Are you maintaining a local focus for your recruiting efforts? If so, you could be missing out on the many benefits that are associated with hiring the best person for the position regardless of their location. In fact, there’s a good chance that you’re reducing your prospective talent pool from millions to just a dozen or less. As of late 2016, there were about 12 million mobile developers worldwide, with that figure expected to rise to 14 million in 2020. However, the local developer population in any given location may be quite limited. When compared to the global population, local candidates’ collective skill set may pale by comparison.
Many erroneously believe that the added complexity of hiring someone who lives in a far-off location is not justified, especially when the talent would need to cross international borders. However, the impact of hiring a less-than-ideal candidate can be far greater. You may see a lower quality of work, poor team dynamics and time overruns.
This leads to less-satisfied customers, lower productivity levels and ultimately, significant harm to your bottom line. This can far outweigh any added time and effort it takes to recruit global talent. This is an ideal point to mention that, contrary to popular belief, the process of recruiting global talent is not necessarily more costly, nor is it inherently more time-consuming. And when you work with the right tech and IT staffing company, they’ll oversee these matters on your behalf.
H1B Visa Sponsorship, Relocation and Other Considerations When Recruiting Global Talent
When hiring staff from far-off locations whether they’re from out of state or another continent you will have additional considerations. This is particularly true if the individual is a citizen of another nation. In these cases, you’ll need to consider things like visa sponsorship and the individual’s ability to work in-country.
One of the most common U.S. work visas is the H1B visa, which requires the individual to have a company that’s willing to serve as a sponsor. The sponsor basically says, If you allow this individual to enter the country, I will employ them. The process of getting an H1B visa can be rather complex, but most companies that go this route will agree that it’s worthwhile. What’s more, many tech workers can work remotely with relative ease, so this is always an option in cases where you require help straight away, but have yet to secure a visa for your talent. Depending upon the nation, it can also be possible for the talent to enter and work in-country on a temporary basis until they secure a visa.
You’ll also need to address the issue of travel and relocation, as hiring globally entails some unique obstacles. These obstacles are in addition to all of the usual talent acquisition challenges that you can expect to encounter. In the case of hiring temporary onsite staff, it’s fairly standard for companies to foot the bill for their accommodations and travel. Companies that routinely hire temporary staff may opt to acquire condominiums or homes that can be used to accommodate talent and their immediate family members.
For a permanent (onsite) position, it’s logical that the worker may choose to relocate to your region. This can be associated with a slight delay between the individual’s hire date and their official start date something you must account for in your planning. Many companies even offer to cover some or all of the person’s relocation costs. This practice is becoming more commonplace within the tech industry, due to the high demand for tech solutions and the comparatively small talent pool. In fact, the competitive nature of the industry has prompted many companies to start offering hiring bonuses.
There’s also the matter of evaluating for cultural fit and soft skills. Cultural and language differences can pose some obstacles, so it’s important that you’re aware of any potential challenges and develop a plan to address them. This plan can include everything from team-building workshops to English lessons for those who need a bit of help with it. Often, language barriers are fairly minimal, as many learn English as a second language starting at a very young age. What’s more, immersion is one of the best methods for improving communication skills in another language. So most barriers in this area can be overcome with some basic instruction and immersion.
At first glance, it may feel as though the extra effort and added expenditures fall into the realm of less than ideal. But the bottom line is this: when you’re hiring the best person for the job, these added considerations are more than worthwhile because you see such a tremendous difference in work quality and overall productivity. So the return on investment is usually quite significant.
Recruiting the Best Possible IT Talent for the Job
One way to recruit globally is to work with IT staffing services companies like iTech. We are committed to finding and hiring the best person for the job, regardless of location. You’ll be provided with the ideal candidates individuals with talents and skill sets that can far exceed those that you might see in the best local candidate. This is especially true for companies that are located in a region that lacks a thriving tech industry. A business in Boston or the San Francisco Bay Area may have access to local talent that is amongst the best of the best. But the top programmer in or around Livingston, Montana may be only moderately skilled.
This is a scenario where it’s useful to work with a company such as iTech. We handle all aspects of the recruiting and pre-hiring process. In some cases, this can include H1B visa sponsorship if the best person for the job happens to be a citizen of another nation. Our insourcing practice is unique: We hire talent worldwide and dispatch those experts to work onsite for clients on a temporary basis. You’ll have access to resources precisely when the need arises. You’ll also have the ability to leverage your existing onsite resources as needed. That’s something you don’t get with standard outsourcing arrangements.
If you’re seeking to hire IT staff, such as temporary software developers or a team of IT professionals, iTech is ready to assist. We invite you to contact our team today to discuss your staffing needs.