How to Find and Recruit the Right International Employees

Expanding your company internationally is an exciting and beneficial opportunity. International hiring is a good way to widen your talent pool and create a competitive advantage in the global market. International employees can contribute unique perspectives and problem-solving skills.

When companies are expanding globally, they often try to speed through the hiring process. But rushing can cause you to hire the wrong people. And when your business is growing quickly, it’s necessary to have the right people staffed in important positions.  

Clearfront HR doesn’t offer recruiting services,  though in some cases we can refer clients to recruiters in the target country. With that in mind, let’s look at a few best practices for finding and recruiting the right international employees.    

Have a Plan

The first step to global expansion is to have a plan and know what you’re looking for in team members. Know exactly what positions you are trying to fill and the skills needed for each one.

When it comes to finding candidates, here are five ways you can get started:

 

• Recruit from local universities: A good place to start is by trying to recruit recent graduates from local universities. Most schools have job boards or placement services you can use.

 

• Ask for references from current employees: If you already have an employee in a given country, ask them if they can refer friends or former colleagues.

 

• Look for government-sponsored programs: Check to see if the country you are looking to hire in has any programs that help place local talent with foreign employers. For instance, Estonia has an e-residency program that provides members access to Estonian resources.

 

• Use local country recruiters: Local country recruiters can help you find new talent. Clearfront HR can help with referrals but you can also search on Google for specialists in the given country.

 

• Consider former freelancers: If you have previously worked with any freelancers in that country, they could be potential candidates to hire full-time.

 

Once you have found applicants, you might want to consider putting them through pre-employment assessments. This is usually a better way to determine whether or not someone is a good fit for your company.   

Pre-employment assessments are tools to measure candidates in a variety of areas like behavior and skill sets. They are a good way to weed out the wrong candidates. Then you can interview the candidates that pass the assessments.

Put Company Culture First

Throughout the recruiting process, you’re going to meet with many talented candidates. And many of these individuals will not be the right fit for your company and what it stands for.

It’s always better to wait for the right fit than to hire the wrong person because you’re anxious to fill a position. The Harvard Business Review outlined several interview questions to help you assess an employee’s cultural fit:

• What are your values and what kind of work environment appeals to you?
• What skill sets would you bring to this job?
• What are your impressions of our company culture?
• What appealed to you about this job?

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, if someone leaves your company due to poor culture fit it can cost you up to 60 percent of that person’s salary. Hiring someone who you know is the wrong fit culture-wise does a disservice to your company and that employee.

Once you’ve found a candidate that is a good cultural fit, you need to find a way to convince them to join your company. If your job candidate is already employed, it can be difficult to convince them to leave a company they are already comfortable with.

The best way to convince a qualified candidate to join your company is by getting to know them personally. Learn about their background, experience, and what their career goals are.

Talk to them about opportunities for growth within the company. Make them feel welcome by introducing them to other employees they will be working with.  

And most importantly, when your candidate is ready to move forward, be prepared to begin the hiring process immediately. A lengthy hiring process could result in losing a highly qualified candidate.

Understand the Foreign Work Culture

You will also need to understand the culture and etiquette of the country you are entering into. It’s important to develop intercultural competence to communicate effectively with international employees.

Certain business norms that are commonplace in the U.S. might be deemed unprofessional or offensive in other countries. And understanding the work culture of the country you are hiring in will help you learn how to motivate and encourage your new employees.

This starts with putting a lot of thought into how you structure the interview process. Find out about any customs or interviewing practices specific to that country. Understanding the business norms in that country will make the entire process easier.

Of course, once you have found the right employee, your work doesn’t end there. Overseas hiring comes with its share of challenges. Failing to acknowledge these complexities can put your company at financial risk.

This is where it can get complicated for many companies but it’s also where Clearfront HR can step in and help.

We’ll help you navigate the challenges of hiring in a foreign market. We can help you streamline your onboarding process and reduce the risk of compliance problems. That way you can focus on managing a global workforce and growing your business. You can leave the complexities of international HR to us.

Get in touch so we can learn more about your company and help you create the right global expansion plan for your business.