Many things have changed radically over the past year in the software and technology industry as the pandemic made most jobs remote. While the distributed tech teams have been around for a while, the past year put the spotlight on them.
There has been an increase in the remote workforce and growth to hire distributed tech teams over the past few years. 69% of organizations have at least one member in a team working remotely.
You may be wondering what exactly is a distributed tech team. As the name suggests, the team is distributed geographically. Even the team members who work closely with each other are not in the same location. They collaborate online via various apps.
A distributed team is not the same as providing a work-from-home option to your employees. In a distributed team, some team members may work in an office while some others work from home or another office.
Since the team is not meeting each other daily, it becomes crucial that you hire the right software developer. At first, it seems like a daunting task to hire distributed tech team. However, these tips and pointers will make the process easier for you.
Fine Tune Your Job Description And Skills
The first step is to narrow down and fine-tune your requirements. What do you expect from the developer? What skills should they have? Speak to the team members and management to get a clear picture of their requirements.
When you are hiring someone for a remote job, they are not limited by geography. You will get a vast number of applications. If you provide a clear list of skills that the software developer must have, then only people with those skills will apply.
It will make the rest of the hiring process smoother as you only have to sort through a relevant list of candidates. Make sure that you mention must-have and nice-to-have skills separately.
You should also mention the personality traits that you look for in potential hires and your working hours. All of this will ensure that those who find your working hours acceptable will apply for the job.
Choose the Right Platform for Remote Developer Jobs
There are many platforms that you can use to post remote developer jobs in India or any other country. However, choosing the correct platform is crucial to finding the right candidate to hire distributed tech team.
The key point to remember is to post on sites that are specific to remote software developers, such as Supersourcing. When you post on general job search sites, your posting may not reach the right candidates, and it may get lost among all the other job postings for regular office jobs.
When you post on a platform such as Supersourcing, there is a higher chance that you will find the right candidate for remote jobs.
1. Conduct Video Interview to Hire Distributed Tech Team
You may never meet the distributed team member in person. In such cases, conducting video interviews is an absolute must. The foremost reason is that it ensures that you are speaking to a genuine candidate.
In addition to this, you can learn a lot about a candidate by the way they carry themselves through an interview. A video interview with the software developer also gives you a chance to assess their communication skills.
When it comes to distributed teams, communication skills are paramount. While technical skills are important, they can only get you so far. The candidate will have to convey their ideas over a call or email to their team members. Use the video interview to assess how well they can do this.
2. Assess Their Skills
A candidate for the remote job may state that they are proficient in certain languages and tools, but the onus is on you to test their knowledge and determine if they are well-versed enough for you to hire them.
For example, if you are in urgent need of a Python developer, then you need someone who can handle complex projects in Python. You can give them one or two assignments to test their skills. Answering theory questions in an interview and actually being able to code well are two different things.
Since you are open to hiring distributed tech teams, you should also check if their personality is the right fit. This includes testing their communication skills, self-motivation, personal drive, ability to collaborate, time management, etc. To do so, you can ask them how they would respond in various scenarios. The answer should help you judge whether they are the right fit or not.
3. Involve the Team in the Hiring
When you are hiring a new member for an existing team, then it is a good idea to involve the team in the hiring process. After all, they are the ones who have to work with the potential hire, and they will be the best judge of whether or not a candidate fits well with the dynamics of the team.
You can ask one or two team members to conduct the interviews after you shortlist the most promising candidates. A good team dynamic is crucial in a distributed team.
While your job posting for remote developer jobs in India or other countries may list all the soft skills and technical skills that you are looking for. Still, it is hard to judge someone’s personality by their resume. When the team members interact with the candidate on a one-on-one basis, they will get a better idea if the candidate is the right fit or not.
Doing this can also relieve you of a lot of headaches at a later stage if it turns out that despite the stellar technical skills, the person you hired is unable to work with the team.
4. Conduct Thorough Background Check
Background checks are a must for all hires, but they assume further importance in the case of a distributed team. Since the team members may be located far away, you need to ensure that all their credentials hold up.
If they have prior work experience, then you can ask for references and contact them to get their opinion on the candidate.
Conclusion
Distributed teams are the future. The pandemic may have forced the situation a little earlier than expected, but the trend is here to stay. Hiring a distributed tech team gives you access to a wider talent pool and reduces your overhead costs.
Keeping the points mentioned above in mind while selecting your software developer will ensure that you have a dream team on your hands who can help you achieve your vision for the projects at hand.
