you've picked a good outsourcing partner who found you the right talent. Time to onboard your developers.
Businesses all over the world have remote working environments and function without any hassle. However, outsourcing talent from a different country brings in new challenges. Here are some things to keep in order to manage your team well.
Create a process to work autonomously with your remote team. Communication doesn't always mean having daily meetings with your development team. It means learning the art of communicating your project needs with clarity so there isn't much need for back and forth between you and the team.
The more efficient you are in your communication process, the easier it is to function as a remote team. The same goes for your team. Establish how you want them to communicate task needs early on so you aren't wracking your brain about it later on.
Some companies have local consultants to train and check in with the teams so it removes some of the burden of regularly having to keep tabs on your team's daily progress.
When you are hiring from a different country, you are hiring them for their skill and quality, but with that comes a lot of new experiences.
Their way of working and understanding of terminologies and perspectives may differ. The best way to approach it is through curiosity and open-mindedness. Know that there may be an initial barrier in understanding where your new team fits into your company's current working system.
But if you get to know your talent, ask questions with empathy, and ensure they get the job done, you are going to be happier with the end results in the long run.
Probably the most common question when it comes to outsourcing is, What about the time zone? If your tech team is working 8+ hours behind you, it can be extremely challenging to relay new changes and communicate urgent project requirements.
This is why it is suggested to always select talent from locations that are 3-4 hours away from your company base. That way your team can be working for a few hours at the same time as you.
Create a documentation process of KPIs and specific weekly targeted goals that you expect your team to achieve. Communicate the kind of quality and output you are looking for in the development team.
Keep track of the development process of each of the tasks to ensure that the team is able to meet your standards according to the given timeline.
Documentation is key here, as it helps you as a founder to identify problems and determine based on output if the talent you are hiring is providing value to your project. Tracking small successes can help you better estimate your long-term output.
If you are a non-technical founder, chances are you won't understand in detail the kind of code your talent is writing or whether they are following the right best practices and prioritizing quality over fulfilling tasks quickly.
If you have the budget, consider hiring a local consultant or a senior developer from your team to regularly review the code to ensure it is up to the standards.
Some developers think in silos and write code to fulfill the task requirement instead of building code that can be maintained long-term.
We've spoken a lot about what you should look for when hiring good talent. The potential barriers and opportunities that come with outsourcing.
But an essential part of outsourcing that's overlooked is relationship building. While outsourcing can be short-term, it is important to build a good foundational relationship with the team you are hiring. By making them part of your team, your talent is more likely to be invested in your project.
Try to involve them in core decisions where it makes sense. The idea is to have skilled talent that you enjoy working with. Ensure that you create a space where your talent can thrive.
Now that you know everything about outsourcing ruby on rails talent, I hope that you can find the right partner to help you get the best talent who will take your project to the next level.
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