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At Remote Employee®, we often talk about how we can help you hire the right person for between 50% and 70% less than the cost of the average onshore American employee. However, another benefit of working with us is the fact that you get to stay in control of your hiring process; we just handle the red tape. This model will help you stay in control of who you add to your team. 

Ruffy Galang, CEO and Co-Founder of Remote Employee®, explains the reason we work this way, like this: he says that, “You know your company’s culture and needs better than anyone else. We keep the hiring decision in your hands because that’s how you build strong, lasting teams. Our job is to remove the barriers so that you can concentrate on choosing people who truly fit.”

However, it also means that you still need to leverage hiring best practices to find the ideal candidate. We can help you save on hiring costs, but you still need to do your due diligence in helping yourself find the right fit.

That’s what this article is about. We will explore:

The Importance of Hiring The Right Person

Hiring the right person does more than fill an open role. The right hire strengthens your culture, supports your goals, and creates a sense of stability across your team. Every addition to your staff has the potential to enhance how your company operates.

When you bring in someone who aligns with your values, you gain an employee who is invested in contributing to your success. The right person adapts quickly, communicates effectively, and builds relationships that support collaboration. 

Beyond the immediate contributions, the right hire makes a long-term impact. They grow with your company, take on new challenges, and often become leaders within your organization. This stability reduces the need for constant recruitment.

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What Makes Finding The Right Employee Challenging?

Limited Local Talent

Because onshore hiring confines your search to local candidates, you may miss people with specialized skills. This is especially true in fields like technology, finance, and healthcare, where the demand for expertise outpaces the supply. 

Additionally, the US labor market simply has fewer options overall. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the labor force participation rate is projected to drop by 2.2% within the next decade. 

This predicted dip in available American employees is the result of a combination of lower birth rates, the retirement of the Baby Boomers, and fewer younger people entering the job market.

High Costs 

Hiring in the US carries expenses that extend well beyond a base salary. Employers must account for payroll taxes, insurance, benefits, and compliance with employment regulations, all of which add up quickly. These costs may limit the number of hires a business can make, and fewer hires means less of a chance of finding the right person in your limited pool.

How expensive is your employee?
Where did you hire?What drives the costs?Additional costs on top of the base salary
USA (annual base salary $50,000)Social Security tax: $3,100 Medicare tax: $725 FUTA: $420 State unemployment (average): $500 Workers’ compensation: $500 Employer health insurance contribution (family coverage, 2025 projection): $20,394$25.6K USD
The Philippines(annual base salary ₱600,000≈ $10,500 at ₱57/$)SSS (employer share): ₱60,000 ($1,053 USD) PhilHealth (employer share): ₱30,000 ($526 USD) Pag-IBIG (employer share): ₱2,400 ($42 USD) 13th-month pay: ₱50,000 ($877 USD)$2.5K USD

Long Hiring Cycles

Recruitment often involves lengthy processes. Each step, from interviews to background checks, introduces potential delays. As a result, businesses may struggle to bring people on board quickly enough to meet immediate needs.

Competition

Desirable candidates rarely stay on the job market for long. 59% of these candidates will receive multiple offers at once, which drives up expectations for pay and benefits. Companies without strong brand recognition or compelling packages often find themselves losing out to larger or more visible employers.

Geographic & Timing Constraints

72% of candidates are unwilling to relocate or take on long commutes for a job. Also, if your hiring window is too tight, quality candidates may not align with your schedule. Good people often have existing roles, so misaligned timing or location can rule them out before you even see them.

Scalability Limitations

When companies need to grow quickly, local hiring processes can slow them down. Recruitment teams can only handle so many openings at once, and the time required for onboarding further delays productivity. This makes it difficult for businesses to scale at the speed their strategy demands.

Key Considerations to Help You Hire The Right Person

Cultural Fit

You should look for candidates who reflect your company’s values and working style. When someone blends well with your culture, they are more likely to stay and contribute positively to the team. A poor fit can lead to a higher turnover risk.

Work Ethic

Pay attention to signs of reliability, motivation, and accountability. A candidate with a strong work ethic will take ownership of their responsibilities and maintain consistent performance. This type of hire strengthens your team’s output and reduces the need for constant oversight.

Communication Skills

This isn’t just about whether or not they can speak English. You must evaluate how well a candidate explains their thoughts and how carefully they listen. Strong communication reduces misunderstandings and keeps projects moving smoothly. Poor communication, on the other hand, can lead to mistakes, missed deadlines, and friction between team members.

Long-Term Potential

Consider not just what you need today, but what your team might need in the future. A candidate with growth potential can step into new responsibilities as your company evolves. This helps you reduce turnover, build leadership from within, and get more value out of your hiring decisions.

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Leading Tactics Top Employers Use While Hiring The Right Employee

Pre-Screening

Implement multi-stage assessments that include real-life tasks or role-specific assignments, not just resume screening. This gives you early evidence of how a candidate performs under conditions similar to what they will face. It filters out those who look good on paper but won’t deliver in practice.

Technical Vetting

Have your internal team or a subject-matter expert interview or test the candidate’s work. This ensures that technical standards and expectations match your real team’s needs. It also lets you catch gaps you might miss.

Check Alignment

Check that candidates are comfortable (or quickly adaptable) with the tools, workflows, and remote collaboration platforms you use. Even a great performer can struggle if they resist or can’t onboard to your systems. By validating this early, you protect your investment and maintain control of integration.

Time Zone Overlap Anchors

Rather than expecting full overlap, require that candidates maintain a few “anchor hours” of overlap with your core team. Use this overlap for synchronous communication, feedback, and escalation. It gives you real-time visibility and helps prevent delays caused by fully asynchronous work.

Here is an example of how an American company may plan this with a Filipino employee.

Time (ET)USA Team (Eastern)Philippines Team (PHT)Overlap Use
7–9 AMStart of day7–9 PM (end of day)Anchor hours for daily check-in, feedback, and escalations
9 AM–12 PMMorning work9 PM–12 AM (late evening)Optional overlap if urgent, but not regular
12–6 PMMidday–afternoonOffline (night)Asynchronous work only
7–9 PMEvening7–9 AM (start of day)Anchor hours for handoffs, planning, and real-time updates
9 PM–7 AMOfflineFull working dayAsynchronous updates and progress logging

Outcome-Based Escalation Points

Embed escalation triggers in the role description and early contract: e.g. missed deadlines beyond X%, defect rate over Y%, or stakeholder dissatisfaction above Z. These define objective “fail states” early so you can act on underperformance without ambiguity.

Cross-Role Pairing

Pair candidate(s) with a future counterpart (designer, QA, product) during evaluation so you can see how well they collaborate beyond their silo. This shows whether they understand dependencies, adjust communication style, and respect other functions’ constraints.

Hire The Right Person For Less With Remote Employee®

If you’re tired of battling the American job market for good candidates, there is a whole new talent pool in the Philippines waiting for you. You can find the skills the American labor market is missing for less than it would cost to hire a potentially unqualified candidate. What’s there to lose?

Remote Employee® works with vetted professionals. When you recruit new employees through us, you already know that you’re picking from top-quality candidates. We’ll take care of any legal red tape; all you need to do is choose your ideal fit from our extensive talent pool.

Choose us if you need skilled workers in:

Reach out today to find your new Remote Employee®!

Ruffy Galang