I’m going to say something that surprises people: I don’t usually hire the most qualified person. I hire the one who stands out.

I’ve been hiring people in the Philippines since 2005. My very first hire is still with me today. That’s 20 years. And after two decades of reading applications, interviewing, and making both great and terrible hires, I’ve seen the same patterns over and over again.

This episode is different. For the first time ever, I’m talking directly to workers on OnlineJobs.ph.

But if you’re a business owner, don’t skip this. Because what I’m really doing here is pulling back the curtain on how employers actually think when we’re hiring.

There are way more applicants than jobs. That’s just reality. So if you’re doing what everyone else is doing (mass applying, generic cover letters, leaning too hard on AI), you’re invisible. And invisible people don’t get hired.

What does work is simple, but not easy. It’s about intention. Effort. Honesty. And yes, standing out in ways that actually matter.

Here’s what I break down in this episode 👇

🟢 Why “stand out” matters more than experience📩 Why mass applying is the fastest way to get ignored📌 How following instructions instantly filter you to the top🔍 Why knowing who you’re applying to changes everything🎯 How using more apply points signals real intent🧠 Where AI helps and where it absolutely backfires⚠️ Why faking skills leads to bad reviews and short-term work🤝 How being yourself leads to long-term, loyal hires

At the end of the day, employers aren’t looking for perfect resumes or AI-written answers. We’re looking for real people we can trust, train, and build with long-term. When you get that right, everything changes on both sides.

▶️ If you want to understand how real hiring decisions are made, hit play.

💬 What’s the hardest part of hiring or getting hired right now?

🚀 Ready to build a long-term team? Visit OnlineJobs.ph and hire direct.

#OnlineJobsPH #TheSecretSauceOfOutsourcing #JohnJonas #FilipinoVAs #OnlineFilipinoSpecialists #GettingHiredOnline #StandOutToGetHired #HiringMistakes

I used to think outsourcing to the Philippines was about cost. Like, I’m just saving money.
What I didn’t know was it was actually about freedom. And the weird part? I didn’t lose control. I got more.
Back in 2005 I hired my first person in the Philippines. At first, I had to teach him everything. But after a few months it was almost like there were two of me, and it was one of the most liberating experiences of my life.
Fast forward to today: I’ve got about 55 full-time people in the Philippines, nobody in the U.S., and we run an 8-figure business like that. Not by “sending work overseas,” but by bringing people into the company as real staff.
Because when you hire the right way, you’re not losing control. You get to spend your day thinking like a CEO instead of getting interrupted every 10 minutes.
Here’s what I break down in this episode:
👥 Why outsourcing the right way feels like cloning yourself
🎯 How hiring staff (not freelancers) keeps you in control
🌙 What really happens when work gets done overnight
💸 Real salary ranges and why this isn’t “cheap labor”
🎓 Why Filipino workers are thinkers, not task robots
🤝 How loyalty changes everything about training and turnover
📈 Why scaling stops feeling risky when talent is easy to access
If you’ve been scared outsourcing means chaos, miscommunication, and losing your grip on the business, you’re thinking about the wrong model.
Don’t “send stuff overseas.” Bring someone in. Train them. Trust them.
That’s when the business starts running without you doing everything.
▶️ If you want more freedom and more control, hit play.
💬 What’s the #1 thing you’re afraid to delegate right now? Drop them in the comments.
🚀 Ready to hire? Post a job and start talking to Filipino workers at OnlineJobs.ph
#OnlineJobsPH #TheSecretSauceOfOutsourcing #JohnJonas #FilipinoVAs #OnlineFilipinoSpecialists #OutsourcingToThePhilippines #HiringInThePhilippines #RemoteTeamBuilding

I’ve had a bunch of people ask me lately, “Is AI replacing virtual assistants?” And the simple answer is no — not even close.
What we’re actually seeing is the biggest increase in demand for Filipino VAs we’ve ever seen. Month after month, employers keep hiring more.
And the crazy part is… VAs are getting better at their jobs because of AI, not worse.
My team in the Philippines uses AI every single day. They use it in our social media, our SEO, our design, our programming, our video editing — everywhere.
And they’re better now at almost everything they do than they were before AI showed up. It lets us create better products, better marketing, enter new markets, and do things we’ve struggled with for years.
And the other big surprise is that AI didn’t just make the work better — it made the hiring better too.
I had to rethink how I evaluate applicants. I assume every cover letter is written by AI now, so I just focus on the signals that actually matter.
At some point I realized AI could help me evaluate all those signals without taking the human element out of the process, so we built OnlineJobs.ph’s AI matching system around them.
When I started actually using it, it blew me away.
It handled all the data instantly. It rated people the same way I would — just without me spending hours doing it. It filtered out 80–90% of the wrong applicants right away and pushed the best ones straight to the top.
And honestly, it solved the biggest hiring problem of all: wasted time.
Here’s what I’m seeing:
⚡ VAs using AI are doing better work than ever before
📈 Demand keeps growing — no slowdown at all
🔍 Most cover letters don’t matter; real signals do
🚀 AI instantly filters applicants so you skip the bad ones
🧠 Better data = better decisions = better hires
💼 You can hire fewer people and still get more done
🌏 Now is actually a great time to hire in the Philippines
The truth is, AI is making everything better — hiring, working with your VA, the quality of the work, the speed. All of it is improving because of AI.
And if you’re thinking about hiring someone in the Philippines, this is a really great time to do it.
▶️ Hit play and see why hiring a Filipino VA just got 10x easier
💬 Got questions about hiring or AI? Drop them in the comments.
🚀 Ready to hire? Head to OnlineJobs.ph and find your long-term Filipino teammate
#OnlineJobsPH #TheSecretSauceOfOutsourcing #JohnJonas #FilipinoVAs #OnlineFilipinoSpecialists #AIAndVirtualAssistants #OutsourcingWithAI #AIHiringTools