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Talent Sourcing in Central & Eastern Europe

Benefits of hiring developers from CEE Region

Talent outsourcing can be defined as the recruitment of staff abroad. Companies engage in this activitiy for different reasons: lack of local talent, team expansion, a need to focus on the core business, and many others.

The CEE Region is a much sought-after location for professional talent, particularly developers. The region is teeming with relevant talent.

CEE Region

Let's analyze this graphic in greater depth.

Poland, for example, features the largest number of developers, around 430,000, but also some of the highest hiring costs. Other countries, such as the Czech Republic and Hungary, also offer a sizable amount of developers, with costs comparable to Poland.

But if we look at Ukraine, this country offers the second-largest amount of developers, and some of the lowest costs in the entire region.

The main benefits of hiring developers in Ukraine are:

  • Faster closing times

Specialized service providers can achieve hiring timelines up to 50% faster than standard market (it'd be good to add a infographic about AllSTARSIT here)

  • Great technical education

Ukraine is well known for the quality of its educational institutions. Every year, thousands of well-prepared young men and women end their studies ready to join the professional market.

  • Time Zone convenience

Ukraine's time zone is comparable to that of most of Europe, so international clients can work almost in complete synchrony with outsourcing partners.

  • Proficiency in English language

Apart from their technical abilities, Ukrainian developers tend to have a good grasp of the English language. This enables easy integration with international teams

  • Technical range

Most Ukrainian developers are skilled in more than one programming language and other IT disciplines.

  • Cost-effectiveness

The CEE Region, and Ukraine in particular, offers some of the most convenient and affordable cost ratios, with no compromise on the quality of the service.

Eastern Europe is a land long-steeped in history, tradition, folklore, and cultural richness. From the rugged Carpathians to the medieval fortifications dotted across the Polish and Romanian wilderness, the region offers some of the best tourist trails in the continent.

In more modern times however, Eastern Europe has emerged from this quaint panorama and become a prime location for a somewhat less traditional -but not less significant- national treasure: the outsourcing of IT services.

Over the past 20 years or so, Eastern Europe has earned a well-deserved reputation for providing some of the best outsourcing opportunities for software engineering in the world. The workforce is well prepared, skilled, and relatively young. Also, Eastern Europe offers a very advantageous cost efficiency to international clients.

This article delves into the benefits of talent sourcing in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and also explains the challenges that international clients might face.

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Challenges of Hiring in Eastern Europe

While the process of recruiting talent in the CEE Region is simple and effective enough, several challenges can arise.

  • Language barrier

This particular problem can occur while searching local job boards that may be oriented to the local markets. Some of these boards may not have an English version. This issue can be avoided by engaging with a specialized service provider such as AllSTARSIT.

  • Insufficient, or totally lacking information online

In certain cases, service providers may not use online platforms at all, rather relying on personal recommendations and local contacts. This might hinder international clients that might not have access or visibility to the same local networks.

  • Peculiarities of the local market

Hiring talent abroad can become a hard path to navigate, since knowledge of the local market and professional environment can be lacking. Finding the right channel can be difficult. Engagement with specialized service providers can overcome this problem though.

Talent Sourcing in Central & Eastern Europe

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Talent Sourcing in Central & Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a land long-steeped in history, tradition, folklore, and cultural richness. From the rugged Carpathians to the medieval fortifications dotted across the Polish and Romanian wilderness, the region offers some of the best tourist trails in the continent.

In more modern times however, Eastern Europe has emerged from this quaint panorama and become a prime location for a somewhat less traditional -but not less significant- national treasure: the outsourcing of IT services.

Over the past 20 years or so, Eastern Europe has earned a well-deserved reputation for providing some of the best outsourcing opportunities for software engineering in the world. The workforce is well prepared, skilled, and relatively young. Also, Eastern Europe offers a very advantageous cost efficiency to international clients.

This article delves into the benefits of talent sourcing in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and also explains the challenges that international clients might face.

Benefits of hiring developers from CEE Region

Talent outsourcing can be defined as the recruitment of staff abroad. Companies engage in this activitiy for different reasons: lack of local talent, team expansion, a need to focus on the core business, and many others.

The CEE Region is a much sought-after location for professional talent, particularly developers. The region is teeming with relevant talent.

CEE Region

Let's analyze this graphic in greater depth.

Poland, for example, features the largest number of developers, around 430,000, but also some of the highest hiring costs. Other countries, such as the Czech Republic and Hungary, also offer a sizable amount of developers, with costs comparable to Poland.

But if we look at Ukraine, this country offers the second-largest amount of developers, and some of the lowest costs in the entire region.

The main benefits of hiring developers in Ukraine are:

  • Faster closing times

Specialized service providers can achieve hiring timelines up to 50% faster than standard market (it'd be good to add a infographic about AllSTARSIT here)

  • Great technical education

Ukraine is well known for the quality of its educational institutions. Every year, thousands of well-prepared young men and women end their studies ready to join the professional market.

  • Time Zone convenience

Ukraine's time zone is comparable to that of most of Europe, so international clients can work almost in complete synchrony with outsourcing partners.

  • Proficiency in English language

Apart from their technical abilities, Ukrainian developers tend to have a good grasp of the English language. This enables easy integration with international teams

  • Technical range

Most Ukrainian developers are skilled in more than one programming language and other IT disciplines.

  • Cost-effectiveness

The CEE Region, and Ukraine in particular, offers some of the most convenient and affordable cost ratios, with no compromise on the quality of the service.

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Challenges of Hiring in Eastern Europe

While the process of recruiting talent in the CEE Region is simple and effective enough, several challenges can arise.

  • Language barrier

This particular problem can occur while searching local job boards that may be oriented to the local markets. Some of these boards may not have an English version. This issue can be avoided by engaging with a specialized service provider such as AllSTARSIT.

  • Insufficient, or totally lacking information online

In certain cases, service providers may not use online platforms at all, rather relying on personal recommendations and local contacts. This might hinder international clients that might not have access or visibility to the same local networks.

  • Peculiarities of the local market

Hiring talent abroad can become a hard path to navigate, since knowledge of the local market and professional environment can be lacking. Finding the right channel can be difficult. Engagement with specialized service providers can overcome this problem though.

Why hiring developers in Eastern Europe

Eastern European nations have slowly risen to prominence in terms of prime destinations to hire software developers. There are many reasons for this, which we have discussed in other posts.

One of the most striking points about software developers hailing from these regions is the sheer diversity of talents and disciplines, illustrated below.

For instance, Polish developers excel at Java, and rank second in two other categories (algorithms and Python.)

Developers from neighboring nations, including Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine also rank first or high in several disciplines: Hungary, tutorials (first), Czech Republic, Shell (first) and mathematics (second), and Ukraine, security (first).

Countries with the Best Developers by domain

Guide for Hiring developers in Eastern Europe

Successful hirings depend on many factors, but the entire process starts will a well laid out plan. Creating a roadmap with properly defined milestones and clear goals provides measurable outcomes to ascertain vendor suitability, for example.

Tech questionnaire

Getting insights on the project you're hiring for is a fundamental first step to find the right service provider. These insights can be gained through a questionnaire, for example, which might contain questions such as:

  • Technology stacks currently used
  • Level of expertise required
  • Infrastructure requirements
  • Forecast time-to-market for the product/s

The answers to these questions will provide a pretty accurate baseline appreciation of what the project entails, and the tools and skills that will be involved. With this baseline sussed out, it is time to roll out the rest of the screening plan, which might involve this checklist:

  1. Skills

Browsing through LinkedIn, job boards, etc. is a laborious and time-consuming task that, in the end, might yield little results.

When searching for the right vendor for a project, clients might want to focus their attention on those service providers that can offer a wide range of skills, suitable for the project at hand. The top three skills required might serve as filtering criteria, for instance, with a certain value assigned to each to help calculate the suitability of one vendor over another.

  1. Industry track record and experience

Narrow focus on a single technological aspect or might work for some niche projects, but generally speaking, a broader offer of IT-related skills is likely to lead to better outcomes. Also, vendors should be able to demonstrate a proven track record in the field through previous projects, testimonials, etc. The experience acquired during these earlier achievements builds up to create an offering that is more solid and reliable. Service providers that offer experienced developers should be at the top of the list.

  1. Do your own research

When it comes to seeking employment, it's almost inevitable that some candidates might exaggerate their ability, or outright lie on their resume. Service providers also fall under this category, and it's because of this that you should always ask to see portfolios and testimonials that will enable you to ascertain the quality and reliability of a vendor.

  1. Coding assessment

As with any other business decision, due diligence applies to hiring developers, both locally and abroad. And as mentioned above, the professional skills of some developers might not be as extensive as they claim on paper. To address this issue, developers can submit a programming assessment that demonstrates their ability. These assessments help speed up the process by providing tangible metrics and demonstrable skills.

How AllSTARSIT Can Help Your Business with Talent Sourcing

Considering a talent sourcing service provider? AllSTARSIT offers best-in-class services to a range of international clients just like you. We have the experience, the drive, and the know-how to create a tailored solution for your project.

We offer faster hiring timelines that support a cost-effective, quick-to-market strategy. Our specialized staff's mission is to assist you in assembling a team of talented software engineers, QAs, or technical support staff and get your project off the ground as quickly as possible.

Talent Sourcing in Central & Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a land long-steeped in history, tradition, folklore, and cultural richness. From the rugged Carpathians to the medieval fortifications dotted across the Polish and Romanian wilderness, the region offers some of the best tourist trails in the continent.

In more modern times however, Eastern Europe has emerged from this quaint panorama and become a prime location for a somewhat less traditional -but not less significant- national treasure: the outsourcing of IT services.

Over the past 20 years or so, Eastern Europe has earned a well-deserved reputation for providing some of the best outsourcing opportunities for software engineering in the world. The workforce is well prepared, skilled, and relatively young. Also, Eastern Europe offers a very advantageous cost efficiency to international clients.

This article delves into the benefits of talent sourcing in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and also explains the challenges that international clients might face.