As Latin America becomes a burgeoning hub for tech talent, understanding how to effectively tap into this rich resource is crucial for companies looking to innovate and scale. This guide will navigate through the essentials of sourcing IT professionals in this diverse region.
Key 1: Talent is everywhere, not only in "tech hubs"
While major tech hubs like Mexico City, Bogotá, Santiago, and Buenos Aires are renowned for their concentration of tech talent, it's key to understand that high-quality candidates can be found spread across the entire region. For instance, regions such as Central America offer a reservoir of skilled professionals.
Trying to reach all of these countries at once can seem daunting and time-consuming, but platforms like Get on Board simplify the process of reaching these diverse talent pools, ensuring that your recruitment efforts are not constrained by geography. By posting a single job ad, you can attract applicants from across all of Latin America, ensuring a rich mix of skills and experiences.
Key 2: If you hire remotely, you win
The shift towards remote work, accelerated by recent global events, has proven particularly beneficial in the tech sector. Our data at Get on Board shows a significant trend: candidates are increasingly open to remote opportunities, often willing to trade a higher salary for the flexibility of working from home. This shift not only widens your talent pool but also offers cost efficiencies that can be crucial for scaling operations. Embracing remote work not only positions your company as a forward-thinking employer but also gives you access to a broader array of talent, unrestricted by physical location.
Take a look at the following chart showing data from our own exclusive free Insights:
Key 3: Avoid relying on your network only
If you really want to find hidden gems in Latin America, relying solely on personal networks and localized advertising on LinkedIn can severely limit your reach. If you already have Latin-American talent in your team, it can be tempting to rely on their own personal connections to bring new talent. But keep in mind that Latin America is not a single ecosystem, but many countries and communities.
By extending your search beyond familiar territories, you can tap into a wider, more diverse talent pool. Remote-friendly platforms such as Wellfound or Get on Board make it easy, allowing you to reach the entire region at the same cost that a local ad.
Key 4: Identify the right cultural fit
it's true that business culture in Latin America historically has tended to be more hierarchical, as compared to the US and Canada. But as Latin American startups continue to rise, a new generation of tech professionals has become accustomed to the fast-paced, flexible environments typical of Silicon Valley startups. Get on Board’s Cultural Fit test, responded by more than 200,000 candidates, allows you to identify candidates who are not only skilled, but also align with your company's culture and work ethic.
For instance, if you are hiring for a tech startup, you could filter for candidates matching the "Hustler" or "Team-Player" archetypes. This cultural alignment is crucial for ensuring that new hires integrate smoothly and contribute positively to your team dynamics.
By using Get on Board's Talent Database of 1,000,000+ professionals, you can search and filter directly for these Cultural Fit archetypes.
Key 5: Use the right tools for the job
The rise of remote work brought by the pandemic has fostered an ecosystem of solutions that reduce friction when building remote teams in Latin America. Relying on the right tools can greatly speed up the time to productivity of your new hires:
- Wellfound or Get on Board for recruiting remotely: Open, transparent job recruitment platforms such as Wellfound or Get on Board allows you to access the entire hiring pool, without relying too much on a third party's curation.
- Deel or Ontop for payroll and compliance: Once you've hired your remote team, managing payroll and ensuring compliance with local labor laws can be a complex task, especially across multiple countries. Solutions such as Deel or Ontop specialize in streamlining these processes. They manage contracts, payroll, and ensures compliance with local regulations in over 150 countries, including those in Latin America.
- Safetywing or Global Rescue for Health Insurance and benefits: To truly support your remote workforce, global insurance solutions such as Safetywing or Global Rescue offer international health insurance that covers your remote team no matter where they are located. These services are an excellent option for digital nomads and remote workers, providing them with medical and travel coverage worldwide.
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