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Why are qualified applicants from other countries always overlooked?

Racheal image

Racheal

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Why are qualified applicants from other countries always overlooked?

I need to vent about the remote job space.

I’ve worked in customer service for years, in TikTok sales, and client relations, and now I’m applying for remote jobs. But it feels like the moment employers see that I’m based in Uganda, my application is automatically dismissed. No callbacks. No opportunity to prove myself.

Sometimes I wonder: is it assumed that we don’t have good internet? That we don’t speak English well? That we can’t handle the job? Because we absolutely can.

It’s especially frustrating when companies only want candidates from nearby countries like Kenya or Nigeria, while ignoring qualified Ugandans. We’re in the same time zone, we have the skills, and we’re ready to learn and work hard.

I’m not asking for a handout. I want a chance to show my capabilities, to learn, and to exceed expectations. Yet, too often, location alone decides who gets a chance.

There are talented, motivated professionals here who just need an opportunity. So here’s the message: don’t overlook capable people just because of where they live. Give us a chance, we can deliver too.

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  1. Racheal

    Thanks for your input, you’re absolutely right that setting up a local entity is required if a company wants to hire someone as a direct employee in another country, and that can be a big investment.

    However, many remote companies today don’t use that model. They hire internationally through contractor agreements or Employer of Record (EOR) services, which allow them to work with talent legally without establishing a local company.

    So it’s not always a legal limitation, often it’s just a matter of which hiring structure a company chooses to use.

  2. Anonymous

    Not considered because there are plenty of local talent available. It's not personal

  3. Anonymous

    Whatever…. I went on interview for a role with a well known tech company. In the interview they told me the position was to recruit talent from outside the country to work from them. It depends on the region. It’s not personal but, at the same time companies are picking regions to recruit talent from…. Not even looking for local talent!

  4. SPQ

    Agreed.

    I worked for a North American company that started to hire internationally using an EOR as a part of their recruitment strategy. I think they hired a couple of South Americans. As well, one loyal and remarkable employee also had to move from the NA HQ to Japan and ended up being able to stay employed through an EOR.

    They are paying these employees in their local currency at (and I am guessing) a slightly higher local market rate for their profession.

    You're right in that they probably spend ten thousand dollars on the EOR, but typically aiming to save 3-5x that in salary of an international employee. (I also heard that in some South American countries they need to pay an extra annual fee to the government, handled by the EOR I believe).

    For companies using international contractors, I don't think it's very common--at least in North America. So you're lucky if you're able to beat out the global competition. They like to hire from the same countries they have employees/contractors already currently working in.

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