Most agencies will tell you they "vet" their candidates. Then they send you three resumes and a Zoom link. That isn't vetting. That's sorting.
Here's what we actually do at Vita. Five steps. For every 100 operators we screen, 1 makes it to your interview.
Step 1: Sourced.
We do not post on job boards and hope. Most candidates come through our Lead Recruiter network in Egypt, Latin America, and South Africa, or through referrals from operators we have already placed. Inbound applications get a quick screen but rarely make it past step 2.
Roughly 1,000 candidates come through this top of funnel per year. Where we start: top 100% of sourced.
Step 2: English screen.
A 20 minute live call with our Lead Recruiter or a Vita team member. We check fluency under pressure, accent clarity, and basic professionalism.
After this step: top 40% remain.
Step 3: Role specific test.
This is the one most agencies skip. It's the one that matters most.
For acquisition managers, we run a live cold call simulation. Our Lead Recruiter plays the motivated seller. The candidate has to take the call, build rapport, ask the right qualifying questions, and try to set a follow up.
For ISAs: a dial-set test. Can they make 80+ outbound calls in two hours and get past gatekeepers without sounding like a script.
For dispo specialists: a buyer pitch test. We give them a fake property and a buyers list and they have to write the outreach and respond to objections.
For comping analysts: a real comp on a real property. They have an hour. We grade for accuracy and methodology.
This is where most of the cuts happen. After this step: top 10% remain.
Step 4: Lead Recruiter interview.
Our Lead Recruiter conducts a 30 minute interview with every candidate who passes step 3. The interview checks coachability, career commitment, and cultural fit.
Our Lead Recruiter signs off personally. A candidate does not reach a client without that approval. After this step: top 4% remain.
Step 5: Your interview.
Three candidates pre matched to your role, country, KPI targets, and comp band. Each comes with a Loom intro and the role specific work sample from step 3. You interview only the ones you like.
The shortlist you receive is your interview. Final: top 1% of sourced. 1 out of every 100 operators we screen.
Why this matters.
Most offshore staffing burns out clients because the candidates can't actually do the job. The "VA" is great at admin but can't handle a seller call. Or they can hold a call but not pull a comp. Or they can do both but quit on day 47 because the time zone broke them.
Every step in our process exists because we lost a placement to something the previous step would have caught. The test in step 3 exists because the first three candidates we placed could not actually do the job. The Lead Recruiter interview in step 4 exists because one early candidate passed every test and then quit two weeks later.
The process keeps growing. We just added a new check this quarter for AM candidates. After the cold call sim, we have them write a 100 word follow up email to the seller they just talked to. Half the candidates who passed the sim couldn't write a coherent email. Now we catch that before the client does.
This is what "vetted" means at Vita. Not a resume review. Not a 15 minute interview. A 5 step gauntlet where most people don't make it.