Despite starting as a one-person enterprise with the motto “not only delivered, accepted,” Benchmark has grown into a renowned global business through their unwavering dedication to delivering exceptional customer service.
Although Works achieved impressive growth in new markets, it also encountered several obstacles. One of the toughest online industries is email marketing. Clients demand a supremely effective web interface that can promptly respond to their requests, while also providing potent tools for data analysis and monitoring, to ensure satisfactory advertisement experiences.
To keep pace with the rapidly-changing business landscape, Benchmark elected to rely on external assistance like many other companies. They enlisted specialized providers to develop their technology infrastructure, but despite initial optimism, the contractors failed to meet the company’s expectations and ultimately fell short of delivering.
Thanks to their excellent values and vision, Benchmark experienced swift growth in their user base; however, their IT systems struggled to handle the increased demands. The contractor responsible for the IT systems fell short of expectations, posing a risk to the team’s exceptional commitment to expansion. As time was a pressing concern, the pressure on Benchmark rapidly mounted.
When the management team at Benchmark recognized the need for an in-house IT department, they accepted the immense challenge ahead. The top priority was to hire skilled programmers, who could also fit in seamlessly with the company’s culture. This would give the developers a chance to embrace the company’s values, which demand a positive attitude, self-confidence, and humility.
During their search for an ideal candidate, the Benchmark team sought individuals with a blend of relevant experience and a steadfast ethical code. Explaining the company’s criteria, Director of Product Development, Paul Rijnders said:
Benchmark endeavored to recruit a permanent team member, not just a short-term worker, so finding a candidate who was culturally compatible was just as critical as geographic location. Our personnel’s quality greatly affects the success of our business, just like our products. Hence, we sought a partner who matched not only our company’s values and culture but also the image and persona we have meticulously cultivated.
Initially, this gave the team confidence that they were on track to achieve their goals, but they soon encountered opposition.
How Works Overcame the Challenge of Hiring a Remote JavaScript Programmer
Following extensive research, Rijnders discovered that searching for a suitable local headhunter was a tedious task. Furthermore, these headhunters demanded exorbitant upfront payments before conducting any preliminary candidate evaluations.
Moving from a flawed contractor model to a flawed hiring process, Benchmark experienced a rise in payroll expenses due to the costly recruitment efforts, coupled with bureaucratic inefficiencies that ate up valuable time. These issues were formidable hurdles in the company’s pursuit of hiring full-time developers.
During this period, Benchmark CEO Sharon Koifman contacted the company to discuss Works’ groundbreaking framework. The system streamlines hiring and managing full-time remote workers, including all associated administrative tasks, while simplifying integration for new international hires.
The framework developed by Works stood in stark contrast to Benchmark’s prior experiences. There were no upfront expenses, no bureaucracy to navigate, and no unexpected fees. We only evaluated applications from highly-skilled developers whose values and ethos were aligned with our own, and we were open to considering headhunted candidates who were a good match for the company.
“This promotes direct collaboration between the business and employee,” commented Sharon on the uniqueness of Works’ approach.
It became apparent that Benchmark had taken a liking to a highly skilled South American programmer. Despite being employed at that time, he readily left his position to join Benchmark, as their values were closely aligned.
During his job interview, the Java programmer used the exact terms “responsibility,” “communication,” “effort,” “honesty,” “can-do,” “confidence,” and “humility.” Despite having no prior knowledge of Benchmark or its operations, he was an ideal match for the company’s values.
Benchmark had an exceptional onboarding process for new remote employees, which included discussing long-term and short-term goals, as well as their overall objectives. In addition, they informed new employees of the various professional development opportunities and growth prospects available within the organization.
The outcomes were truly impressive. The remote developer that was hired was a great cultural fit and demonstrated a strong work ethic, often working late in the office to improve the organization’s IT systems. His expertise as a Javascript developer allowed him to upgrade multiple systems, from the customer interface to technical support, greatly improving the company’s overall performance.
Owing to his dedicated work, Benchmark’s software products saw significant improvement, enabling the company to showcase its customer-centric approach.
Effectively managing remote workers has bolstered Benchmark’s confidence, establishing them as a global entity. By leveraging the skills of their personnel located in remote locations, they have maintained a competitive edge and stayed up to date with the latest email marketing trends, thereby retaining their lead in this industry.
Benchmark’s experience may have been unique, but you have the chance to create your own positive impact. Why not contact Works and see if you can access top talent from around the globe?
