Are you interested in learning about the offshoring processes you need to follow in order to hire your virtual, offshore talent? If yes, you’ve come to the right place. Here we will discuss in depth what the outsourcing process looks like and how you can use this virtual staffing process to find and hire the best team for your company. Let’s get started.
Determine your short term and long-term goals
Before any offshoring processes begin, you’ll need to determine what your goals of offshoring are. Why are you leaning towards hiring virtual staff in the first place? What short-term and long-term goals do you intend to work towards and for which these virtual staff will help?
When setting your goals for the outsourcing process:
- Vocalize the company’s core vision, purpose and values.
- Break the vision down into different stages/sub-goals.
- Forecast how long it may take to achieve each goal in your plan.
- Frame milestones that are – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, and Time-bound.
Identify your core strengths and your needs
The strategic goals and milestones you frame will give you an idea about the type of skills and strengths you need to possess. You will need to do a SWOT analysis of your business to check what resources you already have and what you lack in. This will enable you to identify if the outsourcing process is ideal for your company or not.
Usually, people choose virtual staffing processes when they want to take advantage of certain skills or services which their own internal employees don’t have. The outsourcing process is often less expensive than actually acquiring and setting up the process internally in the firm. Knowing what skills/resources you need can help you further eliminate your spending by choosing those virtual hires who will add value to your company.
Decide what processes you want to keep in-company and what you want to outsource
While it’s tempting to choose offshoring processes to plug in the gaps in the company competencies and resources, it’s important to check if that’s necessary. Some processes are entwined with the data security and reputation of the company. Keeping such sensitive processes in-house may give you better control over how things are done.
On the other hand, certain processes require employees to have specialized skills. A virtual staff member, who’s spent years honing a specific skill (for example, Alteryx), will be in a better position to add value to your task. In that case, outsourcing your requirements to an offshore company is the ideal choice for you.
One way of determining which processes to retain in-house and which to outsource is to do a cost/benefit analysis of your outsourcing process plans.
First off, check if there is an inherent cost advantage to be gained by working with a virtual staffing process. You’ll need to calculate the cost of acquiring the required technology, cost of running & maintenance/repairs, cost of replacement and depreciation (if any). There is also the cost of training people to use the technology and the cost of certifications in some cases.
Compare these costs with the benefits you receive by retaining that process in-house vs. outsourcing it. Which gives you better control? Which one is safer? Which option is more lucrative for your company? Which gives you more opportunities for higher productivity, profits, and expansion? Answering these questions can help.
Next, you should also compare the above benefits to the risk of outsourcing your work to virtual employees. The risks and benefits will help you justify whether it’s worth spending on offshoring processes or not.
Get your company ready to supporting offshoring processes
Once you determine which processes you want to outsource, it’s time to create a work environment which supports virtual, offshore employees. This involves:
- Updating your technology to support secure remote work.
- Modifying channels of communication so you can have seamless and open collaboration with virtual staff.
- Providing essential tools and services that your outsourced team needs to work for you.
- Reducing barriers to accessing processes, protocols, data, and company resources.
- Restructure job roles to fit virtual and remote working environments.
- Put in place training processes that employees can take on their own time.
Getting your company ready for offshoring processes is the first step towards making the outsourcing process a success.
Determine what type of employees you require
Next, determine what type of employees you would require for your company. For example – full-time workers or part-time employees. Other questions to consider are:
- Should the virtual team member be a generalist or do you require process specialists too?
- Do you want someone who relies on you for guidance or would you like a self-motivated and independent employee who works with minimal supervision?
- Would you want people with experience in the field in your team or are inexperienced employees welcome too?
- How much are you willing to pay for each virtual/offshore role?
- What responsibilities should each person handle on the job?
- Do you want these virtual staff only for a time-bound, one-off project or are you planning to hire them for the long term?
- Should your hires be trained in skills/technology or are you willing to train them on the job?
Once you have created a profile of the ideal candidates you want to hire as part of the virtual staffing process, it’s time to decide on other important factors.
Calculate the coverage/support time you need from virtual hire – 24/7, 12/7, 9-5/5, 2-3 hours every few days. Also, determine how flexible you want staff coverage to be – only daytime coverage, only night shift coverage, custom timings, etc.
Choose a qualified virtual staffing provider who can help you find qualified professionals
Offshoring processes can be challenging to implement, especially if you don’t have any experience. This is where it helps to work with a qualified virtual staffing provider who can make your outsourcing process a success.
At [company name], we are a highly reputed team of virtual staffing professionals. Our remote employees are renowned for their expertise in various domains and their professionalism. We can help you find and hire the most suitable virtual staff for your projects. Contact us today to begin discussions. Our contracts are affordable and perfect for start-ups and MNCs alike.
Prepare and share the job descriptions
Job descriptions are the perfect marketing for your firm and they can either inspire or push away prospective remote/offshore employees from working with you. In order to make these descriptions compelling, they should:
- Be written in a simple and easy-to-understand language, free from jargons.
- Mention the job title, the academic & professional requirements, and specific skill sets needed for this role.
- Describe your company in engaging terms. Focus on the growth opportunities available in the company, specifically in this role.
- Outline the primary responsibilities associated with this role and your expectations from the new hire.
- Share the hierarchy of the company and who the new hire’s reporting manager will be.
Your chosen outsourcing process provider will help you prepare your job descriptions. They’ll be able to fine-tune your JDs, so they look very professional and attractive to qualified talent.
Vet the shared applications
Virtual staffing providers, like us at [company name], have a large database of thousands of qualified virtual/remote employees. We shortlist professionals based on your exact specifications and share a list of applications for you to choose from. You can then vet these candidates for selection by:
- Checking for culture fit with the company
This will help you know if the new hire will be able to adjust to your company culture or not. It will also reduce the rate of attrition post-onboarding.
- Test technical knowledge
This will help you understand the level of technical competencies the candidates have and what type of technical support or training they need.
- Understand their availability
This will help you understand what type of flexibility the employees may need to ensure work-life balance and you’ll be able to choose virtual staff whose schedule is compatible with your company schedule.
- Discuss potential challenges & create solutions
This can be done during the remote interview you have with your candidates. It will allow you to iron out any differences or difficulties that may be present on either side. Additionally, you’ll be able to create a seamless way to collaborate and be productive during the job.
Negotiate the terms of contract
Once you choose your outsourced/offshore workers, it’s time to negotiate the terms of their contract with your virtual hiring company. The best part of the virtual staffing process is that you don’t have to worry about things like taxation, benefits, etc. Everything will be taken care of by the outsourcing process provider. You only have to negotiate terms such as coverage time, schedule flexibility & cost of hire, and make the payment.
Some offshoring processes also encourage trial periods too. You can try the virtual candidates out for fit and then extend the onboarding invitation to the employees of your choice.
Create opportunities for interaction between internal and external staff members
Ensuring your new outsourced processes are efficient and profitable depends on how well you remove any blockages/barriers that prevent your virtual staff from doing their best. In fact, you can empower your virtual staff to help you in the following ways:
- Implement tools for communication such as Slack, Google Meet, Skype, etc., where internal and offshore teams can both contact each other regarding their deliverables.
- Invest in collaboration tools like project management software, concept boards, file sharing tools, compliance resources databases, whiteboards, editing software, cloud storage, calendar tools, etc.
- Reduce barriers to access to data by allowing even your offshore staff access to internal databases (using role/task-based authorizations).
- Hold meetings at a time when it is easy for everyone to attend (irrespective of their time zone).
- Implement an office social networking site and encourage water cooler talk – this will improve employee relations.
- Use an anonymous suggestion box to collect feedback about company processes and improve them.
- Have training sessions where internal and remote workers can be paired to work together.
- Work with your offshoring processes provider to streamline your virtual staff hiring and onboarding.
Wrapping up
The outsourcing process can be complicated if you don’t know how it works or what you need to do. But by seeking help from a virtual staffing process provider, you’ll be able to seamlessly onboard offshore employees into your company. You can ensure they work effortlessly with your internal staff and contribute to value generation activities.
