Awana

Awana We connect stellar LatAm talent with forward-thinking companies worldwide.

With over 80 satisfied clientsโ€”from Fortune 500 companies to rapid-growth startupsโ€”we've established ourselves as the go-to experts in LATAM IT staffing.

The data on AI engineering talent in LATAM what we found, what it means for teams hiring now, and what's coming next.๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฎ...
06/02/2026

The data on AI engineering talent in LATAM what we found, what it means for teams hiring now, and what's coming next.
๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—–๐—ง๐—ข ๐—ผ ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜. ๐Ÿ‘Œ

05/29/2026

๐—œ๐˜€ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—น?

The best engineers on your team are not looking for a job. That's the problem with your hiring strategy.

Job boards are a filter for people who are unhappy enough, available enough, or unconfident enough to be actively searching.

The engineers at the top of their field? They're employed, ignoring inbound, not checking LinkedIn job listings.

But most companies: Write JDs optimized for active seekers Post on platforms that active seekers use Filter rรฉsumรฉs from the active pool Wonder why they can't hire at senior level

The math is simple: if the best engineers aren't on the market, a process designed for the market will never find them.

What changes when you design for passive talent:

You build reputation in communities where great engineers actually pay attention not job boards.

Your process respects their time because they have options, and a chaotic process is a signal about how the company operates.

Your pitch is specific "here is the exact problem you would own" not a JD with 11 bullet points.

The best engineers don't apply. They get convinced.

What's the most effective way you've reached a senior engineer who wasn't looking?

7 questions Awana asks before starting any search. Most recruiting agencies ask zero.The right scoping brief is the diff...
05/26/2026

7 questions Awana asks before starting any search. Most recruiting agencies ask zero.

The right scoping brief is the difference between a 6-week search and a 6-month one.

If you don't define the operational reality of the role, the constraints, and what success looks like at 90 days, you aren't ready to hire. A vague brief produces vague candidates.

Question 7 is the most important: The answer reveals what you know you need but haven't articulated yet. It surfaces the real filter not the stated one.

What's the question you always forget to ask before starting a key search? ๐Ÿ‘‡

This is what a Thursday night in Seattle should look like.Live pitches. Real founders. Good people.Oh, and pizza and bee...
05/26/2026

This is what a Thursday night in Seattle should look like.

Live pitches. Real founders. Good people.
Oh, and pizza and beer, because great ideas deserve great fuel.

LaFamilia Seattle Chapter launches June 18th.
RSVP link in the comments ๐Ÿ‘‡

The LATAM AI talent market shifted significantly in the last 12 months.Demand for AI developers in the US grew faster th...
05/21/2026

The LATAM AI talent market shifted significantly in the last 12 months.

Demand for AI developers in the US grew faster than supply can absorb. The result: compensation inflation that puts AI talent out of reach for most startups building in SF or NYC.

The engineers who can build production grade AI applications are scarce everywhere, but LATAM has a concentration that most US companies haven't discovered yet. Here is a breakdown of the current compensation ranges for the most in demand roles.

Share this with your hiring team. โ™ป๏ธ

Want the full data? Send us a direct message (DM) and we will send you the Awana AI Skills Report LATAM 2025.

200+ technical searches completed. This is the 45-minute framework Awana uses to evaluate every senior engineer.The exac...
05/19/2026

200+ technical searches completed. This is the 45-minute framework Awana uses to evaluate every senior engineer.

The exact interview structure with specific questions, what to listen for in each block, and the red flags most hiring managers miss.

What's the most revealing interview question you've ever asked or been asked?

The most common mistake when hiring your first Engineering Manager: Promoting the best IC on the team without asking if ...
05/16/2026

The most common mistake when hiring your first Engineering Manager: Promoting the best IC on the team without asking if they want to be a manager or evaluating if they actually can be one.

Share if you found this helpful.

05/15/2026

Awana has a Head of AI with a software development background. This is what that changes in a technical search.

When a company searches for an ML Engineer or an LLM/AI Engineer, the technical evaluation matters as much as the sourcing.

Awana's team has Braulio Otavalo leading the AI practice a professional with real software development experience who understands the difference between an engineer who has called an OpenAI API and one who has built ML pipelines in production.

What changes concretely in an AI talent search

The evaluation questions are the right ones for the role Strong candidates with non-standard CVs don't get filtered by mistake because the person reviewing them understands what the work actually involves.

The technical briefs delivered to clients have real depth Not a reformatted LinkedIn summary an actual technical assessment of what the candidate built and how.

The AI Development practice builds solutions directly If a client needs an AI solution built not just the team to build it Awana's team can do that too.

The team that makes this possible is at awana.io no pitch, just context.

What's the most important thing you look for when evaluating an AI engineer candidate?

Meet the team here: awana.io/about-us

Awana has placed 130+ engineers. Here are the 5 patterns that consistently appear in teams with the highest retention.1....
05/12/2026

Awana has placed 130+ engineers. Here are the 5 patterns that consistently appear in teams with the highest retention.

1. Clear ownership from day 1 Not vague responsibilities in a JD. Concrete systems, specific domains, and decisions the person owns from the first week.

2. Managers who protect ICs' time The best engineers know when a manager stands between them and non-essential meetings. When they see it, they stay.

3. Visible technical career path Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer not just a management track. The best engineers need to see where they can grow without stopping technical work.

4. Async, written feedback before the performance review Nothing in the annual review should be a surprise. Teams that document feedback continuously have significantly higher retention.

5. First commit in production within week 1 Not three weeks of setup and orientation. Real impact from day one. It's the clearest sign of onboarding that works.

Which of these 5 patterns is your team missing most today?

Seattleโ€™s startup ecosystem is growing fast, and the best conversations happen when founders, investors, and operators a...
05/12/2026

Seattleโ€™s startup ecosystem is growing fast, and the best conversations happen when founders, investors, and operators are all in the same room.

Weโ€™re excited to support the launch of the LaFamilia Seattle Chapter with an evening focused on connection, collaboration, and emerging startups.

Expect:
โ€ข Live startup pitch competition
โ€ข Investors, founders, and operators from across the tech ecosystem
โ€ข Networking, food, drinks, and great conversations
โ€ข Early-stage startups building whatโ€™s next

๐Ÿ“ Seattle
๐Ÿ—“ June 18
โฐ 5:30 PM โ€“ 8:00 PM PDT

Powered by Awana, Alpha Impact 8 Ventures, SVB, and LaFamilia.

See you there. ๐Ÿš€

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