India, with its large and highly skilled talent pool, can provide a remote solution to those hard-to-fill technical vacancies, such as IT professionals, data specialists, software developers and engineers. However, when looking for new colleagues in India, there are a number of cultural differences that need to be taken into account that will affect how best to recruit.
1. Draw up a clear competence profile
In the Netherlands, we are used to working independently, whether at home or in the office. A manager does not tell his team exactly how the tasks should be done, but what goal should be achieved. In India, this is traditionally different. There is a stricter top-down culture where there is more micromanaging. Despite the fact that the Indian work culture is currently undergoing a development that leads to more independence of the employees, it is still an important aspect for you as a Dutch employer to take into account in your search for suitable personnel.
Your remote staff will soon be working as full colleagues with your Dutch team and you must therefore be sure that they fit in well with your company in terms of independence and way of working. It is therefore important that you draw up a detailed competency profile, preferably with an experienced HR professional or psychologist, that clearly shows what you are looking for. Establish what qualities a remote colleague must have to function well within your organisation.
2. Choose senior candidates
It may be tempting, when searching outside the Netherlands, to choose junior candidates who can save you a lot of money. Resist that temptation. Junior employees in India are generally job hoppers; they do not climb in position and salary by working for the same company for a long time. Every time they make a move, their salary increases. European companies that opt for cheaper, junior employees therefore often face a high turnover rate in India.
To ensure that your remote colleagues will engage with you for the long term, it is therefore advisable to focus on senior candidates who have experience with multiple employers. They may not offer the same cost savings - although even with experienced employees you can get up to 50 per cent cheaper in India than in the Netherlands - but they do offer you the certainty that they will make a deliberate choice for you and your company and will not leave quickly.
3. Take assessments under the guidance of psychologists
To be sure that the candidates you have selected on the basis of your competency profile actually possess the right qualities and skills, it is advisable to have assessments conducted by experienced psychologists. With a psychologist you can adjust the assessments in such a way that the specific characteristics that are important for your company are also properly tested. This may not always be the case with a standard assessment.
Since you are focusing on more experienced candidates, it is important to not only look at flexibility and social skills, but also at the candidate's ability to develop. As an employer, you want to be sure that your new colleague is competent and still wants to and can grow in certain areas. This is not only important for you, but also for your employee, because the position will then challenge them and offer scope for personal development.
4. Prepare the team in the Netherlands well
It is essential that your Indian staff connects well with your Dutch organisation, but for this your team in the Netherlands must also be well prepared for a new colleague sitting at a distance. For example, everyone must be prepared for the fact that more English will be spoken, not only in one-to-one conversations with the new colleague but also in meetings he or she attends. It is also important that a colleague who is working remotely is not forgotten and that there are enough contact moments as with colleagues who are physically present in the office. For example, have the team schedule a daily online coffee moment in which not only work-related matters are discussed, but normal things can also come up. This is like meeting each other at the coffee machine.
Finding suitable remote personnel who fit in with the Dutch culture can be a challenge without the help of professionals who have access to that large, Indian talent pool and understand what these personnel need to do to function well within a Dutch organisation. IndiaConnected can support you at every step in this process, from drawing up the competence profile to psychologist-led assessments.