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🌎 THE LATAM RECRUITER - September 2023 Issue

Strategic Remote Hiring: A Framework for Skill Analysis and Reference Checks

When you have an impressive resume—full of solid skills, relevant experience, and a notable education—it's easy to overlook other key attributes. Qualities like teamwork and project management are critical but often not visible on paper. Evaluating these less obvious yet essential traits is crucial to making well-rounded hiring decisions.

Initial Screening Calls – Beyond Basic Conversations

According to Harvard Business Review, 80% of employee turnover stems from poor hiring choices. How can we turn the odds in our favor? Dive deeper into that first call. Don't just tick off the boxes on skills and experience. Use the conversation to gauge the candidate's enthusiasm, communication style, and problem-solving capacity.

At TECLA, we conduct initial screening calls and utilize scorecards for every qualified job applicant. We assess various factors in these interviews, from technical know-how to communication skills and work style. This multifaceted approach provides both a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of each candidate.

We recommend this process because it allows for a comprehensive understanding of the candidate beyond what email interactions offer. This ensures that we only forward candidates to our clients who are a strong fit for the role in question.

The Objective Metric: Soft Skill Scorecards

Soft skills often get the backseat in hiring discussions, yet 89% of bad hires lack these attributes. We recommend employing scorecards with metrics for adaptability and collaboration to bring objectivity to this subject area. For example, our scorecards assess attributes like communication skills, written English, adaptability, and working style on a scale from 1 to 5. At TECLA, we also enhance this approach by incorporating portfolio reviews for design roles and assessing candidates' skills, styles, and alignment with the company.

For client-facing and management positions, we complement screening calls with soft skills tests. Alongside video interviews to catch nonverbal cues, these tactics provide a comprehensive and reliable framework to distinguish genuine candidates from those claiming to be 'great communicators' or 'team players.'

Reference Checks – The Seal of Approval

Let's talk about the often-neglected cornerstone of remote hiring: reference checks. CareerBuilder's survey shows that 69% of companies faced the repercussions of a bad hire simply because they sidestepped this critical stage.

At TECLA, it serves as our benchmark for a comprehensive understanding of a candidate's competencies and character. We engage with 2-4 of a candidate's previous or current supervisors or colleagues, asking pointed questions about work quality, dependability, strengths, and weaknesses. We do this because it provides a well-rounded view of the candidate that goes beyond what's on a resume or shared in an interview.

This deeper understanding is crucial for our clients, and we strongly advocate for this practice in all hiring processes.

The Final Knot

Making the right hire is not just about avoiding bad choices—it's a long-term investment in human capital. At TECLA, we've streamlined hiring for Latin America's evolving remote work scene through initial calls, soft skill scorecards, and rigorous reference checks. Our approach considers overt and subtle candidate qualities, helping you make impactful hires.

If you find international hiring in Latin America daunting, let's connect! Feel free to contact me via email or connect with me on LinkedIn! We have the expertise and roadmap to guide you to success.

Stay in contact!

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the LatAm Recruiter! If you'd like to discuss hiring in LatAm, or get advice about the LatAm market, reach out via LinkedIn or email me at [email protected]. I'd be happy to help!

- Gino Ferrand, CEO and Founder at TECLA.