From brief to hired, in three weeks.
No job boards, no filtering, no risk. Tell us the role, meet your top 3 on a private page, and hire with a 14-day guarantee behind you.
How it works
From "we need someone" to working, in about three weeks.
01
Tell us the role
A 30-minute discovery call. Role, seniority, budget, must-haves. That's all we need to start.
Day 0
02
Meet your top 3
Within 7 days you get a private, branded page with three matched specialists, ready to interview.
Day 1–7
03
Interview and choose
Interview the ones you like. We sit in, coordinate calendars, and get you a decision fast.
Day 7–14
04
They start
We handle contracts, equipment and onboarding. Your specialist starts, and we check in throughout.
Day 14–25
Day by day
The process, in detail.
The four steps above are the summary. This is what actually happens, and when.
1
The discovery call
Thirty minutes. Outcomes for the first 90 days, must-have skills, team setup, budget range. We write the brief, you approve it, the clock starts.
Day 0
2
Sourcing sprint
We search the vetted pool first, then hunt outside it through outreach, communities and referrals. A longlist of 10 to 15 strong profiles takes shape.
Days 1 to 3
3
Vetting and shortlist
Role-specific screening on top of our three gates. We cut to the three best and build your private page with match scores against your brief.
Days 4 to 7
4
Interviews
You meet your top 3. We coordinate calendars, sit in if you want us to, and collect structured feedback the same day.
Week 2
5
Offer and paperwork
You pick your person. We handle the offer, the contract, equipment and compliance on both sides of the border.
Week 3
6
They start
Onboarded, equipped and working. Your first check-in is already scheduled before they log on.
Day one
Tailor-made
No packages. Built to order.
Job boards sell you access. We build you a search. Everything below is shaped by your brief, not by a pricing tier.
The brief shapes everything
Role, seniority, tools, culture and budget define the search. No templates, no preset packages, no filler candidates.
Pricing scoped per role
You get an exact number on the discovery call, before any commitment. No tiers, no hidden fees, invoiced only on placement.
A shortlist built for you
Three people picked for this exact role, not a database dump. If the brief changes, the shortlist changes with it.
On the call we cover: outcomes for the first 90 days, must-have skills, team setup and budget. Bring those, leave with a plan and a price.
The division of labor
You approve the work. The platform does the rest.
Every specialist on the platform has cleared three gates before you ever see them.
You
Interview and pick your specialist
Give them the work
Approve one monthly invoice
Us
Employment contracts & Serbian labor compliance
Payroll, taxes & social contributions
Equipment, tooling & secure setup
Onboarding, check-ins & replacements
One clean invoice in USD or EUR
The platform
One dashboard. Everything to hire.
No tools to learn and nothing to manage. Your private page holds the role, your top 3 and every action you will ever need. These are the functions inside it.
Your top 3, on one private page
Scored against your brief
The role, exactly as you briefed it
Own paid acquisition end to end. 5+ years, strong on Meta and Google, comfortable with GA4 and CRO.
Where our talent comes from
Pipeline you can actually see
Check-ins built in
Your private shortlist
Names unlock when you schedule
Change course anytime
A human, one message away
Interviews in one click
Private page
Your private page, explained.
The dashboard above is what you get. Here is the logic behind every element on it.
Semi-anonymous by design
Initials, role, skills and a match score first. Full names and profiles unlock the moment you schedule an interview. Fair to them, focused for you.
Match scores that mean something
Every candidate is scored against your brief: skills, seniority, tools, availability and English level. Not an algorithm guess, a human-vetted score.
One-click interviews
Schedule straight from the page. Calendars sync, invites go out, no email chains. Feedback is collected right after.
One button to change course
Not quite right? Request changes. We adjust the brief or swap candidates within days, and your page updates in place.
The vetting
"Vetted" means something here.
Everyone in the pool clears three gates before a client ever sees them.
Gate 01
Skills & portfolio
A real portfolio review and a practical task in their actual specialty. Titles don't pass. Work does.
Gate 02
Expert interview
A live interview led by an experienced practitioner in the same field: the questions only someone who does the work knows to ask.
Gate 03
References & compliance
References, background checks and full employment paperwork, completed before day one.
The bar is simple: only specialists we'd trust with a business-critical role make it into the pool.
When it does not click
Sometimes it is not a fit. Here is exactly what happens.
01
You tell us
One message to your contact. No forms, no blame, no awkward conversations. The sooner we know, the faster we move.
02
We diagnose within 48 hours
Sometimes it is scope, sometimes onboarding, sometimes the person. We look honestly and tell you which, upfront.
03
We fix or we replace
Inside the first 14 days the replacement is free and fast. After that we course-correct or rematch, and we are clear about which.
Your brief and everything we learned carry over. A rematch never starts from zero. A new shortlist lands in days, not weeks.
After day one
You hire. We stay.
The placement is the start of the relationship, not the end of it. This is what the months after look like.
Check-ins built in
Weekly in the first month, monthly after. We talk to you and to your specialist, so small issues never become big ones.
One clean invoice
Salary, taxes, equipment and compliance in a single line item, in USD or EUR. Your finance team will thank you.
Feedback both ways
Structured reviews on both sides. Course corrections happen in week two, not month six.
Room to grow
Raises, role changes and your next hires from the same vetted pool as you scale. The second hire is faster than the first.
Guarantee & transparency
No fine print. On purpose.
14-day replacement guarantee
Not the right fit in the first two weeks? We replace them at no extra cost, and we do it fast.
Transparent from day one
Pricing model, process, timelines and terms are public before you ever get on a call. No surprises.
No hidden costs
You know exactly what you're paying for and when. You're only invoiced once your specialist is placed.
How we compare
Same talent pool. Completely different deal.
Benefits
The Friends
Hire direct
Upwork
Vetted by practitioners
The Friends
Hire direct
You do it
Upwork
No
Employed, not gig
The Friends
Hire direct
Upwork
No
Legal / tax / payroll
The Friends
Us
Hire direct
You
Upwork
You
Single invoice
The Friends
Hire direct
No
Upwork
No
Replacement guarantee
The Friends
14 days
Hire direct
No
Upwork
No
Time to start
The Friends
~3 weeks
Hire direct
Months
Upwork
Days
Testimonials
From the people on both sides.
FAQ
The questions everyone asks.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the role, seniority and scope, so we price each engagement individually and transparently. You'll see the full model and your exact number on the discovery call, before any commitment.
Where is your talent based?
Our specialists are based in Serbia and the wider region. They work remotely with clients in the US, UK and EU, in your time zone or with meaningful overlap.
Are they employees or contractors?
Employees, not gig contractors. Every specialist is employed by The Friends under a full employment contract, with payroll, taxes and benefits handled by us.
Why are names and photos hidden?
Profiles are anonymized until you book a call to protect specialists who are currently employed elsewhere. Once we match you, you get full names, photos and references on your private shortlist page.
What if it doesn't work out?
If it's not the right fit in the first 14 days, we replace the specialist at no extra cost, and we do it fast. After that, replacements are handled case by case, without penalties.
Who owns the work?
You do. Everything your specialist produces while working for you belongs to your company, and that's written into the agreement from day one.
Your next hire is already on the platform.
Tell us the role. Meet three matched specialists on your private page within a week. Decide with a 14-day guarantee behind you.
