To assess a candidate's authentic writing ability, compare their response to a short, single-sentence prompt with a longer, paragraph-based one. A flawless paragraph but a weak sentence suggests heavy reliance on editing tools or AI for the longer response.
Founders often mistakenly hire offshore candidates who are fluent conversationalists, only to find their work product is poor. A better indicator of success is strong reading comprehension and written ability, as many global education systems prioritize these skills over spoken fluency.
The most significant differentiator in high-quality offshore talent is an ownership mentality. Many hiring processes fail because they select for candidates who can follow instructions ("do the work") when the company actually needs someone to take initiative and own outcomes.
Successful onboarding requires providing maximum visibility and context in the first 90 days. Founders often fail by succumbing to the "read my mind fallacy," expecting offshore hires to understand tasks without the same training they'd give domestic employees.
E-commerce and DTC brands with physical inventory constantly face cash flow problems. This makes them more motivated to find cost efficiencies through offshoring compared to well-funded software startups, for whom a few thousand dollars a month is a rounding error.
Brands are shifting to a new model: one senior US-based leader for strategy, supported by one or two offshore team members for execution. This structure leverages the US lead in marketing strategy while efficiently scaling operations and keeping headcount costs low.
The cultural gap between a domestic remote and an international remote team is much smaller than the gap between in-person and remote work. Effective global culture relies on the same principles as any remote team: solid communication, regular check-ins, and finding common ground.