Part of me wishes I could tell you how hard it’s been to open Sharesource’s office in Vietnam. How many hoops I had to jump through to make it happen. How tough it’s been in COVID times especially. How much bureaucratic paperwork there was to wade through. Or how much gender discrimination I faced. But none of this would be true. So I won’t. My name is Van and I’ll tell you honestly how privileged I am to be a part of Sharesource’s global expansion - and what an amazing journey it’s been so far.

The CEO and I found each other through a mutual connection. Very little research was required to realise that Sharesource was a super cool business, focused on building leaders in developing countries and making a social impact. I knew straight away I was the right person for the job. My background in Operations, Talent Acquisition and HR with multinational companies, as well as my well-developed network with tech talent in Vietnam, meant I was well placed to easily assist in finding the smartest talent in the shortest time frame - important as there’s no shortage of good opportunities in Vietnam and the best people get snapped up quickly. 

The Vietnamese government actively encourages and supports foreign investment so it only took around two months to complete the necessary paperwork. Initially we had people working from home but at the beginning of this year I was able to secure great office space that allows us to continue fostering the caring, open, friendly culture that Sharesource teams thrive on. Vietnam is blessed to have had the global pandemic largely bypass it - we’re all still going into offices and operating pretty much as we did in pre-COVID times. Like I said - there really hasn’t been much in the way of challenges in bringing this office to life!

Despite never having met our CEO or any of my colleagues in our other offices around the world in person, I genuinely feel like I know them all. It’s amazing how much online connecting you can do when you’re surrounded by like-minded, caring, friendly people. I love that everyone I’ve brought on board goes through a clear recruitment and onboarding journey and training and career development are clearly mapped out in advance. It means we’re capable of attracting and retaining the very best talent - and our team are given very real opportunities to fulfill their career dreams. 

We’re currently at 12 team members in Ho Chi Minh City - and going from strength to strength daily. Half of our team are women, we love hanging out together in the office (great internet, great coffee and cake, happy hours, story and idea sharing - what’s not to love?) and I’ll soon be bringing on board a recruiter to help me grow the team. The morale of this story? Sometimes things are just meant to be. And it doesn’t have to always be hard. Even during a global pandemic.

#unleashinghumanpotential

If you’re looking for an offshore outsourcing partner who truly cares about adding value to your business, Sharesource could be the answer you’re looking for. Download our eBook, '30 Essential Questions to Ask a Provider Before You Outsource’ to ensure you're informed and have the right questions to ask when considering the next step.