From video production agencies to corporate media teams, everyone is trying to find out how to create exceptional content and stay competitive. Now, creative teams are looking around the world to find the best talent.
India, a country of over 1 billion people, contains a wealth of diverse creative individuals who are looking for meaningful work in video production. Video editing is one particular skillset that many universities teach, and it’s one function of the creative process which can easily be done by a remote employee.
Here, we explore what it takes to hire a video editor in India.
Source the best talent
Beauty. Design. Aesthetics. These are all subjective characteristics. It’s important to conduct a thorough interview process when hiring a remote video editor.
We recommend reviewing at least 2 dozen resumes in order to find a handful of potential candidates who are qualified to move onto the interview process. However, before your first meeting, you should also ask to see a demo reel or examples of previous work.
Go the extra mile and ask your candidate a few open-ended questions to establish their role in the project:
“How did you contribute to this production?””What other team members were involved?””What were you happy with or unhappy with while working on this video?”
Then, narrow your questioning down to specific task-related items. Such as:
“How long did it take you to edit this piece?””Why did you choose this specific style of editing instead of another?””What instructions were you given before you started the work?””Did you use any special effects, filters, or color grading? How so?”
It’s important to look for specific answers. Try to determine if the candidate has enough knowledge about the project to prove that he or she was the actual editor and not another member of the team.
Once you are certain that you have found the right candidate you can extend an offer.
Some companies like to have their candidates perform a small project as a test. While this is recommended, it may not be possible for every qualified candidate to do this due to unavailable equipment. Many editors have worked for previous companies that supplied their computer and workstation. So they may not have access to a workstation for a trial.
Draft a written contract
When you hire remote staff, especially staff that is overseas, you’ll need to draft up a good contract. Here are some of the most important points to consider including:
- Duration of the contract
- Payment schedule and currency
- Locations where the employee may conduct business
- Location of courts where disputes may be settled
- Non-compete and non-disclosure points
- Return of property and data clauses
- And other points noted in other standard contracts
If you have a good partner such as our company, IMS, your partner overseas can help mitigate the process of setting up and enforcing your contracts.
Determine working hours and locations
You may be tempted to let your remote staff work from home. As experts on the subject, we would caution you against this mentality. It’s especially true when working with very remote staff in India who live in different timezones.
Although creating a work-from-home policy might seem like the most cost-efficient way of hiring remote staff, it’s difficult to enforce work hours. Distractions are always around the corner. Especially in India, where most people live in multiple family households. Find a dedicated workspace where you can place your remote employee.
We recommend finding a co-working space or other local office where you can place your employees. Set up time tracking software to monitor performance.
Invest in a high-speed cloud storage space
You work with big data files. Make sure you don’t waste time transferring video files back and forth to your editor. Find a good high-speed cloud storage provider so you can transfer your videos quickly.
Dropbox is still your best bet today. They have extremely fast upload and download speeds compared to the competition. You may have to shell out a few extra bucks for more storage space. But this one is worth it. A good runner up is pCloud. Also secure and encrypted.
Provide a quality workstation
Don’t leave it up to your remote video editor to choose their own computer and hardware. They may just select the cheapest, slowest, and poorest quality options in order to save money. Make it an obligation for them to use the workstation that you select for them. And it’s important to talk about this in advance.
Prepare to pay for this workstation yourself. You can either buy it all online and have it shipped to your employee, or you can give your employee an advanced payment so they can make the purchase locally. But don’t expect that they will buy it, expense it, and wait for a reimbursement. You will be responsible for making sure they get the workstation you need. Once it is set up, have them take a photograph and send it to you.
Opt for a bundle offer on all necessities
IMS is the easiest way for you to hire a remote video editor in India. We help you source talent, provide a workplace for your staff in our office, set up your staffs’ workstations, provide the first layer of accountability, and much more. Check out our services to get hire overseas staff the smart way.