🙋‍♂️🌱What to Consider Before Extending an Offer to a LATAM Candidate

Making a great hire is just the beginning. Setting up a smooth, clear, and fast process is what seals the deal.

Hiring talent from LATAM offers companies access to highly skilled, motivated, and differently minded professionals. Having people join your team from thousands of miles away might seem rare, but in today’s globalized world, it’s like jumping from a small river to the big sea. You’ll find many more options and diversity. Imagine how different mindsets could impact your team? Building a team is like building a sports team: you need different roles and backgrounds to have solid balance and get the best results.

You’ve found the right candidate. That’s great, but it’s not the end. Crafting and delivering a good offer is just as key as finding the right team member. Take into account the structure, clarity, and respect for their time and commitment.

If you’re considering extending an offer to a candidate based in Latin America, here are some key things to keep in mind to ensure a seamless and successful experience for both sides.

⏱️ Keep Moving (No More Than 7 Days)

Top talent moves fast. In competitive markets like tech and marketing, a long or unclear offer process can cause you to lose great candidates.

We recommend keeping the post-interview phase to 5 business days max, ideally less. Once you’ve decided, act quickly. Any delays, especially without communication, signal uncertainty and may give the candidate time to accept another offer.

Candidates are not waiting to be chosen. They make their own decisions. Make this a two-way decision. You are hiring a collaborator, so expect that energy from the beginning.

Tell the candidate what to expect once they’re in the final stages. Clear timelines show professionalism and build trust.

✍️ Put the Offer in Writing

A common mistake we see? Relying on a verbal offer and skipping a formal document. Talking and celebrating is great, but a written offer creates clarity for both parties and helps prevent misunderstandings about:

• Start date
• Compensation and payment schedule
• Working hours and time zone expectations
• Reporting lines
• Contract duration (especially for project-based roles)

The written offer doesn’t have to be overly formal, but it should cover all the essentials. You can follow it up later with the full contractor agreement, but this first document should be enough for the candidate to make a decision confidently.

📃 The Right Contract

When hiring talent from LATAM, most companies use contractor agreements instead of local employment contracts. That’s perfectly standard, and candidates are used to this type of contract when working for an international company. Although this model is often used for a contractor position, this new team member will be as much a part of your team as any other on-site talent.

In the contract, you can specify things like:

• The candidate will be paid in USD and through which platform they’ll receive the money, such as Payoneer, PayPal, etc. Make sure to include whether the transaction fees will be covered by the company or the candidate.
• Legal details, payment terms, and confidentiality
• If you’re offering benefits, make sure they’re detailed in the contract

💻 Include the “Extras” That Make THE Difference

Having benefits that make a difference is easier than it looks. Yes, having the latest laptop could be great, but that’s not the only option. Small perks can make a big impact and help your offer stand out.

Here are a few to consider:

• Internet stipend or home office bonus (around $100–$200/month is common)
• Paid time off (PTO). Minimum of 10 days/year, and more flexibility like extra weeks or even a flexible policy is a plus. If using flexible policy we recommend setting a maximum of days or an average, this will avoid misunderstandings
• Paid local holidays this is great, but you should know that some locations have up to 20 days per year, lucky Colombia! So just double-check that it aligns with what you have in mind
• Laptop or equipment stipend. Most contractors are used to working with their own equipment, but offering a budget for home office setup or even buying a monitor or headphones works great.
• Flexible time: If you work across time zones and offer flexibility, set at least a few shared hours where everyone’s online. It doesn’t have to be full overlap. Even 3 or 4 hours creates team rhythm, builds trust, and avoids people feeling like they’re working alone. Something like “We offer flexibility but we expect everyone to be connected usually from 12-4 EST time”
• Budget for professional development: It doesn’t need to be a big amount. A yearly budget for courses, tools, or events sends a clear message: we care about your growth, and we want you to keep leveling up. “Hey, you will have available a 500 USD budget to take courses online or invest in your professional growth”

Even offering flexibility and autonomy can be seen as a perk. Just make sure your expectations are clear.

⏳ When?

Not all perks need to start on day one but it’s key to clarify when they do. Some benefits (like internet stipends or equipment budget) can be active from the start, while others (like PTO or learning budget) might kick in after the first month or a trial period. Just be clear in the offer or contract so expectations are aligned from day one.

🌎 Why This All Matters

Extending an offer is a key part of the process. Sometimes, working with international talent can be an unexplored area. Maybe you don’t know the benefits or how local processes work. No worries. By following these key steps, you’ll deliver a great experience from the beginning.

Want Help Structuring Your LATAM Hiring Process?

At Kala, we’ve helped hundreds of U.S.-based startups and SMBs scale their teams in LATAM with speed, precision, and care.

We’ll help you:

• Find the right talent
• Craft the right offer
• Streamline the process so you don’t lose candidates along the way

Want to chat? Book a call with our team.