Second talent platform

100,000+ pre-vetted engineers, designers, and operators across 9 markets. Real interviews. Verified background checks. Only the top 1% accepted.

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How we deliver hires fast

AI-native ops behind every shortlist

Our platform sources, vets, contracts, and runs EOR payroll across 9 markets. You stay focused on hiring decisions. Our team runs the system on your behalf. No tools to learn, no logins to manage.

AI-assisted matching from a 100,000+ engineer pool
Live technical interviews and reference checks per role
Compliant EOR contracts and payroll in 9 markets
Replacement and renewal workflows built in

Get matched in 24 hours

app.secondtalent.com / shortlist

Workspace

Shortlists
Pipeline
Interviews
Contracts
Payroll

Senior Full-Stack · Remote · 8+ yrs

Shortlist · 6 engineers

Live

Maria R. 🇵🇭

Sr. Full-Stack · React + Node

AI fit 94/100

+5h US

Top match

Thanh N. 🇻🇳

Sr. Backend · Go + Postgres

AI fit 91/100

+4h US

Interview

Adi S. 🇮🇩

Sr. AI · LLM + RAG

AI fit 89/100

+3h US

New

Avg AI fit

91/100

Time to shortlist

22 hrs

Replacement

Free

Inside the talent dashboard

One workspace for your career

Open matches, applications, interviews, contracts and on-time USD payouts. Every step lives in a single dashboard built for engineers.

Browse open matches with USD pay range and timezone overlap
Apply with one click, schedule interviews async
Local contracts and on-time monthly USD payouts
Track profile score, references and earnings over time

Apply to join

talent.secondtalent.com / matches

My career

Open matches
Applications
Profile
Earnings
Reviews

Senior Full-Stack · Remote · USD

Open matches · 3 new this week

Active

Northstar Health 🇺🇸

Sr. Full-Stack · React + Node

$5,200/mo

+6h ET

Apply now

Atlas Commerce 🇬🇧

Sr. Full-Stack · Next.js + GQL

$4,900/mo

+5h GMT

Interview

Lumi Protocol 🇸🇬

AI Eng · LangChain + Python

$5,800/mo

Same TZ

New match

Profile score

94/100

YTD earnings

$24K

Open matches

For Talent

Are you in the top 1%?

Skip the agencies and the gig boards. Join 100,000+ pre-vetted engineers building with top companies. On your terms, in USD, fully remote.

Who we accept

3+ years shipping production code at a real engineering team

Strong English — written and spoken — for async work with US/EU clients

Specialist depth: AI, full-stack, mobile, data, DevOps, design, or product

Track record of shipping. Portfolio, GitHub, or live products we can review

Verifiable employment history and clean references from past managers

Comfortable with modern AI tooling — Claude Code, Cursor, copilots

How we get to the top 1%

Out of every 100 applicants, only 1 makes it in.

Five vetting stages. No shortcuts. No auto-screens. Every engineer in our pool has been interviewed live by a senior engineer.

Application

10M+ applied

Resume, portfolio, and work history reviewed against role-specific signal. Reputable engineering teams, real shipped products.

Skills assessment

Top 30% pass

Role-specific technical challenge: coding, system design, or domain expertise. Auto-graded with manual review on edge cases.

Live interview

Top 10% pass

60-minute live interview with a senior engineer. Real coding, real system design, real conversation. No automated screens.

Background & references

Top 4% pass

Employment history, education, and criminal background verified. Past managers and peers contacted for unfiltered references.

Accepted to network

Top 1% accepted

English communication scored. Async-work habits assessed. Only those who clear every stage join the 100,000+ network.

What "pre-vetted" actually means

Not a resume scan. Not a quiz. Four hard signals, every single hire.

Live technical interview

60 minutes with a senior engineer. Real coding, real system design, real questions. No automated screens or take-homes you can game.

Background check

Employment history, education credentials, and criminal background verified through licensed providers across all 9 markets.

Skills verification

Role-specific technical assessment scored by senior engineers. Code samples reviewed. Portfolio cross-checked against shipped work.

Reference checks

Past managers and peers contacted directly. Unfiltered feedback on craft, communication, and how they handle pressure on a real team.

Talent across 9 markets

One platform, nine countries. Hire engineers, designers, and operators wherever the talent is — fully compliant payroll handled by us.

Vietnam Philippines Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Singapore Hong Kong Taiwan China

How we deliver your shortlist in 24 hours

No agency back-and-forth. No three-week resume volleys. Brief us once, interview a shortlist tomorrow.

Tell us what you are building

Share what to ship, automate, or scale. Plus stack, budget, and timezone overlap.

Meet 6 to 8 top picks in 24h

Pre-vetted engineers fluent in Claude Code and modern AI stacks. Interview the ones you like.

Pressure-test on a real ticket

Run a paid trial on a real backlog item. We can sit in for a second opinion.

Ship from day one

We handle contracts, payroll, and equipment. Your engineer ships real output within the first week.

Why engineers choose Second Talent

Better pay, better clients, better careers. Without the agency tax.

Top USD pay

Earn competitive USD rates from US, EU, and APAC clients. Senior engineers regularly clear $4–6K/mo. Lead engineers $6K+. No agency margin clipping your salary.

Top global clients

Build with funded startups and global brands. Adobe, Crypto.com, Lululemon, L'Occitane, and 200+ others. Real product work, not staffing-firm filler.

Remote, async, your hours

Work from anywhere in your country. We match you with clients whose timezone overlaps your peak hours. No commute, no return-to-office.

Career growth, not gig hopping

Long-term placements (6–24 months avg). Get matched with bigger roles as you ship. We invest in your growth, not just your billable hours.

Contracts, payroll, compliance handled

We are your legal employer of record. Compliant local contracts, on-time payroll in USD, plus benefits and social insurance handled across 9 markets.

A real community

Slack channels, peer reviews, monthly meetups, and a senior engineer mentor on every placement. You will not be a freelancer alone in a Discord. You will be on a team.

What you see when you log in

Open opportunities, vetting status, and on-time USD payouts. One dashboard for your whole career.

🔒 talent.secondtalent.com/dashboard

Talent Network

My career

Dashboard Open Matches 3 My Profile 94% Earnings Vetting Status Community

Verified Top 1%

All 5 vetting stages cleared

Wednesday, 29 April

Welcome back, Duc

Available · Async hours

Open Matches

2 expire in 48h

YTD Earnings

$24,400

+18% vs prior

Profile Score

94/100

Add a 4th reference

Open matches View all →

Northstar Health

· Series B · HealthTech (US) Action needed

Senior Full-Stack Engineer

React Node PostgreSQL 12-mo placement

$5,200/mo USD · 6h overlap with EST

Atlas Commerce

· Series C · E-commerce (UK) Interview booked

Senior Full-Stack Engineer

Next.js TypeScript GraphQL Long-term

$4,900/mo USD · 5h overlap with GMT

Lumi Protocol

· Seed · Crypto/AI (SG) New match

AI Full-Stack Engineer

Claude Code Python LangChain Equity

$5,800/mo USD · Same TZ

Next payout

$4,800 · 1 May, on time

View invoice

Illustrative dashboard. Real talent dashboards are private to each engineer.

How to apply

Submit your profile

Resume, portfolio or GitHub, and a 2-line note on what you build best. Takes 5 minutes.

Skills + interview round

Role-specific technical assessment, then a 60-minute live interview with one of our senior engineers.

Welcome to the network

Background and references verified. You are matched with the next role that fits your stack, level, and timezone.

What our clients say

Thanks to Second Talent, Open Campus quickly built a skilled tech team of 10 within two months, boosting productivity by 70% and accelerating our Web3 platform's development. This success has strengthened our role in decentralized education and fueled our market expansion, highlighting our leadership in Web3 innovation.

Jonah L.

Head of Portfolio (raised US$100m)

Second Talent helped Beyond Cars (acquired by Carro) swiftly build a top-tier tech team in just a month, accelerating our platform's development and boosting productivity. This success allowed us to expand into new markets, ultimately leading to our acquisition by a major automotive e-commerce company.

Garry Y.

Co-Founder (acquired by Carro)

Partnering with Second Talent has been a game-changer for our tech expansion. Their ability to source top-tier talent from Vietnam helped us scale rapidly while maintaining quality. Their pre-vetted candidates integrated seamlessly, and their account management ensured smooth onboarding.

Tom F.

Co-founder (#1 US Real Estate Coach)

Second Talent played a key role in our tech expansion, quickly providing high-quality frontend talent that integrated seamlessly into our projects. Their pre-vetted candidates, smooth onboarding process, and excellent support helped us build a strong, cost-effective team that drives our success.

Marco A.

Co-founder & CTO

Second Talent built our team of pre-vetted engineers who made our hiring decisions straightforward. Once onboarded, our tech team saw a significant boost in productivity and development speed. Their excellent account management and responsive customer service also ensured smooth handling of all post-onboarding HR matters.

Jack N.

Director of IT (10,000+ employees)

Second Talent helped us rapidly scale by sourcing top-quality SDR talent from Indonesia. Their pre-screened candidates fit perfectly, and their smooth onboarding and support built a strong, cost-effective team that helped to test and experiment sales with another market.

Leo W.

Co-founder (raised US$5m)

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is the talent pool, really?

Over 100,000 pre-vetted engineers, designers, and operators across 9 markets. Every single one has passed a 5-stage process: skills assessment, live technical interview with a senior engineer, English communication scoring, reference checks, and background verification. We accept fewer than 1% of applicants.

What does "real interview" mean versus an automated screen?

Every candidate sits a 60-minute live interview with one of our senior engineers. Real coding, real system design, real conversation. We do not rely on auto-graded take-homes that can be gamed with AI. We do not pass through profiles that only completed an automated assessment.

How are background checks done?

Employment history, education credentials, and criminal background are verified through licensed providers in each of the 9 countries we operate in. Past managers and peers are contacted directly for unfiltered references. If any verification fails, the candidate is removed from the network.

How fast can I hire from the platform?

You will see 6–8 pre-vetted candidates within 24 hours of your intro call. Most clients run interviews within 3 business days and have an engineer onboarded within a week. We handle contracts, payroll, and equipment so day-one shipping is the default, not the exception.

What does it cost? Are there upfront fees?

$0 upfront. You only pay when you make a hire, and you pay a single monthly rate that covers the engineer's salary plus our fee. No agency commission, no recruiter retainer. Cancel anytime if it is not working.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the bar to get in?

3+ years shipping production code at a real engineering team, strong written and spoken English, verifiable employment history, and a portfolio or GitHub we can review. We look for specialist depth (AI, full-stack, mobile, data, DevOps, design, or product) and comfort with modern AI tooling. Roughly 1 in 100 applicants pass every stage.

How long does the application take?

Initial submission is about 5 minutes. The skills assessment takes 60–90 minutes depending on the role. The live interview is 60 minutes. Background and reference checks usually clear within 5 business days. End-to-end you should expect 1–2 weeks from application to acceptance.

What kind of work and rates are typical?

Long-term placements (6–24 months on average) with funded startups and global brands. Senior engineers regularly clear $4–6K/month and lead engineers $6K+, paid in USD with on-time monthly payroll. We are your legal employer of record, so contracts, taxes, and benefits are fully compliant in your country.

Do I need to live in a specific country?

You need to be based in one of our 9 markets: Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or China. We handle local employment, payroll, and compliance in each.

Can I keep my current job while applying?

Yes. The application process is fully confidential — your current employer will not be contacted. Reference checks happen only after you have accepted a placement and given us approval to reach out.

Hire from the top 1%, matched in 24 hours.

$0 upfront. Pay only when you make a hire.

Start Hiring

Join 100,000+ engineers building with the world's best.

No agencies. No middlemen. Just better clients, USD pay, and async work. On your terms.

Apply to Join

5-min application · We respond within 5 business days.