Can You Find Top LatAm and Nearshore Tech Talent on LinkedIn?

We’re often told that LinkedIn is the ticket to finding a job and sourcing the best candidates. After all, the platform boasts over 1 billion users across 200 countries. But unfortunately, LinkedIn isn’t as popular with nearshore talent, especially those in the tech sector. In fact, only roughly 20% of tech talent in LatAm have LinkedIn profiles.

So, can you find top nearshore tech talent on LinkedIn? If not, what alternatives are available?

Challenges with Sourcing Software Developers Using LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn’t as popular with techies as it is for other careers. While non-tech fields such as marketing and human resources often rely on the networking platform to make professional connections, many developers prefer platforms like GitHub or Stack Overflow. These tech talent-specific sites allow professionals in the field to showcase projects and participate in technical discussions. 

The fact that LinkedIn isn’t a highly technical forum is just one reason why developers sometimes avoid it. Many also believe there’s too much spam and irrelevant content.

In fact, many passive candidates won’t actively engage with recruiters or businesses that reach out to them, seeing this type of communication as spammy or not serious. And with 70% of the global workforce being comprised of passive job seekers, you can’t afford to ignore that population. 

Of course, the process of sourcing nearshore tech talent on LinkedIn is often time-intensive, and the search filters are broad. Additionally, it’s difficult (if not impossible) to assess soft skills via LinkedIn alone. That means recruiters and hiring managers may have a difficult time evaluating the holistic software developer.

Challenges with Sourcing Nearshore Tech Talent Using LinkedIn

While the number of LinkedIn users is growing in Latin America, it still pales in comparison to that of US users. Despite the thriving tech scenes in many LATAM cities, from Bogota to Santiago, many developers simply don’t have visibility on LinkedIn. That means you could miss out on viable candidates who just aren’t active on the platform.

There are also language and cultural barriers. LATAM tends to emphasize personal connections over virtual ones. Plus, there are differences in methods of credentialing, education, and certifications. It can be difficult for people who are unfamiliar with these cultures to understand the nuances and separate out the candidates who might be good matches for their teams. Meanwhile, language barriers can limit tech candidates’ visibility and the potential for interactions.

Additionally, each country in Latin America and elsewhere has its own employment laws and regulations. Navigating these constraints is often challenging for recruiters and hiring managers in the U.S.

LinkedIn doesn’t provide tools that account for these complexities and facilitate interactions between nearshore tech talent and U.S. employers or recruiters. With limited communication, you’ll have trouble getting a true sense of the candidate’s technical and soft skills and full qualifications.

Given that many of these communities are relatively insular, you may face stiff competition from local companies and networks that also want to attract top talent. These companies also have the visibility you lack, giving them an advantage.

Benefits of Dedicated Nearshore Tech Recruitment Platforms

It’s clear that it’s difficult to find top nearshore tech talent on LinkedIn. How, then, do you find quality software developers at a cost-effective rate?

Nearshore tech talent recruitment platforms like Terminal are a great alternative. Unlike LinkedIn, we curate a pool of software engineers and screen them for experience, skills, salary, English proficiency, and other skills and qualities. Only 7% pass the screening. Plus, you can see their soft skills in action through video clips of each candidate that you have the opportunity to review. 

We also have local professionals to source talent. They understand the cultural nuances of their community, something that’s difficult for people who aren’t familiar with the area.

Our platform helps you navigate the complexities of the nearshore tech talent hiring process through fast and precise matching—you can search for factors like skills, experience, and proximity.

We also conduct the entire vetting process, verifying educational requirements, work history, and technical skills. We nurture relationships with candidates and deal with many of the tedious aspects of hiring, including contending with local employment laws, regulations, and taxes.

Our journey with you doesn’t end with recruitment. We assist you with onboarding and managing remote developers and continue to support you post-recruitment. For example, we can be the employer of record (EOR), managing remote employment, payroll, benefits, and equity. 

It’s true—you may be able to find contract or full-time nearshore tech talent on LinkedIn. But your search is likely to be challenging and time-consuming. By relying on dedicated services to source software developers, you’ll accelerate your recruitment efforts and find the right talent for your business.