Before you hire a recruiting partner, we answer the hard questions.
Questions? We got you. Here's exactly how we hire for you. How fast can we hire? What will it cost? Where should we look? What happens if it doesn't work out? Ayelen and Trinity answer the questions we get all the time.
Real stories. Real results.
Danny Auerbach
Chief of Staff, Intuitive Digital
Nicholas Daniel-Richards
CEO, Packiyo
Martin Kann
Founder, Zutun
Frequently asked questions
Why should I work with a recruitment partner instead of hiring in-house?
You can absolutely hire in-house. The real point is whether you have the time and focus to do it properly. A structured hiring process takes between 22 and 36 hours end to end, usually involving one or two people. That includes defining the role, building a sourcing plan, having the right tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter, and contacting 60 to 100 profiles, running interviews, aligning internally, and closing the offer. Response rates are not high. Tech roles average around a 12 percent interview rate and marketing around 18 percent. That means serious outreach before you even start evaluating. Hiring is not complicated. It just takes consistent time and attention. When it is done halfway, not having time to move forward in the process, not evaluating properly, or not sharing feedback and ghosting candidates due to lack of time is expensive for your company and your employer reputation. The cost shows up later.
Which roles do you hire for?
In Tech & Product, we cover Software Engineering, AI and Data, DevOps and Cloud, QA, Product, and Security. In Marketing, we cover Paid Media, Growth, SEO, Content, Account Management, Marketing Project Management, Design, Motion and Video, and Web and Landing Page specialists. In Operations & Finance, we cover Business Operations, Strategy & Operations, Finance, Accounting, Customer Operations, Project Management, and Executive/Founder support. The common factor is not the title. It is execution under pressure. Startups operate with speed, ambiguity, and accountability. Each market has its own particularities, and we have teams specialized in those markets.
What if I'm not exactly sure who I need yet?
That is normal, especially in startups. Sometimes the first conversation starts with a job description. Sometimes it starts with a problem: growth is stuck, the founder is still running operations, engineering needs another layer, or there is work nobody clearly owns. We help turn that into a profile we can actually recruit for. That means defining scope, seniority, compensation, location, must-haves, and what this person should be able to own six months after joining. A search gets expensive when you spend weeks interviewing people for a role that was never clear in the first place. We would rather challenge the profile before we start sourcing.
How do you filter good candidates when everyone looks perfect now?
This is exactly why hiring got harder. We evaluate three layers through three steps in the process: before contacting them, we research their company background and verify the accuracy of their experience; during interviews, we test proof of their work; and before extending an offer, we check references. Execution: what they actually built, shipped, optimized, or owned, using structured interviews and STAR-based evaluation. Thinking: real scenarios such as performance drops, messy handoffs, unclear scope, or scaling challenges. Operating style: ownership, communication clarity, and the ability to work in async environments with real overlap. We do not send average profiles. We send candidates you would see as part of your team.
How long does it take to see candidates?
Candidates are typically ready to meet within 7 to 10 business days. The majority of the work happens before interviews. For a senior React engineer, we may contact 100 to 120 profiles to land 8 to 12 first conversations. For a senior media buyer, that number may range between 75 and 90. That requires research, mapping, and structured outreach. After the shortlist stage, most processes take another 8 to 10 business days to move from interviews to offer, depending on internal alignment. Agile processes are key not only to getting the best talent but also to engaging them in the process. A good process should not take more than 28 days from first contact to offer.
How many candidates will I see per role?
Typically 2–4 strong profiles. If you are reviewing 15 profiles, something is off. Either the role is not clearly defined or filtering is not strict enough. Volume creates activity, but not clarity. We keep the shortlist tight on purpose. Founders do not need more options. They need better ones. Matching technical fit, cultural alignment, and genuine interest in your team takes time and structured evaluation.
How involved do I need to be?
Enough to make good hiring decisions. Not enough to run the search yourself. We need your input at the beginning to understand the role and your feedback once candidates start interviewing. We handle the work in between: research, market mapping, sourcing, outreach, screening, candidate communication, scheduling, follow-ups, and offer support. The goal is not to remove you from hiring. It is to make sure your time is spent evaluating strong candidates rather than finding them.
What happens if we're not seeing the right candidates?
We adjust. A search gives us real market information. If compensation is off, the talent pool is too narrow, one requirement is eliminating great people, or the profile itself needs to change, we will tell you. We do not quietly spend another four weeks running the same search and hoping for a different result. Sometimes the answer is changing the market. Sometimes it is compensation, seniority, scope, or one requirement that looked essential on paper but isn’t in practice. Market feedback is part of what you are hiring us for.
Do you only recruit US-based candidates?
No. We recruit based on the role, not a predefined location. For some searches, the right talent market is the US. For others, opening the search internationally gives you access to a stronger or broader talent pool. We recruit across the US, LATAM, Europe, and APAC, depending on the role, budget, timezone, seniority, and type of experience you need. You do not need to come to us knowing where to hire. Part of our job is understanding the role and telling you where we believe the strongest markets are for it. Sometimes our recommendation will be international. Sometimes it will be US-based. The search should follow the talent you need, not the other way around.
Why should I consider hiring outside the US?
You should not hire internationally just because you can. It makes sense when another market gives you better access to the skills, experience, timezone, or budget your role requires. Different markets are strong for different things. LATAM can make a lot of sense when US timezone overlap matters. Parts of Europe have deep engineering, product, and technical talent pools. APAC can open access to specialized skills and different coverage hours. And sometimes, after looking at the role, we will tell you that hiring in the US makes more sense. We know these markets, what candidates expect, how compensation moves, where specific skills are concentrated, and what makes an international hire actually work inside a US startup. International hiring is not the strategy. Having more places to find the right person is.
How do you decide where we should hire?
We look at the role first. What does this person need to own? How senior are they? Who will they work with? How much timezone overlap matters? Is the role customer-facing? What level of English is required? What is your budget? And where does the relevant talent actually exist? From there, we compare markets and recommend where we would search. The same budget can create very different candidate pools in New York, Austin, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Warsaw, or other markets. But compensation is only one variable. Availability, competition, experience, language, and working style matter too. You do not need to become an expert in every talent market before hiring internationally. That’s part of the know-how we bring to the search.
Can you help us understand what we should pay?
Yes. Compensation is part of the search strategy, especially when you are comparing markets. We look at seniority, skill set, location, current candidate expectations, and what we are actually seeing during outreach. If the person you described is consistently above your range, we will tell you. From there, we can discuss the trade-offs: change geography, adjust seniority, narrow the scope, reconsider compensation, or rethink the profile. A salary benchmark is useful. Real candidate behavior is even more useful.
Do you recruit for part-time, contract, or project-based roles?
Yes. Not every problem requires another full-time employee. We recruit for full-time, part-time, contract, fractional, and project-based roles depending on what the company actually needs. This can work particularly well when you need specialized expertise, additional capacity for a specific period, or someone to own an area before you are ready to build a full team around it. The hiring process is still selective. Part-time does not mean lower standards. We define the scope, expected availability, overlap, deliverables, and length of engagement before starting the search so both sides know exactly what they are signing up for.
How do contracts and payments work for international hires?
Most LATAM professionals work as independent contractors. Here is a contract template used by our partners, and we can support with platforms like Deel if required, although it is not mandatory. Payments are typically handled through US bank accounts or platforms such as Wise, Payoneer, or PayPal. Operationally, the structure is simple once defined. Competitive offers in LATAM are not only about salary. Clear PTO policies, equipment budgets, internet allowance, and defined review cadence influence long-term alignment and commitment. We apply the same benefits and policies you have with your local team, with the exception of legal requirements such as pension or medical insurance, which contractors cover themselves. Our team will recommend the best structure you can offer depending on market standard, your budget, internal benefits, and plans.
How does pricing work?
Our fee is based on the role and the scope of the search. Before we start, we agree on the fee, payment structure, guarantee, and exactly what is included. There are no extra charges based on how many candidates we source, contact, or interview. Our job is to run the search from kickoff through accepted offer. You know what you’re paying before we start.
Do we need to work with you exclusively?
Not necessarily. We can work on non-exclusive searches, although for certain roles we may recommend a dedicated search structure. What matters more is having a clear process. If five agencies, your internal team, and two founders are all contacting the same talent pool without coordination, you usually create duplication rather than speed. We’ll tell you upfront what structure we think makes sense.
I don't know you. Why should I trust you with a key hire?
That is fair, and you should not trust anybody based on one answer. Trust in recruitment is not built in one meeting. It is built through delivery. You see it in the first shortlist, in how communication is handled, and in how friction is managed when expectations shift. There is nothing we can say that replaces that. The process itself builds trust, and that takes time. That is why we love working with founders. The most impactful decisions involve risk. Being open to taking that risk can lead you to the person who changes your team.
Do you help with the offer, or does your work stop after the introduction?
We stay involved through the accepted offer. By that point, we already know what matters to the candidate: compensation, scope, growth, flexibility, timing, other processes they are in, and what could make them say no. We help both sides stay aligned, surface concerns before they become surprises, and support the offer and closing process. A great candidate reaching the final stage is not the same thing as a successful hire.
What if the hire doesn't work out?
We offer a 6-month guarantee, double the market standard. If the hire leaves or is terminated for any reason, we replace at no additional fee. We also schedule structured check-ins at 15 days, 1 month, 3 months, and 5.5 months to detect misalignment early and address it before it escalates. Hiring is expensive to get wrong, not only because of salary, but because of the internal tension it creates, expectations not met, and time lost. We build long-term relationships, and we remain part of your recruitment process after the hire has been made.
What do you need from us to start?
A conversation. We need to understand why you are hiring, what this person needs to own, who they will work with, your timeline, compensation range, and what would make someone successful in your company. If you already have a job description, great. If you don’t, that is not a blocker. From there, we define the profile, recommend where to search, align on compensation and process, and start building the market.
