In-house vs Outsourcing Developer Hiring

Last updated on February 27th, 2024 at 08:29 am

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Hiring In-house vs Outsourcing Developers: What Should You Pick?

By May 13, 2022 6 min read

What is the difference between hiring in-house and outsourcing? Who is winning the in-house vs outsourcing battle? Why is outsourcing better than in-house hiring? What are some examples of outsourcing? What are the benefits of outsourcing? Why should a company outsource IT services? 

Looking for answers to these questions? Keep reading!

Introduction

Every software development team worries about extra workload. Why? Because it’s difficult to instantly find the right talent without creating financial strain on the company. As a result, many businesses switch to outsourcing.

According to Worldwide Newswire, the global IT outsourcing market will be worth $425.19 billion by 2026. 

Shorter time to market, a better price-quality ratio, and fewer hiring headaches are a few reasons that have made outsourcing a viable alternative to in-house hiring. But, in-house hiring also has its advantages. 

So, who is winning the in-house vs outsourcing battle? Let’s find out. 

In-house development team

In-house Hiring

In-house vs Outsourcing: In-house Hiring

An in-house team comprises individuals who work in an office or in a hybrid environment. The in-house employees use the company’s established resources to perform tasks or achieve a work objectives.

Related post: Ten Practical Tips for Hiring Top Talent for Your Company

Benefits of in-house development teams

To understand the difference between in-house vs outsourcing, let’s look at the benefits of in-house teams:

  • On-site availability: Managers can easily communicate with their in-house developers and receive rapid responses to their questions. 
  • Awareness of the business: In-house software developers know what it takes to run your company successfully as they get direct exposure to company culture and c-suite executives.  
  • Good knowledge of the available resources: In-house employees have a thorough understanding of your systems and configuration, allowing them to work efficiently.

Disadvantages of in-house development teams

To understand the difference between in-house vs outsourcing, here are the disadvantages of in-house teams:

  • High expenses: The in-house employee hiring process requires a substantial investment. In addition, as a company grows, employers may need to equip each new employee’s workspace or even rent or buy a new office. 
  • Absenteeism: In-house employees may take frequent leaves due to personal reasons. And this absenteeism can jeopardize project timelines. 
  • Low retention rates: In-house employees may switch jobs due to the attractive incentives offered by competitors.

How to hire an in-house development team?

  • Prioritize your vision for hiring: Ask yourself three questions: 
    • Are you hiring for the long term?
    • Do you have enough budget to hire and retain employees?
    • How much would you be involved in the hiring process? 

Answering these questions will cement your vision for hiring and help you move forward in the hiring process. 

  • Filter the candidates based on skills and experience: An in-house developer or team must have the necessary skills and expertise to build your product. They should know the complete technology stack for the application under development and how that stack interacts with other technologies. So look for candidates with relevant experience by analyzing their resumes and previous projects. 
  • Perform thorough tests and interviews: Make sure you pick someone who already has the skills you need for your project and complements the other members of your team. 

Here are a few questions to ask your potential candidates: 

  • Which programming languages do you know? 
  • What’s your forte? 
  • Are you capable of setting and meeting deadlines? If yes, how?
  • Do you intend to work alone or with others? 
  • Which do you prefer: Front-end or back-end development? What is your level of expertise in both?

Where to look for in-house developers?

  • Recruiting websites
    Online job boards will directly connect you with your target audience. Some specialized job boards receive fewer applications but more qualified developers than mainstream job boards. 

  • Technology events
    The focus of tech events is mostly on a specific technology or a programming language. And so, these events can be a great way to find talented developers.

  • Hackathons
    Hackathons are the ideal option for anybody looking to hire developers for their startups. A hackathon brings together software developers to collaborate on new software and applications. Many hackathons focus on specific technologies, such as Python frameworks or data mining.

  • Universities
    Last but least, you may find great candidates through campus placements. However, look for developers at universities only if you are comfortable hiring junior developers with little to no experience.  

Outsourcing development teams

Outsourcing

In-house vs Outsourcing: Outsourcing

Outsourcing is hiring a non-affiliated third party to carry out specific tasks for a company or individual. Outsourcing uses the established staff and resources of an external business to complete activities and produce results. 

The primary motivation for outsourcing is to reduce costs and avoid leg work. 

Benefits of outsourcing development teams

To understand the difference between in-house vs outsourcing, let’s take a look at the benefits of outsourcing development teams:

  • Access to a larger talent pool: Outsourcing gives access to a large talent pool of developers with a variety of skills and work experience. You can hire outsourcing candidates remotely or in a hybrid setup. 
  • Focus on core functions: You can delegate part of your tasks to the outsourced team and devote more time and resources to key business priorities. Outsourced developers work as an extension of your team, providing additional expertise to handle all aspects of a project.
  • Cost-effectiveness: A dedicated outsourcing team can save a lot of money as opposed to an in-house team. You won’t have to conduct interviews, pay top in-house professionals heavy salaries, or furnish workplaces. You can pay the agreed-upon hourly rate or the total project cost and be rest assured of the work. 
  • Flexibility: It takes time to build an in-house team. However, outsourcing will help you get talent faster.
  • Faster project delivery: There are many software development outsourcing firms that can handle various projects of different sizes and deliver faster results than in-house developers. 

Disadvantages of outsourcing development teams

To understand the difference between in-house vs outsourcing, let’s take a look at the disadvantages of outsourcing teams:

  • Communication issues: Outsourced teams may not always get the hang of the project. This lack of clarity may result in stress among managerial team members and project delays in the initial days.  
  • Time zone difference: Time zone differences may create communication delays and push the work timelines unnecessarily. 
  • Problems with quality: The output of outsourced teams may not match expectations due to communication and time zone gaps. 

Both in-house hiring and outsourcing pose many challenges. And companies need to put great efforts into tackling these challenges. 

Companies can hire efficiently using the right hiring tools. For example, AI-powered application tracking systems can speed up the screening process. Automation tools can streamline emails and schedule interviews. Online assessment platforms can standardize the vetting process. Online human resource management platforms can track employee performance and many more. 

However, utilizing these tools can be difficult. And this is where Turing comes in.  

Turing’s AI-backed Intelligent Talent Cloud helps companies source, vet, match, and manage the world’s best software developers remotely. Turing has a talent pool of 1.5 Million+ developers from 150+ countries.

Related post: 8 Ways Hiring Managers Can Include Automation in Their Hiring Process

How to outsource a team?

  • Advertise your requirements or reach out directly: Post your needs on LinkedIn or search for software development companies on Google. You will find plenty of replies and results. State your requirements and set up a meeting. 
  • Ask for client references and samples: Request feedback from previous and present clients on the range and quality of services they received and any issues faced throughout the association.
  • Establish experience and technical expertise: To establish an outsourcing vendor’s experience level, ask how many projects they have completed and how challenging they were. Your outsourcing partner should be accredited in key areas of your interest, such as your application’s technology or the cloud on which it is hosted. 
  • Inspect communication systems: If you and your outsourcing provider work in different time zones, your provider must ensure that your working hours overlap to avoid mismanagement. Finalize a single interface like Slack for streamlined communication. 
  • Examine the infrastructure and technology: A tech-enabled service provider will better support your company’s needs. 
  • Evaluate the workforce: Assess their employment policies and processes to ensure that they have the knowledge, discipline, technical skills, and soft skills your business requires.

Where to look for outsourcing teams?

  • Review outsourcing websites

    Professional social networking sites act as an online marketplace for the top developers and coders. LinkedIn, AngelList, MeetUp, Hired, and Xing are some of the most popular platforms for finding freelance software developers.
  • Open source coding platforms

    Many companies identify and employ developers and development teams via open-source platforms like GitHub, tech blogs, and even referrals from their peers. You can also follow similar suite to look for suitable outsourcing teams. 

 

So, which one do you prefer between in-house hiring vs outsourcing? 

It’s not a question of one size fits all when deciding between an in-house team and outsourcing. For established businesses with fixed employment needs, an in-house staff is ideal. On the other hand, outsourcing is great for expanding businesses that need to scale swiftly without breaking the budget. 

If you decide to outsource software development, consider Turing.com. 

You can hire senior pre-vetted remote developers with strong technical and communication skills at unbeatable prices.


FAQs

  • What is the difference between in-house and outsourcing?
    Outsourcing is assigning specific work to an outside person or group that is not linked with the company. On the other hand, in-house hiring is carried out within the organization. 

 

  • Which is better: outsourcing or insourcing?
    While insourcing has its perks, outsourcing is a terrific way to cut costs in the long term. Outsourcing firms can scale more efficiently than insourcing because they possess plenty of resources.

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Summary
In-House vs Outsourcing: Which Hiring Process Is Better?
Article Name
In-House vs Outsourcing: Which Hiring Process Is Better?
Description
In-house vs Outsourcing: In-house hiring is good for established businesses. Outsourcing is great for businesses that need to scale swiftly and save development costs.
Author

Author

  • Ankit Sahu

    Ankit is a writer and editor who has contributed his expertise to Govt of India, Reebok, Abbott, TimesPro, Chitale Bandhu, InsideAIML, Kolte Patil Dev., etc.

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