Guide to Find and Hire Offshore Java Developers

There is a steep rise in remote Java developer jobs. Be it on LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter or any popular networking and hiring platforms to find and hire offshore Java developers online. There has been a monumental paradigm shift from the ‘hire Java developers near me’ mindset to finding the top Java programmers offshore. And this stands true for all the other technologies as well.

What caused this change?

There are numerous benefits of having the Java developer work remotely versus hiring Java developers to work from the office.

What are these benefits?

One of the primary benefits and reasons behind hiring Java developers remotely is the cost-benefit. You can avail experienced and certified Java developers at 1/3^rd or, at times, even lesser price when you hire Java developers from a trusted offshore Java development company. We will explore more benefits in detail in the later sections.

What is the challenge of finding and hiring Java developers offshore?

Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘finding a needle in a haystack’? Well, your ideal Java developer or Java development team is that needle in the haystack of numerous offshore Java development service providers that claim to provide the best offshore Java developers for hire. The challenges with hiring Java developers offshore include communication barriers, quality consistency, cultural differences and seamless team integration.

This was an overview of the ultimate guide to Finding and hiring offshore Java Developers, where we will explore the ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘when’ and ‘whom’ to hire when opting for offshore Java development services. Without any further ado, let’s dive right into it:

Why Hire OffShore Java Developers? Reasons to Choose Offshore Java Development Services

To start off, it is important to understand why hiring Java developers offshore is a worthy consideration. Does it provide any significant value to your project over hiring Java developers in-house? There are many key aspects as to why companies choose to hire offshore Java developers these days. Let’s understand them in greater detail:

Bridging the talent gap in your In-House Development Team

If you are an IT company with a dedicated development team, you could still need key talent profiles to work on your ongoing or upcoming project. Finding and hiring Java developers through a traditional hiring funnel for such specific and urgent profile requirements can be very time consuming, expensive, resource-intensive and inefficient.

It is very normal for companies in such a situation to leverage the services of a managed IT staffing augmentation service provider to solve any such talent gaps for short-term or long-term roles depending on the hiring requirement and dependency. Most offshore Java development companies have a range of Java developers ranging from entry-level talents to senior Java developers with expertise in different domains.

Additional Resources Needed to Speed Up Project Completion

You can get access to offshore Java developers instantly without spending much time and resources on finding and hiring them. The efficiency of any offshore Java developer service provider is measured by its ability to source and onboard remote Java programmers that match your project requirements. By extending your team with offshore Java developers, you can efficiently meet tighter deadlines.

Reduction in Overhead Costs

Overhead costs are costs involved with running a business that are not directly related to your product or service. These are the costs that a company is bound to pay irrespective of their output, including rent, utilities, office supplies, legal fees, payroll and accounting fees. When a company outsources certain aspects of their functioning to offshore development centres or remote developers, it can save significantly on overhead expenses such as office supplies, rent, payroll and accounting.

Getting Access to Top Java Programmers at Significantly Reduced Rates

The overall cost to hire offshore Java developers is significantly lower than hiring equally skilled Java developers on-site for companies in countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Germany and others. Moreover, setting up an offshore development centre is also more economical as offshore locations like India, Ukraine, and others have significantly lower operation expenses and wages than developed economies.

How to Find and Hire Offshore Java Developers? Tips to Find the Best Java Programmers

You can google top offshore Java development companies, compare a few SERP results, submit your requirements and wait for a response. However, such an approach will only attract wage, generic and pointless responses. If you follow a structured process and certain guidelines with best practices to hire offshore Java developers, you will get access to better Java developer profiles.

1. Get Clarity on your Project Requirements

Before hiring offshore Java programmers, know exactly what you need them for. Only hiring offshore talents in response to a project completion deadline without understanding their role in the process will not only waste your time and resources but also limit the potential of that developer to perform their duties to the best of their abilities.

Certain questions can help you brainstorm and identify the core objective of your Java project, which can help us find the right Java developer offshore. Here are some questions you should address:

• What is the primary goal and objective of the project that you aim to achieve by hiring offshore Java developers?
• What are the technical requirements, including programming language, framework knowledge and other technologies needed for your project?
• How would you describe the scale and scope of your project in terms of development team size, project timelines and milestones?
• Are you looking for offshore Java developers for a one-time project, or do you need them long-term?
• What are your budget constraints and upper limit when hiring offshore Java developers?

2. Find and Hire Java Developers on Various Platforms

The next step is to find Java developers on the right platform per your project requirements. You can explore Java developers for hire in many places before making your decision. Each platform and method has its advantages and limitations. Let’s compare the most popular places to find and hire offshore Java developers:

2.1 Find Java Developers on Job Platforms

Once you have a clear idea of what you are looking for in your offshore Java developer, you can find an ideal Java dev profile that matches your project needs. A good place to start is dedicated job platforms such as Upwork, Flexipi, Toptal and. These platforms are home to many freelance Java developers willing to undertake contractual projects. Hiring freelance Java developers remotely is ideal when you need them to work on a smaller module, complete odd tasks, or need immediate talents to complete a deadline.

Pros and Cons of Finding and Hiring Java Programmers on Job Platforms

• PRO: Rigorous vetting and screening process, following best practices for Java security, ensures quality Java developers.
• CON: Most platforms are very expensive, with some taking their share of commission for each project.
• PRO: The pre-screening process reduces time and effort for your candidate selection process.
• CON: The talent pool needs to be improved, leading to a requirements and talent availability mismatch.

Let’s compare some of the top platforms for hiring remote Java developers online:

Upwork

Upwork is one of the leading freelancing platforms that help businesses and freelance talents find possible synergies and connect for mutually beneficial projects. There are many skilled professions on Upwork from various professions and industries. It has also proven to be a credible platform for finding Java developers who are skilled, professional and experienced.

 Toptal

Toptal is a premium talent marketplace connecting businesses with software developers, designers, product managers, project managers and financial experts. They promise a 48-hour commitment to get your remote Java developers with flexible engagement models. They offer a matching service which allows you to take a backseat to the endless scrolling and reviewing of each profile for your project. However, the average hourly cost of Java developers is significantly higher on Toptal against these services.

Flexiple

Flexiple is another rising tech talent aggregator platform for IT talent seeking contractual jobs and companies looking to hire remote developers for their project. They promise transparent pricing and commitment to quality. However, Flexiple’s talent pool can be significantly smaller than established talent platforms such as Toptal and Upwork. However, with its flexible engagement models and commitment to quality, it can still be a platform worth checking out.

2.2 Explore Social Media and Professional Networking Sites to Find Java Developers

Use social media platforms like LinkedIn to identify and connect with offshore Java developers. This option is more feasible when you have dedicated marketing and outreach specialists who can browse through LinkedIn, Reddit and other such platforms to find and participate in groups and communities related to Java development, expanding your network and discovering potential candidates who align with project needs. Putting up a job posting ad on LinkedIn can also help to a certain extent, however, the turnaround time for a job closing can be unpredictable, so choosing this option for immediate hiring requirements might not be the best option.

2.3 Consider Offshore Java Agencies to Find Java Developers Offshore

If your project has a requirement to hire professional Java developers offshore, you should consider outsourcing agencies that specialize in providing offshore development services. When you partner with such agencies, you get access to a curated pool of pre-vetted, experienced, and highly skilled Java developers, and streamlined project management and support. These remote talent hubs go through the painstaking process of finding and hiring the best Java developers across various domains, experience levels, skill sets and more to be able to match their Java developer profile(s) to your requirements. Moreover, you can easily build your offshore Java development team and pair them with a couple of frontend talents in Angular, React or Vue since such talent hubs have resources in almost all technologies.

2.4 Engage with Coding Communities

You can also engage and participate in coding communities and online Java forums. A good place to start is GitHub and Stack Overflow. Engaging with Java developers on these forums can help you identify and pick Java developers who have the right technical skills and know how to put their points forward due to their excellent communication skills. Moreover, checking their profile for submitted projects would show their expertise and commitment to Java development.

3. Review Java Developer Portfolios and Resumes

Review the selected Java developers ‘ portfolios and resumes once you have identified potential candidates and where to hire them. Look for relevant work experience, projects they have completed or worked on, and the technologies they are most proficient in. These pointers will help you assess their skills and adherence to your project requirements.

4. Test the Offshore Java Developers: Conduct Technical Assessment

Everything aside, the main focus and priority should be whether the Java developer matches the technical requirements and has the right skills to deliver the project successfully. This is crucial to finding and hiring the right remote Java developer. Here, you will evaluate their coding, problem-solving, and understanding of Java.

If you need help with this round of questions to ask the selected candidates, you can rely on platforms such as LeetCode, Codewars and HackerRank to set up proper coding assessments.

What technical skills and concepts are needed in Offshore Java Developers for Hire?

Core Java Concepts

• Assess the candidate’s understanding of fundamental Java concepts such as control structures, data types, exception handling and loops.
• Test their familiarity with JCF – Java Collections Framework and ability to choose the right database per the project requirement.
• Ensure they clearly understand object-oriented programming principles like inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation.

Advanced Java Concepts

• Evaluate their expertise in advanced Java features such as concurrency, multithreading and synchronization.
• Test their understanding of Java I/O operations like file handling and stream processing.
• Check their clarity on Java annotations and reflection.

Java EE

• If your project requires you to use Java EE, ensure your offshore Java developer is clear about Servlets, JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) and JSP (Java Server Pages).
• Ensure they are well-versed with Java EE design patterns and best practices.

Spring Framework

• If your project requires Spring Framework, ensure the Java developer has proficiency in core Spring concepts like Spring MVC, AOP and dependency injection.
• Ask them about their previous projects on Spring Framework, if any.

Hibernate or Java Persistent API

• JPA and Hibernate are two of the most popular object-relational mapping frameworks. Hence, you should ensure the Java developer has proper experience using them.
• Assess their skills in designing and implementing database schemas and optimizing database queries.

Java Testing Assessment

• Ensure they are deeply familiar with unit testing frameworks like JUnit.
• Check their understanding of TDD – Test Driven Development principles.
• Make sure they know how to write effective test cases.

Build Tools and Dependency Management

• Assess their experience with top java tools like Gradle or Maven.
• Evaluate their proficiency in dependency management and understanding of the Gradle/Maven lifecycle.

Version Control

• Make sure they know popular version control systems like Git.
• Ensure they know how to handle branching and merging effectively.

Problem-Solving Skills

• Provide coding challenges or algorithmic problems to evaluate their problem-solving skills.
• Assess their ability to write clean, maintainable and efficient code.

Coding Conventions and Best Practices

• Evaluate their adherence to coding conventions.
• Make sure they know and follow best practices in Java coding.
• Assess their ability to write clean and maintainable code.

5. Conduct One-On-One Interviews

By now, you must have a list of potential offshore Java developers with the needed skills and experience to work on your project. Now, you need to design a comprehensive interview process that covers the technical aspects, behavioural aspects and a practical coding test if needed. You can set up online interviews using Zoom, Skype or Google Meet. Remember, the interview needs to be about their technical expertise and communication and collaboration abilities, which are an absolute must in offshore work settings.

6. Lay out your Project Requirements and Terms

Communicate the terms of engagement, including project timelines, communication channels, project deliverables and any other expectations. Establishing a clear and open line of communication ensures everyone is on the same page, and the developer feels more secure about being part of your project.

7. Negotiate the Terms and Compensation

Once you have finalized the remote Java developer to join your team, negotiate the terms of their contract, which should include their compensation, payment schedule and other relevant details. Suppose you partner with an offshore development centre. In that case, they can handle all payments and accounting aspects for you, so you’ll only have to deal with them on the agreed terms and conditions for all the offshore Java developers you hire through them.

8. Onboard Remote Java Developers to your Team

You can now onboard Java developers offshore! Plan a thorough onboarding process to accommodate the offshore Java developer in your existing team and understand the project’s specifics and their role in the team. Provide them with all necessary tools, chat platforms, documentation and resources for daily operations.

Top Offshore Locations to Hire Offshore Java Developers

The benefit of ‘offshore’ hiring comes from the economic stability, political stability, average hourly rates and quality of education of an ‘offshore’ location. There are many popular offshore Java development destinations. Where to find and hire offshore Java developers? We have you covered. Let’s get right into it:

India

• Hourly Rates: Ranges from $15 to $35 per hour
• Average Salary: $8000 – $20,000 or more
• Talent Pool Availability: Massive
• Political Stability: Generally Stable

India plays by the numbers, being home to the world’s largest population and to many aspiring and senior Java developers who have been working in Java development for years. Also, since India has been the #1 IT talent outsourcing country for almost all technologies, your project would be safe when you hire Indian Java developers.  As per the Market Insights of Statista about IT Outsourcing – India you, the revenue in IT outsourcing market is projected to reach €9.61bn in 2024.

Ukraine

• Hourly Rates: Ranges from $25 to $50 per hour
• Average Salary: $25,000 – $55,000 or more
• Talent Pool Availability: Expanding
• Political Stability: Experienced Massive Disturbances in the past

Ukraine is a growing economy in the IT sector, with access to highly skilled developers and a decent market for Java developers. However, in the recent political events, the economic stability and reliability has taken a major hit. Although Ukraine will rise again from this downfall, you might want to consider this aspect when making your decision.

Poland

• Hourly Rates: Ranges from $30 to $50 per hour
• Average Salary: $8000 – $15,000 or more
• Talent Pool Availability: Limited
• Political Stability: Generally Stable

Poland also has an established IT sector with a decent focus on Java development services. Their developers are renowned for their robust technical skills, European work culture and English proficiency.

Philippines

• Hourly Rates: Ranges from $15 to $35 per hour
• Average Salary: $8000 – $15,000 or more
• Talent Pool Availability: Massive
• Political Stability: Generally Stable

The Philippines has a rapidly growing economy in the IT sector, and many developers are picking up Java for their careers. Since it is relatively new in the Philippines, you’ll get access to decent entry-level offshore Java developers. Still, you might need help if you need experienced Java developers who have experience working with the Java platform and other such advanced Java concepts.

Wrapping up!

Finding and hiring offshore Java developers requires strategic and well-thought-out planning to ensure you get the best remote Java developers that fit your project requirements perfectly. In today’s dynamically changing market and market requirements, having a reliable offshore development partner who can help you scale and descale your Java development team with talents can be very beneficial to accommodate these changing market situations. Once again, it is very important to understand your business and business needs before proceeding with your hiring requirements. You can leverage professional IT strategy and consulting services if you need help making business decisions regarding your team.