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Published Mar 10, 2025 ⦁ 11 min read
7 Steps to Shortlist LATAM Engineers Effectively

7 Steps to Shortlist LATAM Engineers Effectively

LATAM engineers offer a great combination of technical expertise, cost efficiency, and time zone compatibility for North American businesses. If you're looking to hire top talent from Latin America, here’s a quick breakdown of the process:

  1. Define Your Needs: List required technical skills (e.g., React, Node.js, AI/ML tools), communication standards (e.g., business-level English), and time zone preferences.
  2. Write Clear Job Descriptions: Highlight benefits like flexible schedules, professional growth opportunities, and required skills.
  3. Source Talent: Use LATAM job boards (e.g., GetOnBoard), tech communities, or agencies like Tech Wave Hires.
  4. Screen Candidates: Evaluate coding skills, English proficiency, and problem-solving abilities through tests and exercises.
  5. Analyze Work History: Review portfolios, GitHub contributions, and past team collaboration.
  6. Conduct Video Interviews: Assess communication, cultural alignment, and technical expertise through project discussions and system design tasks.
  7. Complete Technical Assessments: Use live coding sessions and technical tasks to finalize your decision.

Key Benefits:

How to hire software engineers and product specialists in LatAm

Step 1: Create Your Engineer Requirements List

Start by outlining clear, measurable criteria to find the right LATAM engineers for your team.

Identify the Required Technical Skills

Your technical requirements should address both current project needs and future growth opportunities.

Core Development Skills:

Specialized Skills:

Area of Focus Key Skills Tools & Frameworks
Mobile Development Swift, Kotlin React Native
AI/ML Development Data modeling, Algorithm design TensorFlow, PyTorch
Quality Assurance Test automation Selenium, Cypress
Infrastructure CI/CD pipeline management Terraform, Prometheus

Once you've listed the technical skills, establish communication standards to ensure effective collaboration.

Define Communication Standards

Clear communication is essential for remote teams. Here's what to consider:

Language Skills:

"Our recruiters, all of whom have engineering backgrounds, thoroughly evaluate candidates' technical skills to ensure they meet industry standards. Additionally, we assess English proficiency and communication skills to guarantee seamless integration into your team." - Tech Wave Hires

Align on Time Zones

Time zone compatibility can make or break team collaboration. Here's how to approach it:

Working Hours Overlap:

Step 2: Write Clear Job Descriptions

Once you've defined your engineering needs, the next step is to craft a job description tailored for LATAM talent. This description should not only attract skilled engineers but also set clear expectations about the role.

Highlight Company Benefits

Focus on benefits that resonate with LATAM engineers. Make sure these perks address their priorities and show how your company supports their professional and personal lives.

Professional Growth:

Work-Life Balance:

Benefit Category Standard Package Premium Package
Learning Budget $1,500/year $3,000/year
Equipment Setup $800 one-time $1,500 one-time
Health Insurance Basic coverage Full coverage + dependents
Annual PTO 15 days 20 days

Outline Required Skills

After showcasing benefits, list the skills candidates need to succeed in the role. Be specific and measurable to attract the right talent.

Technical Skills:

Soft Skills:

Define Remote Work Setup

Provide details about how your remote work environment is structured. This helps candidates understand what to expect.

Collaboration Tools:

Work Schedule:

Step 3: Find LATAM Engineering Talent

Once your job description is ready, it’s time to tap into LATAM’s tech talent pool. You can do this through job boards, tech communities, or specialized recruitment agencies.

Explore LATAM Job Boards

Job boards are a great way to connect with LATAM engineers looking for remote opportunities. Here are a few options:

Engage with Tech Communities

Tech communities can help you discover passive candidates while also boosting your visibility in the region. Consider these options:

These platforms and events are excellent for networking and finding skilled engineers who might not be actively job-hunting.

Partner with Tech Wave Hires

Tech Wave Hires

For a hassle-free hiring process, consider working with a specialized agency like Tech Wave Hires. They can handle everything from sourcing to screening candidates, ensuring they meet your technical and cultural needs. Here's what they offer:

Service Details Benefit
Technical Screening Candidates evaluated by tech-savvy recruiters Reliable skill assessments
Cultural Fit Candidates assessed for team compatibility Faster onboarding
Time Zone Matching Filtered by availability Smooth collaboration
Replacement Guarantee 3-month replacement policy Risk-free hiring

Tech Wave Hires specializes in roles like software engineering, AI/ML, DevOps, and QA. Their process includes analyzing your requirements, sourcing candidates, and conducting thorough technical evaluations, ensuring you find the right fit for your team.

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Step 4: Screen Candidates

Evaluate candidates' technical abilities and communication skills before moving on to more in-depth interviews.

Run Coding Tests

Use standardized assessments to measure coding skills. Platforms like HackerRank or Codility can help you create tests that match the technical needs of the role. Make sure the challenges are tailored to the specific tasks the position requires.

Check English Skills

It's important to assess English proficiency during the hiring process. Here are a few ways to do it:

Once you've gauged language skills, move on to evaluating their problem-solving abilities.

Test Problem-Solving

Use practical exercises to see how candidates handle technical challenges. Here are some examples:

Step 5: Analyze Work History

After screening, it's time to dig into candidates' work histories to confirm their experience and see how well they align with the role.

Check Past Projects

When reviewing portfolios, focus on outcomes that can be measured:

Pay extra attention to projects that involve distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, or other relevant technologies.

Confirm Technical Background

Validate the candidate's technical expertise using a few different methods:

After this, assess how they’ve worked with teams in the past.

Review Team Experience

Focus on their ability to collaborate in remote team environments.

Experience Area What to Look For Red Flags
Remote Work Experience with distributed teams, self-management skills Limited history of working independently
Team Collaboration Use of documentation and communication tools No examples of collaborative projects
Cultural Fit Cross-cultural work experience, adaptability in communication Misaligned communication style

Key areas to explore:

Make sure candidates can clearly explain their contributions and their roles within a team.

Step 6: Hold Video Interviews

Video interviews help evaluate LATAM engineers' communication skills, technical abilities, and how well they align with your company culture.

Assess Communication Skills

Focus on the candidate's ability to communicate effectively in English during a natural conversation. Here's what to look for:

Aspect What to Look For How to Evaluate
English Fluency Ability to speak and understand clearly Ask open-ended questions about past projects
Response Clarity Clear explanations of technical concepts Note how they simplify complex ideas
Non-verbal Cues Engagement and professionalism Observe eye contact and body language

Use platforms like Zoom or Google Meet with good audio and video quality. Schedule interviews during overlapping work hours to ensure candidates are alert and engaged.

Gauge Company Alignment

Check how well the candidate aligns with your organization's values and remote work culture:

Dive Into Technical Skills

Once communication and cultural fit are assessed, focus on their technical expertise.

1. Project Breakdown

Ask the candidate to explain one of their significant projects. Cover these points:

2. System Design Exercise

Present a real-world technical problem and discuss:

3. Code Review Task

Share a small code snippet and have them:

This structured approach ensures you get a clear picture of the candidate's skills, communication abilities, and how they might contribute to your team.

Step 7: Complete Technical Assessment

The final technical assessment focuses on evaluating candidates' engineering skills and their ability to communicate technical concepts effectively.

Conduct Live Coding Sessions

Live coding helps assess how candidates solve problems in real-time. Platforms like CoderPad or CodeSandbox can be used to evaluate key areas:

Assessment Area What to Evaluate Indicators of Success
Code Quality Structure and organization Well-structured, maintainable code with clear naming conventions
Problem Approach Solution methodology Logical problem breakdown and efficient solutions
Debugging Skills Error handling Quick identification and resolution of issues
Time Management Task completion Effective use of time without compromising quality

Assign Technical Tasks

Provide tasks that mirror challenges candidates might face on the job. Examples include:

Assess Technical Communication

Ask candidates to:

Pay close attention to how clearly and effectively they explain complex ideas. This is especially important for remote teams where clear communication is critical.

Tech Wave Hires ensures thorough evaluations by employing recruiters with engineering expertise. Their background helps guarantee accurate assessments of both technical skills and communication abilities - key for success in remote roles.

Conclusion: Implement Your Hiring Process

Finding and hiring talented engineers from LATAM requires a structured approach that balances their technical expertise with how well they align with your team’s working style. The seven steps outlined in this guide provide a clear path to identifying standout candidates from the region.

Here’s a quick breakdown of factors to keep in mind:

Success Factor Key Considerations Impact
Technical Assessment Assess coding abilities and problem-solving Ensures candidates are ready to tackle your technical needs
Communication Skills Look for English fluency and clear explanations Supports smooth collaboration within your team
Cultural Alignment Check time zone overlap and remote work experience Encourages strong team dynamics and efficient workflows

Companies like Growing Good Technologies have seen success through services like Tech Wave Hires. As their CTO, Renee Thomassen, shared:

"Tech Wave Hires really helped us find quality frontend and backend engineers quickly... I would definitely recommend hiring through Tech Wave Hires for any startup or person who wants to find developers quickly, and without having to worry about poor skillsets or spending too much time on interviews that go nowhere."

Whether you handle the hiring process internally or rely on a partner, thorough technical evaluations and clear communication are critical. Tech Wave Hires simplifies this by using recruiters with engineering expertise and offering a three-month replacement guarantee, reducing risks and ensuring a good match for your team.

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