What US startups actually screen for
The five signals that separate a callback from a rejection.
After 500+ placements between US startups and LatAm engineers, the pattern of what gets an interview versus what gets ignored is clear. Here is what actually matters in 2026.
1. Working English fluency
Not perfect, not native, but confident enough to explain your technical work in a live call. Startups screen for this in the first 3 minutes of an interview. Record yourself explaining a project you shipped. If you can follow your own recording, you are ready.
2. Startup-relevant experience
A resume full of enterprise projects lands in a different pile than one showing 0-to-1 product work. If you have shipped at Nubank, Rappi, MercadoLibre, or a series A startup you have never heard of but has a product page, put that first. Move the enterprise line down.
3. GitHub with real commits
A GitHub with 3-5 substantive personal projects is worth more than a certification. US hiring managers actually look at commit history. Show that you write code you did not have to write.
4. Timezone honesty
If you are in Colombia (GMT-5) applying to a US East startup, say so up front. If you are in Argentina (GMT-3), say you are 2h ahead in winter. The startups worth working with respect a candidate who is clear about their working hours.
5. Async-first communication
Every successful LatAm-US hire writes clear async messages. Write your interviewers a well-structured Slack-style message summarizing the interview at the end of the call. That single move separates you from 80% of the candidate pool.
The fastest path: join a talent network
Applying cold to US job boards has a low conversion rate. Applying through a curated talent network puts you at the top of the pile because the client trusts the source. That is why Awana Careers exists, we vet you once, then match you to open US startup roles that fit your stack, seniority, and timezone.
If you have 3+ years of engineering experience and near-native English, you can apply to our talent network at any time. Between roles, we invest in your career, salary benchmarks, community, honest feedback.
