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More US companies hire LATAM professionals every year, and the reasons are straightforward: strong talent density, competitive salaries, and timezone overlap that actually works for real-time collaboration.
What trips most teams up is everything after the decision. Sourcing in unfamiliar markets, evaluating candidates remotely, and getting contracts right across different legal systems. This guide walks through each step, in order.
Step 1 — Define the Role and Hiring Model
Before sourcing a candidate, get specific about what the hire actually needs to do. A vague brief produces a long list of wrong candidates.
Clarify the Scope of the Role
Before writing a single line of the job description, make sure you have the specifications, not only the job title:
Responsibilities and seniority — what the role owns day-to-day, and whether you need a mid-level executor or a senior-level decision-maker.
Must-have vs. nice-to-have skills — separating the two prevents disqualifying good candidates over requirements that were never actually critical.
Working hours and timezone overlap — most US companies hiring in LATAM target 4 to 6 hours of daily overlap with EST or PST, which covers most of the region without asking candidates to shift their schedule entirely.
Language requirements — specify the proficiency level clearly: B2+ typically works for written async roles, C1 for positions involving regular verbal communication with US stakeholders.
Choose the Hiring Model
Three main paths exist when hiring LATAM talent remotely:
Direct contractor agreement — Fast and flexible, but you manage compliance yourself.
Employer of Record (EOR) — A third party employs the person locally on your behalf, handling tax and labor law requirements.
Talent platform — You work with a platform like Athyna that matches vetted professionals to your team and manages the administrative side.
The right model depends on how much legal infrastructure you want to own in-house. Check more information about hiring models.
Step 2 — Set Compensation and Budget
LATAM salary ranges vary significantly by country, seniority, and specialization. Benchmarking compensation and benefits is essential to attract the right candidate.
Benchmark by country and seniority — rates vary meaningfully across the region. Brazil and Argentina tend to sit at the higher end for engineering and data roles; Colombia and Mexico offer strong talent at more accessible rates for most seniority levels.
Benefits vs. contractor fee structure — employees typically expect paid time off, bonuses (13th-month salary is common across several LATAM countries), and health benefits. The right choice depends on the hiring model you chose in Step 1 and the level of commitment on both sides.
Step 3 — Build the Hiring Foundations
Building a solid hiring process to hire LATAM before you start sourcing saves weeks of back-and-forth later.
Define the Candidate Profile
Job description — write it around how the role actually operates day-to-day, not a generic list of responsibilities copied from another posting.
Evaluation criteria — define what good looks like, all goals and requirements that matter, before the first CV lands. Otherwise, you end up judging candidates against different bars without realizing it.
Cultural and communication fit — for remote LATAM roles, async communication skills, and written clarity matter as much as technical qualifications.
Prepare the Interview Plan
Map the interview process that makes sense for your company and/or the role before you start scheduling.
Consider Compliance Requirements
Contractor vs. employee classification carries real legal implications in most LATAM countries, and getting it wrong creates retroactive liability. If this is your first international hire, a partner platform, like Athyna, that handles local compliance, removes significant complexity from the equation.
Step 4 — Source Candidates in Latin America
Where you source depends on the role, the country, and how much time your team has to spend searching. The main channels:
Regional job boards — Computrabajo covers most of Spanish-speaking LATAM and works well for operational and business roles. GetOnBoard is strong for tech talent in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.
Global remote platforms — LinkedIn remains the broadest option, with strong coverage in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.
Specialized partners like Athyna — for teams that don't have a dedicated sourcing function, working with a platform like Athyna is the fastest path to qualified LATAM talent. The candidates are already vetted; you skip the discovery phase entirely and go straight to evaluating people who fit your brief.
Step 5 — Screen and Shortlist Candidates
Screening LATAM candidates follows the same logic as any remote hire, with one additional variable worth assessing early: English proficiency. For roles requiring regular communication with US or European teams, testing written and verbal fluency before full interviews saves everyone time. A good first pass includes a resume review against role requirements, a short skills test where relevant, and a brief async introduction to assess communication style.
Step 6 — Run Interviews and Assessments
Structure your interview process and questions around real work. A take-home assignment or live problem-solving session tells you more about how someone thinks than any behavioral question.
A typical process looks like this:
Recruiter screen
Hiring manager deep-dive
Practical test or work sample
Final culture and leadership interview
Tips for Evaluating Remote LATAM Talent
Give a task that resembles actual day-one work, not a generic coding test
Ask directly how they manage timezone differences with distributed teams
Read their written assignment as a communication sample, not just a skills test
Step 7 — Offer, Contracts, and Compliance
Once you've chosen a candidate, move quickly. LATAM professionals who clear a thorough process receive competing offers. Prepare your contract terms in advance so you can send an offer within 24 hours of your decision.
Step 8 — Onboard for the First 90 Days
A hire doesn't stick without a structured start. Assign an internal point of contact for questions, schedule weekly check-ins during the first month, and set goals using a 30-60-90 framework:
30 days — learn systems, shadow existing work, and handle low-risk tasks to build context without pressure.
60 days — own a clear part of the scope and show measurable progress against defined deliverables.
90 days — fully own the outcomes defined in the role scorecard. Conduct a formal review and confirm continuation, raise, or bonus criteria at this stage.
Expectation gaps surface early when check-ins are frequent, and they're far easier to address in week two than in month four.
Hire LATAM Talent with Athyna
Athyna matches ambitious teams with vetted global talent from Latin America, using AI precision to cut sourcing time dramatically. From role definition through contract, the platform handles the process so your team can focus on what comes next. See who's available for your next role by contacting our team.
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