Three-Step Hiring Filter

Nick Huber's company receives 60,000 applicants monthly and has developed a systematic filtering process to identify top talent from international markets.

Sourcing applicants

• Half come from promoted job postings on LinkedIn, Indeed, and Monster
• Half come from referrals and ads targeting people already employed
• Post jobs in Colombia, Brazil, South Africa, and the Philippines (the four hottest markets)
• For specialized roles: Egypt for finance, Eastern Europe for engineers
• Promote the job on LinkedIn with $100/day for 5 days ($500 total investment)
• Expect roughly 1,000 applicants for this investment

Three-step filtering process

Step 1: Typing speed test

• Filters out 85% of applicants immediately
• Requires 35+ words per minute typing speed
• Applies to all remote roles: engineering, marketing, graphic design, admin, sales, executive leadership
• Reduces 60,000 monthly applicants to 5,000
• For individual job posts: reduces 1,000 applicants to ~150

Step 2: One-minute video introduction

• Request candidates film themselves introducing themselves for one minute
• 80% of remaining applicants won't complete this step
• Shows who is serious about the job and willing to do the work
• Allows assessment of professional maturity and communication skills
• Reduces pool to 30-40 candidates from original 1,000

Step 3: Task-based assessment

• Watch the videos and evaluate communication and professional maturity
• Pick top 5 candidates for role-specific assessments
• Example for sales roles: Send 5 calls from the sales team, ask candidates to record a 3-minute video analyzing missed opportunities and improvements
• Results in 3-4 strong final candidates

Task-based testing philosophy

• Task-based tests are more valuable than interviews
• Forces clarity on what you're actually looking for in a candidate
• Provides objective comparison of what candidates can produce
• Tests should take 60-90 minutes and closely simulate actual job responsibilities
• Pay candidates for their time on the task trial
• Saves money and time compared to making false hires based on interview chemistry
• Focuses on production output rather than subjective impressions

Team composition insights

• Nick's companies are 95%+ international employees
• Americans retained primarily for sales and account management roles
• High-level positions filled internationally: COO in Johannesburg, Head of Performance Marketing in Bogotá, Head of Finance in Cape Town
• Shift from outsourcing "repeatable tasks" to having international talent run entire companies