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Last year, IDT Corporation came to Belarus – an American telecommunications company that decided to transfer development to Minsk. The local office already has close to a hundred people and the team suggests that this is not the limit: in the spring, the unit will move to another building (it is said that it is already a little crowded) and hire even more employees. IDT Corporation is one of the few HTP resident companies to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Why did the leadership choose Belarus to open a new branch and what the developers are doing wrong when trying to move to IDT Corporation, or even to Western companies, Yevgeny Lebedev, vice president of engineering.
First, outsourcing, then all the unit
– You collaborated with the Belarusian developers for "HTP 2.0". Why, if not, turn to our experts?
– IDT Corporation has been working with the Belarussians for about four years now, and I joined the company a year and a half ago, that is, we started working with your developers before me. This decision had two main arguments: the relationship between the effectiveness of development and its price, as well as cultural compatibility.
At that time, Russian-speaking developers were working at IDT Corporation, reducing the communication barrier between the US and Belarusian teams.
– What exactly does the Minsk office do now?
– The development is transferred here. First of all, before we opened our office, we started working with Belarus in the form of an outsourcing on the network – with a third company. And now, we are expanding our operations in Minsk without partners. We are planning to transfer some fairly serious development elements here.
About the search for specialists
– You opened the Minsk office after the decree "HTP 2.0". Especially expected?
– I can not say we waited – it's just a coincidence. In general, we started working with the Belorussians because of the growing number of talents in your country. Believe me, it's not a cliche-answer, it's really. We have teams in the United States, Poland, Finland and Belarus. Minsk was the only place where we could quickly find specialists.
For example: in the United States, with a local recruiting structure, it will take 2-3 months to find an experienced developer. The fact is that the labor market of technical specialists has never experienced such low unemployment, the demand is very large. And in Minsk, we can easily find at least five good developers a month. In our other offices, this is simply not possible.
I think all of this fits the size of our team and the Minsk market. IDT Corporation is a successful telecommunications company, but overall it is not considered a large corporation.
When we arrived in Minsk, it turned out that they were food companies that valued our country and, according to your criteria, we can be considered as a big company. Therefore, we are interesting for developers.
– What other factors influenced the choice of Minsk in addition to a large number of specialists?
– American colleagues visited Minsk. They had a good impression of service and people – all very nice. They also noted the security: there was no problem with walks in the night city, the aliens were comfortable. There is no problem with the cultural aspect at all.
Logistics is also important. Americans do not need a visa, it is very convenient. And most pbadport control officers are smiling at you – that's nice after 14 hours of driving. We also appreciated the fact that specialists from other countries can work under contract if they are satisfied with the resident company HTP. We even have employees from Egypt, Kazakhstan and India: they say that everything suits them, but the weather is still unusual for them.
Another important point is geopolitical stability. Today, the situation in neighboring countries is, for example, quite hectic. What is happening here in the last ten years, I perceive it positively. And I am often in Belarus.
The support of HTP 2.0 will have a very positive effect in the future. We find that Belarus wants to attract new technology companies, new talent. The trend is correct. It is certain that the experts will catch up in Minsk. When we invite children from other countries to work, they have a good impression of your capital: cheap housing, food, excellent salary, tied to stable currencies.
Benefits and IT professionals of the middle clbad
– All these benefits only concern the residents of the HTP, for whom complaining about life is a sin. Will this not lead to an economic imbalance?
– State structures in different countries support or create technological industries. For the economy, from my point of view, there are only advantages. Therefore, we see that the state will support the growth trajectory of the industry.
In the United States, the government is also helping to develop various industries. For example, various online stores (e-commerce) have benefited from an additional advantage: they do not have to pay sales tax. Or renewable energy products and businesses – they also have benefits.
I think the balance will be maintained. This may not be fast, but if a middle clbad of information technology specialists emerges in Belarus, the expectations for housing, medical care and schools will be greater. All this will lead to an increase in the quality of services for all residents of the country.
Why do developers choose food companies?
– Are there any obvious cultural differences in the organization of management in Belarussian and American companies?
– There are many, you can even write books. Let's talk about the nuances that will help to arrive at the United States society. A very big difference is the quality of the resume and the preparation of the interview.
The quality of resumes in the United States is receiving a lot of attention. It will be formatted according to the standard model, volume – no more than two pages. Most resumes are ideally written in terms of grammar and ease of describing their tasks. They really look at it. Take back any typos that the recruiter will throw almost immediately. It is badumed that a person is indifferent to details or is not so interested in a new job that she has not even tried to read the text. The second point – when we invite experts to talk to us, it is very unusual that they know nothing about the company and the product.
Now in Minsk, we are faced with the fact that most developers do not need to do "homework" on the company or just do not find it necessary.
But if you were invited to an interview in a foreign company, ask yourself the following questions: "What do you know about us?" And "Why do you want to work here exactly?" They show how motivated a person is.
In addition, it is now common to work in grocery companies rather than outsource. This is a new trend in Minsk – specialists want to work on a specific product. The developers come to say: "I want to feel that I did not just come to work for a client, but that I was busy with a certain product, you immediately see the result of the work". But developers rarely discover anything about a project they will need to work on in the future.
And do not be too honest. Details about personal life, medical history and family status may be perceived as inappropriate. Yes, this shows that a person is open and ready to tell you everything honestly, but you have to remember the limits. The same with the date of birth – this is not accepted in the United States. Age discrimination is a very serious issue and you will never be asked how old you are at the interview.
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