Building an offshore team can be a strategic decision for many companies looking to expand their operations or reduce costs. If you’re here, it’s obvious that you’re considering this option for your business.
There are several options when it comes to building an offshore team.
The first option is to simply add new offshore professionals to your team by posting a job online and following a regular selection process. This can be a cost effective and easy way to build your team as you have full control over the hiring process and can select candidates that meet your specific requirements.
The second option is to use a specialist recruitment agency. These agencies have expertise in recruiting and managing offshore teams and can help you find the right professionals for your business. They can also assist with administrative tasks and help with cultural differences and communication challenges that may arise when working with an offshore team.
Ultimately, the best option for building an offshore team depends on your specific needs and resources. Whether you choose to handle the process internally or work with a specialized agency, building an offshore team can be a valuable investment for your business in terms of expanding your capabilities, accessing new talent, and increasing efficiency.
Let’s take a closer look at both options so you can make an informed decision and get started with this staffing process.
Do your own recruiting
Doing your own recruiting comes with its own set of challenges.
The first and most obvious one is deciding which country you want to recruit from. Singapore or India are very common, but you need to consider time differences, cultural differences, language barriers, internet connectivity, etc. At Superior CS Group, we tend to recruit offshore from Latin America, but this decision will depend on your business needs.
Then, of course, you need to write a clear definition of the roles, responsibilities and goals for this new employee. You need to include the tools, knowledge and background they will need to be successful.
And you need to post your job offer on several sites: Glassdoor, UpWork, LinkedIn… Whatever you think is best!
But now the real work begins: interviewing and screening candidates. You should focus on learning about their past experience, time commitment, skills, and tools.
Take the time to get to know them and ask challenging questions. You need to understand:
- How they work in a remote environment during stressful times.
- Their commitment to deadlines and accountability.
You should start filtering candidates during the interview process. Pay close attention to their Internet connection, availability, disposition, and language skills. Select those who better match your company culture and values.
Once you have 3 candidates, you should choose the one who meets all of your organization’s requirements and has a rapport with you.
Work with an offshore recruitment agency
The other option is to work with experts who screen, interview and hire offshore workers. While some agencies charge a recruitment fee, others like Superior CS Group don’t.
Basically, your job is to choose the right agency for you, and you can do this by
- Asking colleagues and other organizations in your industry for referrals.
- Searching for offshore staffing agencies on Google
- Working with us 🙂
Whatever you decide to do, just make sure that you choose an agency that has a large network of potential employers, has a good screening and interviewing process, and presents only top candidates for you to do a second round of interviews and select the one that best fits your organization.
It is important to find one that not only helps with the recruitment process, but also handles other important aspects such as payroll, onboarding, and employee monitoring. This can help streamline the hiring process and ensure that all administrative tasks are handled efficiently.
In addition, it is critical to find a staffing agency that can quickly replace an employee who does not meet expectations. This can help minimize workflow disruptions and ensure that the team continues to function smoothly. By having a reliable agency that can quickly address any issues with underperforming employees, your company can maintain productivity and effectively achieve its goals.
At Superior CS Group, we have a 5-step hiring process that includes
- Initial Zoom Meeting to understand your business needs and requirements.
- Selection of candidates after careful consideration of their background, skills and work experience.
- Conducting specific tests to better understand their skills and ability to work with specific software.
- Presenting the results of the selection process so that you can interview the best candidates.
- Onboarding process to get everything set up to start working.
If by chance you don’t want to hire any of the candidates we present, we will continue to look for better options until we find the one that better fits your culture.
Tips for Managing an Offshore Team
As a manager, once you have decided to add offshore workers to your team, you need to prepare.
For starters, you need to pay close attention and build a strong relationship with your new offshore employees. Take the time to get to know them, introduce them to the rest of the company, and demonstrate the value of their work. Just because they are not in the office, they should not be treated any differently than anyone else.
It’s important to keep them motivated to achieve their goals. Of course, this starts with explaining to them their goals, timeframes, KPIs, etc. And you should:
- Schedule regular check-ins.
- Make quick calls just to check in, ask how they are feeling, and if they need anything to do their jobs.
- Provide regular feedback.
- Recognize their accomplishments.
And you need to monitor their performance and make any necessary adjustments. There are tools like HubStaff that can help you track their time and work. And of course, Teams, Slack, or any other collaboration tool will come in handy.
Final Thoughts
When considering adding offshore workers to your team, it’s important to realize that it can be a challenging task. There are many factors to consider, such as cultural differences, language barriers, and time zone differences. However, by enlisting the help of professionals who specialize in offshore staffing, you can make the process much smoother and faster.
These professionals have the expertise and experience to help you navigate the complexities of offshore staffing. They can help you identify your specific needs and find candidates who meet those requirements. This can save you time and effort that would otherwise be spent interviewing and screening potential candidates.
By outsourcing the recruitment process to professionals, you can focus on your core business and leave the hiring process in capable hands. This can help you streamline your operations and ensure that you are able to build a strong offshore team that will contribute to the success of your business.
Overall, working with professionals in the field of offshore staffing can help you overcome the challenges of adding offshore staff to your team and ensure that you are able to build a successful and productive team that will help your business thrive.