Day 2 :: Shipwrecks :: Outsourcing
 |
Immediately after this video I tackled the lady in the pink shirt that walked behind me.
Just kidding. Maybe.
Recommended outsourcing sites: Elance.com .. Guru.com .. Odesk.com
Some things I forgot to mention…
- When you’re hiring, ask not only for references but specifically what the individual was responsible for in the reference piece.
There are a lot of hustlers that will give you 1,000 websites that they “developed” and 90% of the time, the person was working as part of a team. You need to know SPECIFICALLY what they did so that you can assess their strengths.
- Right-brainers and left-brainers are two polar opposite human species. VERY few people in this world have the ability to build something that’s both visually appealing and functionally complete & efficient. It took me a handful of hires & fires before I figured this out.
For large-scale software or web development projects, I’d recommend hiring a full-time programmer and a part-time graphic designer. You may think “well, that will only increase costs dummy” … but the cost of a programmer using his or her time to make something look good (i.e. not utilizing their strengths) is far higher.
And in almost every instance, I’d still rather hire two expert individuals than a “do-it-all” outsourcing company and deal with their bureaucracy.
- During the hiring process, I’m looking just as much at a candidate’s ability to communicate (quickly & in sufficient-enough English) as I am their specialized skill. If I hire someone and in the first two weeks their communication or skill-level isn’t a perfect fit, I fire & re-hire immediately.
Don’t be afraid to let bad sailors jump in their rowboat & paddle away. If your ship is going one way & you have a worker who’s not 100% on board with your direction, cut ties & re-hire immediately.I want nothing less than the best sailors in the world. The cost to you and to the individual is simply too great to keep trying to bang a square peg into a round hole.
- The Golden Rule applies. I had a virtual assistant tell me that I was the only person – in her few years of VA’ing – who treated her like an “actual human being.”
Don’t forget that basic human needs for acceptance, belonging, self-worth, and respect transcend international borders and are 100% applicable virtually.
Don’t lose faith in outsourcing if you have a few bad experiences. We currently have a well-oiled team of 7, all hired through outsourcing sites, and all experts at what they do.
It took time & a lot of trial & error to get to this point, but hopefully I’ve been able to cut your learning curve with these few tips.
Related Posts
Posted in Business | Comments (0)
