How often do we hear someone say “I should really just become a programmer” these days while complaining about their non-IT related jobs? The answer is: often enough. They’re referring, of course, to how in-demand software engineers are and frankly, how much they often make. It’s no secret, software development has become one of the essential fields of employment. Business and life, in general, have been steadily moving in the digital direction for decades now.
But if everyone is “dreaming” of becoming a developer nowadays, how do you find the best match for your business? Where to hunt for an engineer or a team of developers for your project that will fit your needs in terms of cost, quality, culture, work ethic, and needless to say language compatibility? Businesses have been turning to several platforms and methods of hiring, so let us look at all the pros and cons.
Suppose, in this scenario, you don’t want to limit your access to talent by geographical location and you’re looking for your best web developer anywhere in the world. There are a few places businesses turn to:
- Freelance sites like Upwork
- Recruitment agencies
- Offshore software development companies
Naturally, there are fors and againsts to every choice and some of those fors and againsts will depend on the specifics of your business, the size of your project, your end-goals etc. Some, however, are pretty universal.
1. Upwork
Upwork.com remains one of the most popular freelance platforms across the digital world today. If you need more than one software developer, you can hire individual freelancers directly, which will be a lot of work and a lot of uncertainty for you eventually; or you could hire a team of developers through an Upwork agency. This also has its pros and cons:
Pros:
Coordinated teams
You won’t need to pick the entire team by yourself, mixing and matching all the members in terms of skillset and experience.
Lower cost compared to individual hiring
If the project requires multiple levels of expertise, there is no need to overpay a senior developer for a job a junior developer could do, and the agency will take care of that.
Scoping & Scaling
The agency might have worked on a similar task and could assist with scoping the work ahead. Meanwhile, if the project needs growing or sizing down, the agency could help with adding more talent or adding/removing/improving some functionality.
Cons:
Higher risk
Agencies are usually worth hiring for bigger projects and longer-term contracts. This comes along with bigger financial responsibility and higher risk.
No direct communication
An agency will most likely assign a manager to handle the communication with the team. Sometimes important details are lost in multi-level communication. That could slow down the work or cause some unnecessary extra work that you will eventually have to pay for.
Shadow working
Sometimes agencies take advantage of lack of direct communication with the team and replace developers without notifying the client. So, a middle developer could be replaced by a junior and no one in your company will know.
General overpay
When hiring through an Upwork agency you essentially overpay twice – first for the platform, and then second, for the management of the agency you’re hiring. And that’s before you even get to pay the developers themselves.
2. Linkedin
LinkedIn is a powerful recruitment tool and an ever-expanding resource. Social media has definitely made the recruitment game easier in some aspects and for some players, but due to its ever-expanding capacity, more difficult for others.
Pros:
Networking
LinkedIn is a wonderful networking tool for specialists in particular industries. This brings the ease of research and more credibility to talents in a given professional niche.
Extended information
Social media, which LinkedIn definitely is, gives someone looking to hire a bigger insight on each candidate than a traditional resume, so if you’re hiring individually, you could look for a very specific match and actually be able to find it.
Cons:
Geo-algorithm
Despite its global nature, LinkedIn seems to still employ the algorithm that connects users based on their geographical location, thus sometimes making you take the long route towards your best match if they are across the globe. Also, how overwhelming is this pool without proper guidance?
Cost
Just to use the full set of LinkedIn’s powers, you need to pay a subscription fee. It doesn’t guarantee you’ll find the developer you’re looking for, let alone a team of them, but you’ll still have paid LinkedIn for your search attempt.
Still a Social Medium
Some might find Linkedin to be overloaded with content. The site isn’t specifically or solely directed at finding your business a new employee or a freelancer. It’s a whole ecosystem around our professional lives. It can definitely be overwhelming.
3. Recruitment agencies such as Airswift and The Select Group
In a market like today’s, your best job candidates are often those who already have a job but would consider a better one – the passive job seekers. Recruitment agencies can help you find high-quality developers. Naturally, this approach to hiring also has its pluses and minuses. A lot of them are a repeat of the ones listed for the Upwork platform.
Pros:
Speed
This is their sole purpose, to find and shortlist the best candidates for your project/business, so all the effort will be thrown at doing exactly that.
Higher Quality Professionals
Chances are, professionals from an agency will know where to look and what to flag, finding your best professional match.
Cons:
Higher costs
Just as with platforms like Upwork, you will pay an extra penny for the services.
No cultural fit guaranteed
Agencies can’t ensure creating a team of developers culturally synced up and fitting well with your business environment.
4. Offshore software development company Qubit Labs
As recent developments in the world of IT have shown, a lot of businesses have turned to offshore software development companies and the Ukraine has become one of the biggest and most important IT outsourcing hubs.
Companies like Qubit Labs help businesses anywhere in the world build offshore developer teams and cost-efficient outsourcing models for any project.
For a thorough guide on outsourcing your IT to the Ukraine you can read our How to hire web developers article; and for a more in-depth analysis of where to hire web developers and why, you need look no further than our 2020 Report.
