Working with a recruiter
for the first time? Here's what we need from you.
Written for the manager who just got a role approved (or almost), has never hired a direct report, and wants to do it the right way. Five things, one call, and we can hit the ground running.
Book the intake callFive things. That's the whole intake.
I get the same question on almost every first call: "what do you need from me, and how will we actually work together?" Here's the honest list, in the order I ask it.
Bring the person onto your payroll as your employee, or use us as a direct-hire recruiter and pay a one-time fee. Or neither yet: we can pay them monthly through us while you decide. This one answer shapes everything else.
Tell me the salary you have in mind (one-time fee) or your all-inclusive budget with our fee in it (monthly). We're transparent about the split: you'll always know how much the person actually makes, so you're never paying for a senior and getting a junior.
The JD gets us started, but what gets the hire right is who this person will be working with, where the team sits, remote or in your office, and who they report to. After years of hiring in Latin America we have our own questions for this, so expect a short questionnaire after you send the role.
People in LatAm have a different modus operandi than in the US, so tell me how your team communicates, how much guidance you give, and what "doing it the right way" looks like to you. That's what we screen for, and it's not the same as a recruiter hiring anywhere.
Use your applicant tracking system or ours, and tell us the questions or the 15 to 30 minute exercise you want every candidate to do before they talk to you. If you're defining the process for the first time, we'll define it on the call.
We don't just source. We interview.
A lot of recruiters find someone on LinkedIn and forward the profile. That's not what you're paying for.
The five things above, in about 30 minutes. You leave with a written summary you can take to your own manager for approval.
Nobody reaches you unscreened. We ask your questions on your behalf and record the answers.
"This is who we think is a good fit for you, these are the reasons why, and here are their answers to the questions you had us ask." Then you share your calendar, or send the exercise, whatever your process says.
Direct hire: we hand off the offer and you onboard them onto your payroll. Monthly: we pay them, you manage them, and you can convert later. Either way, a 3-month replacement guarantee.
Pick in two minutes.
Both get the same vetting. The difference is who pays the person and when you commit.
- The person is your employee, on your payroll, in your office or remote
- You set the salary, we tell you our rate
- Best when you already have an entity where they'll sit, for example your own office in Mexico City
- No ongoing fees after the hire
- We pay the person, you manage the work
- You give us one all-inclusive number and you know what they take home
- Nothing upfront, and a trial period before you commit
- Buy them out later and move them to your payroll when you're ready
Things first-time managers
ask us.
I'm a first-time manager and this is my first direct report. Is that a problem?
No, and you're not alone. A good share of the managers we work with are defining the process for the first time. Tell me that on the first call and I'll slow down where it helps: what to put in the job description, which soft skills matter for a LatAm hire, how many interview rounds make sense. You'll walk out with a document you can take to your own manager.
The role is still pending approval. Should I wait?
Talk to me now. We won't start sourcing until the role is approved, but the intake call is where you learn what budget, timeline and process to ask for. Most managers go back to their head of department with better numbers because of it, and when approval lands we can hit the ground running.
One-time fee or monthly. Which one do I pick?
If you have a payroll (or an entity) where the person can sit and you want them as your employee, pick direct hire: you set the salary, we tell you our one-time fee. If you'd rather not touch payroll or contracts yet, pick monthly: you give us an all-inclusive budget, we pay the person, and you always know how much of that number they take home.
Can you hire non-engineering roles, like marketing?
Yes. Developers are most of what we place, but we recruit marketing, sales, operations, product and design roles too. The intake is the same. If anything, soft skills and who they report to matter even more for those roles, so expect more questions from me about the team.
Can the hire be our employee and work from our office, for example in Mexico City?
Yes. If you already have a local entity, we work as a direct-hire recruiter and the person goes onto your payroll, in your office or remote, your call. If you don't have an entity yet, we pay them monthly through our Contractor of Record option until you do.
Do I need an applicant tracking system?
No. If you have one (TriNet, Greenhouse, Lever, whatever HR gave you), we'll work inside it. If you don't, you use ours. Either way you'll get a file per candidate with their profile, why we think they fit, and their answers to the questions you asked us to ask.
I've never hired from LatAm before. What budget range should I expect?
Senior full-stack engineers in Argentina run $5,000 to $7,500 a month fully loaded, and other countries land in a similar band. Tell me your ceiling and I'll stay inside it. We'll show you a range, and maybe one person slightly above it when they're clearly the right fit, but never only people out of budget. Role-by-role numbers are in the Compensation Report.
What's the turnaround time, and what's the engagement? Do you just need a JD?
A JD plus the five things above. You sign the agreement, we go to our existing database first (fast response, because the relationships are real), and vetted candidates land in your inbox within 5 business days. Most clients sign an offer within 2 to 3 weeks of the intake call.
Tell me about the role.
Even if it's not approved yet.
30 minutes. You'll leave with the five answers written down and a clear picture of what working together looks like.
Book the intake call