Globalization is a key driver of future growth for many growing businesses. In order to staff that growth, it is likely need to find qualified international candidates from other countries. It might be difficult for businesses with U.S.-based recruiters to find and hire excellent foreign workers. Use the advice in this article to find candidates from abroad who can help your business expand into a global market.
Six Ways To Recruit and Hire Internationally
Do your homework
Before you invest the time and effort in finding and hiring qualified people from Bangladesh, Israel, or the Ukraine, learn about the regulations governing work permits and visas in the nation where your business is based. Make sure you are aware of the procedures that must be followed to guarantee that any employee hired from abroad will be able to legally work for your company as soon as you need them. Your effort and money spent on foreign hiring will be wasted if that can’t happen. GlobalizationPedia explains How to Hire Internationally and Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid.
Rethink your social media strategy
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are not the dominant social media sites in every country. To interact with potential candidates in the countries you’re targeting, find out which social sites are the most popular there among the types of professionals you seek. For instance, in Russia and Eastern Europe, Vkontakte has long been a social media leader and is sometimes called the “Russian Facebook.” In Asia, social media sites QQ, QZone, Google+ and WeChat all rank higher than Twitter or LinkedIn in terms of the number of users, according to Bloomberg TV. To reach candidates in targeted countries, recruiters must develop a presence on the social media sites where those candidates are active.
Focus on women
In many developing countries, educated, skilled and ambitious women are often overlooked by both global and local countries, says economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett, co-author of Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets: Why Women are the Solution (Harvard Business Review Press, 2011). Globally, 55 percent of college graduates are now female, and two-thirds of highly qualified women in BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and the UAE consider themselves very ambitious, according to the book. These women, who may be overlooked by local companies, represent talented potential candidates for growing international companies eager to establish a presence in emerging markets.
Expand your circle
Many North American companies interested in recruiting internationally are focused on the BRIC countries, which are generally considered the leading emerging economies. But business continues to become more global and more countries continue to develop. Savvy recruiters will stay on top of the economic developments and seek qualified candidates from other growing areas. For instance, the “Next Eleven,” including Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Turkey, South Korea and Vietnam, have been identified as potentially becoming some of the world’s largest economies during the next 100 years.
Build awareness online
Even modest businesses can reach a worldwide audience thanks to social media. For instance, in order to acquire top talent in a highly competitive environment, Guidewire, a rapidly expanding U.S.-based software firm that develops mission-critical enterprise software products for the worldwide insurance sector, needs to recruit globally. Guidewire boosted monthly page views from 12,483 to 28,517 and increased awareness of its business among job searchers by 128% thanks to an improved Glassdoor profile.
Use targeted job ads
Consider intuitive advertising that appears for people who are located in targeted nations and whose search histories suggest potential interest in the types of roles you are advertising rather than purchasing generic job ads from typical career search websites. For instance, Guidewire hired five people for difficult-to-fill technical roles from the United States, China, and Europe after using Glassdoor’s customized job ads to reach suitable job searchers.
