I hired my first global team member in 2019. Different company, different context — but that's where I started learning the hard lessons.
The first person we brought on was a sales development rep in the Philippines. We found them, hired them, and then realized we had no idea what we were doing. We were paying about double what we should have for half the output we should have expected. We didn't know the market. We didn't have a process. We were just winging it.
Since then I've posted 54+ jobs on Indeed, hired people across the Philippines, Latin America, Brazil, Pakistan, and South Africa, and built a team of 20+ people running across 5 countries. This is the process I actually use now — not theory, not a framework I read somewhere.
Why hire globally at all
A few reasons it makes sense for service businesses specifically:
- English proficiency is high in markets like the Philippines — it's not a barrier the way people assume.
- The talent pool is deep. VAs, cold callers, ops people, even senior-level executive roles — it's all there.
- Cost means you can hire sooner. You can bring someone on full-time at a fraction of what it would cost to fill that same role in the US. That's less pressure on your P&L and it means you don't have to wait until you can "afford" it.
- Lower turnover. In my experience, global team members tend to prioritize stability and longevity over chasing a 10% pay bump. US hires are often looking for the next thing. My global team members stick around.
That last point is underrated. Turnover is expensive. Every time you replace someone you're paying recruiting costs, training time, and the productivity loss in between. A team that stays is worth more than it looks on paper.
What to pay
Here's a rough guide by region. These are real numbers, not estimates from a staffing agency trying to upsell you.
| Region | Typical rate | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Philippines | $5–$10/hr | VAs, cold callers, admin, comms roles |
| Latin America | $8–$12/hr | US time zone overlap, ops, creative |
| Eastern Europe | $15–$25/hr | Technical and ops-heavy roles |
For a VA role in the Philippines, you're typically looking at $1,000–$1,500/month full-time. For an executive assistant with more experience, up to $1,500. Always put the range in the job post — it filters out people whose expectations don't match before you read a single resume.
The platform: use Indeed
I tried Onlinejobs.ph early on. I don't use it anymore. I use Indeed almost exclusively, with LinkedIn occasionally as a backup.
The goal with Indeed is simple: maximum applicants at the top of the funnel. More applicants means a better filter, which means a better hire. Here's how to set it up right:
Post in the right country
When creating the job, change the location to the Philippines (or wherever you're hiring). This tells Indeed where to distribute the post. Set it as fully remote. Don't skip this step — it changes who sees the job entirely.
Sponsor the post
Don't post a free job. We spend around $8/day on sponsored posts. The reason: a free post gets you 1,000+ applicants with no way to automate follow-up. You'll end up reaching out to every single one manually. That's a massive waste of time. Sponsored posts let you set up automations that do the work for you.
Set up the automation
The most critical piece. When someone applies, an automatic message goes out immediately asking them to fill out a real application — a Google Form with your actual questions. Anyone who doesn't respond filters themselves out. This alone cuts your review pile from 1,000 to the 100–200 people who actually followed through.
Require an intro video
In the Google Form, ask them to submit a 1–2 minute video. They should cover their background and why they're applying. The video tells you everything you need to know about how they communicate — that's what you're evaluating. Serious candidates send the video. Everyone else filters themselves out.
How to filter
Once applications come in, don't read every resume yourself. Run a basic filter first:
- English proficiency (you can hear this in the video)
- Relevant experience for the role
- Availability and time zone fit
For VA roles, the video does most of the work. Watch it. If their communication isn't where it needs to be, move on. Don't talk yourself into someone who's borderline on the most important criteria for the role.
Once you've filtered to a shortlist, review those yourself. Then move to interviews — two rounds max. You're looking for three things: can they communicate clearly, do they understand the role, and are they reliable. Ask them how they'd approach the first two weeks. Ask how they handle being stuck on something. That tells you more than a resume ever will.
If you need five calls to decide, that's a red flag — not a sign to keep going. You already have a sense from the video. The interview is to confirm it.
Build a hiring database from day one
This is the thing most people skip and then regret later.
Every person who applies to a role at Goodly goes into a database — even the ones who never filled out the form. We export all resumes, run them through AI to score fit, and keep every name and email on file.
Next time we're hiring, instead of paying to boost a new post on Indeed, I email everyone in that database: "We're hiring again — if you're interested, here's the role." That direct email gets a higher response rate than a job post. And it costs nothing.
Most people treat past applicants as dead ends. They're not. They already showed interest once. Some just had bad timing. Start the database with your very first hire and it pays off every time after that.
Global hires cost less, stick around longer, and can free up more of your time than almost any other investment you'll make in your business. But you have to run the process right — otherwise you'll spend double and get half the output. I know because I did exactly that in 2019.
