How to Find and Retain Remote Devs in Latin America

It’s no secret that software developers have become key assets to practically every industry in the world. This has led to a wider pool of opportunities for these professionals, which can make finding and retaining the best tech talent quite a feat.

Keeping turnover rates under control while fighting talent shortage issues has become the ultimate goal.  In this context, software companies need to keep up with motivation and constantly offer new benefits in an ever-changing industry. 

One of the biggest trends nowadays for developers is working from home (or anywhere in the world!). Everybody wants to get on board with the remote modality and enjoy all of its perks (and Latin America is no exception), but having the right mindset is key to a successful remote experience. 

As a remote-first company, at Nearsure we have come across a huge challenge: how to hold on to remote talent while keeping the team compromised and motivated. After going through this experience and having learned a lot from it (right now we have devs working from 7 different countries!), we recommend following these key tips: 

1. Establish a clear and thorough vetting process for remote workers

Finding the talent that best suits your needs, while also ensuring that they are fit to work remotely in an effective way, you will need an exhaustive vetting process. Remote workers don’t have the opportunity to meet potential employers face to face, and because of that, they cannot be assessed in the same way.  Every step in the process needs to be carefully developed.

Therefore we have established a six-step recruitment process where we evaluate not only the candidate’s technical expertise but also their soft skills, the suitability of their surroundings for remote work, broadband quality, alignment with our company culture, etc.

By creating a thorough process to follow, it’s easier to identify candidates with the specific traits you want in your collaborators (especially if the job is remote), while also making sure the recruitment process is consistent and transparent.

It’s important to include an assessment of the dev’s knowledge, as well as a coding test, where you can measure his or her technical skills and level of expertise.

2. Make sure they are aligned with the company culture

Ensuring that all collaborators embody and uphold the values of a company has to be a priority for any business. They are the ones that enforce these values on a daily basis, whether among themselves or with clients. As a company, at Nearsure, we value integrity, honesty, respect, self-management, teamwork, responsibility, and commitment, as well as our remote-first approach, which is why we look for candidates that represent them.

Not having individuals that share and enforce the company’s values can lead to lower employee engagement and higher turnover rates. By sharing your values with the candidates and making sure they possess such traits, you lower the risk of incompatibility and eventually losing that individual to another company he or she feels more in tune with.

Creating a strong company culture being fully-distributed is quite a challenge but luckily we can rely on our expert People Care team that is constantly looking for new ways to make us bond. 

3. Look for remote devs in unexpected places

Talented remote software developers can be found in all sorts of places, even in some that you probably haven’t considered. The most common countries where companies look to when looking for tech talent are Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia or Chile. Yet, there are certain untapped countries such as Bolivia, where connectivity, tech hubs, and software development have grown significantly in the last few years, and where IT degrees and masters are becoming increasingly more popular among locals.

4. Keep an open channel of communication

To retain employees, companies need to know how each individual is up to, keep close attention to the work they are doing, how they are feeling throughout each project, etc. By doing this, you can know right away if a collaborator is not engaged, lacks motivation or is thinking about leaving. 

To make sure our employees feel supported and cared for, while also making sure they are performing their tasks accordingly, we assign a dedicated Account Manager. This person is the liaison between the developer and the client and is in charge of the new team member’s well-being. 

5. Create a good benefits package

Benefits packages are extremely effective at attracting candidates. In fact, according to recent studies, approximately 60% of professionals consider benefits as a major factor when considering job offers. 

In terms of retention, it’s also a powerful incentive, since most surveys also indicate that 80% of employees would prefer additional perks over a pay raise, and is key to helping them assess long-term potential in a company.

Whether you offer flexible hours, health coverage, comprehensive vacation, paid time off and sick day policies, gym membership, etc., these benefits are a great way to also reduce turnover rates and differentiate your company from its competitors. It’s an investment in your collaborators and one that directly impacts their happiness and engagement level.

It can also be a good idea to find out what motivates them to add other benefits to the package. By conducting surveys on the company among employees as well as regular meetings one-on-one you can quickly discover where their mind is and if they are looking for something more.

6. Provide growth opportunities

To help retain developers, you need to give them room to grow. Whether it is by providing coding courses to expand their coding skills or conferences where they can learn about new trends, growth opportunities generate engagement. By investing in them, companies can show they want their devs to continue to develop professionally and they can improve what they bring to the table.

Finding the right candidates and ensuring they are satisfied with their job, doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated, but it does require time and resources. Consider our recommendations and start building a solid remote team today!