In today’s competitive global marketplace, having access to the best talent is crucial for driving innovation and success. Nevertheless, top candidates do not always reside locally or even within your country’s borders. Expanding your hiring efforts internationally means opening up a much wider pool of skilled professionals that could be a perfect fit for your organization’s needs.
Understand the Benefits
Why go through the extra effort of recruiting foreign workers? For starters, you eliminate geographic constraints and can seek people with very specialized skills and experience that may be in short supply domestically. International hires also inject fresh perspectives, new ideas, and valuable cultural knowledge into your workforce. Having a diverse team reflective of the global markets you operate in positions you for greater competitiveness.
Identify Your Talent Needs
Begin by taking inventory of your current and projected talent gaps. What roles and skills are essential for achieving your business goals that you are struggling to find locally? Which overseas locations have deep pools of qualified candidates in areas like technology, engineering, finance, etc.? Prioritize the positions that would benefit most from global sourcing to focus your recruitment efforts.
Research Visa Requirements
Each country has its own set of employment-based visa categories, eligibility criteria, and application processes for foreign nationals to legally work there. In the U.S., for example, common visa types include H-1B for specialty occupations, L-1 for internal company transfers, and E visas for investors and key personnel of international companies.
Get Expert Legal Guidance
According to the legal experts at Graham Adair, the immigration laws surrounding global hiring are extremely complex, with lots of potential pitfalls. Working with an experienced business immigration lawyer is absolutely essential for ensuring full compliance. Their expertise covers critical matters like visa application requirements, maximizing approval odds, transferring workers between countries, and avoiding violations that could result in stiff penalties and damage to your company’s reputation.
Update Your Job Postings
Expand your job ads to international recruitment sites, career portals and professional networking platforms specific to the regions you’re targeting. Highlight that you are open to hiring foreign workers and outline the visa sponsorship process for applicants. Translate postings into local languages as needed to increase visibility.
Review Resumes Objectively
When evaluating resumes from overseas candidates, be mindful that education credentials, certifications, and years of experience can differ from your domestic norms. Have an open mind and carefully assess each person’s qualifications based on their full background and merits. Do not immediately disqualify candidates whose training or job titles don’t precisely match your expectations.
Streamline the Interview Process
Consider using online skills assessments and video interviews to efficiently screen and evaluate candidates before deciding to fly them in for in-person interviews. This approach saves considerable time and costs. Also be flexible in accommodating time zone differences for remote interviews.
Offer Competitive Compensation
Top international talent will have multiple opportunities, so craft an attractive total rewards package. Besides competitive salaries based on cost-of-labor data for the hire’s home region, highlight any expatriate-friendly benefits and relocation assistance you provide. Your offer should offset the major life disruption of moving one’s career abroad.
Ease Their Transition
The logistics of helping a new foreign hire get established in your local area can be daunting, from securing housing and transportation to getting acclimated to the new environment. Be prepared to assist well in advance with tasks like finding temporary corporate housing, coordinating moving services, procuring documentation like social security numbers or driver’s licenses, enrolling kids in schools, etc.
Conclusion
Taking a strategic global approach to recruitment means you can fill gaps with world-class talent while promoting greater workforce diversity. The benefits of having an international dream team more than justify the additional investment.
