How to Hire Remote Developers

Remote work is here to stay.

73% of remote workers went fully remote in the past four years, and almost 80% of them want to keep working remotely for as long as possible. In this article, we’ll explore why and how you should hire remote developers.

If you’re looking to engage remote developers, check out our NerdHerders page to learn more about hiring top cloud talent through our platform, Nerdly. But if you’d like to learn more about how and why you should hire remote developers, read on!

Benefits of hiring remote developers

As companies across the globe shift toward remote work, let’s take a look at what advantages employers and employees gain from remote collaboration.

For employees:

• Work-life balance. Remote work eliminates commute times and lets employees enjoy more of their life outside work. Additionally, remote workers can do their job from anywhere, whether that’s a local coffee shop, a new city, or at home while running a load of laundry. When employees are happier with their lives outside of work, they show up with more energy and greater productivity to invest during working hours.
• Increased productivity. According to a global study by Statista, approximately 60% of remote software developers report that working from home has a positive impact on their productivity. Remote employees report higher satisfaction with their work and better performance due to a lack of distractions from coworkers or micromanagement in the office.
• Improved diversity and inclusion. Remote work is a huge step towards creating more inclusive work environments. Working from home hugely benefits people with physical or mental health disabilities, economic housing limitations, or primary family care responsibilities.

For employers:

• Cost reduction. Remote work helps companies cut down on operational costs. Reducing the need for office space, utilities, and other overhead expenses allows companies to dramatically cut costs. Even with a hybrid work environment, employers can save about $11,000 per employee every year.
• Reduce turnover. Companies that offer remote work see 25% less turnover than companies that require employees to be in the office. In general, employees are happier when they have the option to work from home because it cuts down on commuting and gives them flexibility. The happier employees are, the more likely they are to stick with their current employer.
• Extended talent pool. Remote work allows employers to source talent globally rather than just locally. Widening your geographic search helps you find a wider pool of diverse, experienced developers.

How to hire remote developers

Hiring remote developers takes thorough preparation. We recommend the following four steps for a seamless hiring process:

1. Set requirements
2. Find candidates
3. Schedule interviews
4. Make an offer

Let’s take a look at what each of these steps means and what you should expect throughout the process.

1. Set requirements

The first step to hiring remote developers is setting clear requirements for the role or project. Consult with your team to identify what you’re looking for in a new hire or freelancer. Describe the project or role in general, highlighting necessary key features or skills. Once you have a high level description, delve into specific areas of expertise and describe day-to-day responsibilities.

As you craft all of this information into a job description, be sure to also convey your company mission, why candidates would want to work for you, and the remote work perks you offer. To attract remote developers, consider offering an internet stipend or a home office budget.

Additionally, be sure to use inclusive language when writing your job descriptions to avoid gendered, racist, or ableist language. Being intentional about the language you use when writing a job description will help you eliminate hiring bias and pull from a larger talent pool.

2. Find candidates

Now that you’ve got your job description ready to go, it’s time to use it to attract top talent. You want to attract enough candidates that you’ll be able to narrow it down to the best fits. There are three main places where you can source talent: job ads, social media, and, for contract projects, freelance marketplaces.

To attract remote developers, you can post your job listings on remote-specific sites, such as Remote Jobs, FlexJobs, JustRemote, and We Work Remote. Job portals like Indeed and Glassdoor are also great place to attract talent, as well as the career section of your website.

Social media is another great way to find talent by reaching your broader social network. You can post job listings directly on LinkedIn, and many social media platforms have job-related groups where you can post about open positions and communicate with potential candidates.

3. Interviews

Once you have a pool of interested candidates, you’ll need to screen them before conducting interviews to assess soft skills and technical abilities. During the screening process, it’s important to account for implicit hiring bias.

You can do this by using blind hiring, which involves scrubbing resumes for details such as name, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, address, and schools. Removing this information at the screening stage helps managers focus solely on the candidate’s experience and skills as they pertain to the job.

After screening, you’ll move on to an interview to assess soft skills. With this kind of interview, you’re making sure that the candidate’s attitude and personality would be compatible with your team. This is also where HR might ask behavioral questions and determine whether the candidate’s values align with those of your organization.

Next, you’ll assess candidates with technical interviews. The primary goal of technical interviews is to determine how the candidate thinks and how they would solve problems for your team. Typically led by a senior engineer or team lead, they’ll present the interviewee with an abstract problem and ask them to break it down into concrete tasks.

4. Make an offer

Once you’ve made it through the entire interview process, you’ll find yourself with an amazing candidate who you’re ready to hire. Congrats!

When you send the official job offer, be sure to show genuine excitement about having them on the team. The more you communicate your enthusiasm and make the candidate feel wanted, the more likely they are to accept your offer.

It’s also important to give them an offer that shows you’re willing to pay them for what they’re worth and that gives them benefits in line with the market. Be sure to emphasize the remote work-specific perks that your company offers, like internet stipends or home office budgets. Finally, be ready to negotiate and hear what the candidate wants, so you can make a mutually beneficial decision.

Find qualified developers with NerdRabbit

If you’re looking for remote developers, we have you covered. Nerdly, our staffing platform powered by machine learning, can help you quickly find top developers to fill hourly, contract, and full-time positions. Sign up for your free Nerdly account today to start finding the perfect candidates to fill your remote developer needs.

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