The most successful businesses are filling their teams with the best global talent. As of 2023, Google, as part of Alphabet Inc., has around 190,000 employees, with a significant portion working outside the United States.
This is because the California-based tech giant swiftly understood that a global team helps them:
- Access a bigger and richer talent pool.
- Provides a competitive edge.
- Introduces new perspectives and cultures.
- Allows entry into untapped international markets.
- Improves productivity with teams working around the clock.
As the world adapts to remote work culture and geographical boundaries are no longer a hindrance, companies increasingly leverage the opportunity to tap into a global talent pool, gaining access to a broader spectrum of skills and expertise to fortify their teams.
Global recruitment drives organizational stability and competitiveness in uncertain and fluctuating circumstances, which is the reality of our world today. The new normal, the great reshuffle, and the hybrid workplace are all terms used to describe the current state of employment we’re seeing. It’s a changing world, one that companies need to adapt to or face losing out on top talent. This is incredibly prevalent in global recruitment, where growing international competition is forcing businesses to recognize the importance of expanding their range of global recruitment strategies.
The need to attract the best talent from each country you expand into means going above and beyond. In this guide, we will explore a well-thought-out strategy that navigates the complexities of global recruitment and one that can easily be tailored to your organization’s immediate needs for success.
Key Components of a Global Recruitment Strategy
A solid global recruitment plan solves many problems organizations and recruiters face in their mission to secure the best talent.
A comprehensive global recruitment strategy provides more opportunities to find the ideal candidate and diversifies your organizational talent in ways local recruitment never could. Many companies are looking for global job-seekers to improve productivity and fill in gaps in local talent.
To successfully implement a global recruitment strategy, organizations and recruiters should keep these insights in mind.
Have the right tools and processes
Global recruiters must work with a standard set of tools that can work in each country.
A centralized technology system for all global locations gives you enhanced data insights and a better view of your entire workforce. This enables you to spot trends better and make strategic, informed decisions.
Moreover, some software solutions, like certain video conferencing systems, might work better in some countries than others. Just because a solution works well in the United States doesn’t mean it will work well abroad, for various reasons. Rather than relying on a mishmash of tools used across different countries, leading to confusion and miscommunication, business leaders and global recruiters should select the most effective solutions that work across the applicable countries and stick to only those tools. This ensures robust and streamlined communication and collaboration.
The right tools must also be accompanied by the right processes. Company leaders should ensure that their global recruiters have clearly defined processes to follow. For instance, one company-wide process can be that recruiters must touch base with the global hiring managers once a week over video calls so that all parties are aware of progress and any hindrances.
Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
While each global recruiter brings their own approach to the table, that individuality must be balanced with standard operating procedures.
By implementing standard operating procedures, business leaders can ensure their candidates have consistent experiences across the board and gain a good impression of the company.
Good impressions are crucial in the hiring stage, as they can make or break a candidate’s decision to sign on with a company. A 2023 survey by CareerPlug found that “49% of job seekers said they’ve rejected a job offer because of a poor experience with a potential employer during the hiring process” and that 8% said no because the “interview process was slow” and “disorganized.”
Business leaders can tackle this by creating standard operating procedures. For instance, one SOP can be that all candidate interviews must be conducted over video calls, even introductory screenings. Another can be that all global recruiters need to follow up with candidates within a certain timeframe. Business leaders should also regularly review their standard operating procedures to identify areas for improvement.
SOPs aren’t just good for improving candidate experiences but are especially vital in an international context, given the different laws and regulations that global recruiters need to be well-versed in to hire in a company’s designated country.
A question that a global recruiter might ask a candidate abroad about, say, their marital status or number of children wouldn’t be a big deal but could be considered “evidence of intent to discriminate,” in the U.S., according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Emphasize regular global recruiter training, team bonding, and meetings
To ensure global recruiters use standard operating procedures, company leaders should regularly train them. This refreshes their memories of the company’s standard operating procedures and updates them on any changes.
These training sessions are a good opportunity for team bonding between global recruiters. Global recruiters might connect with each other from there after realizing they have common interests.
Regular staff meetings are essential, too. While coordination over time zones can be tricky, regular meetings help everyone stay in the loop and trade best practices and tips. This can strengthen the HR department as a whole by drawing more qualified candidates who bring in the next wave of innovation.
Understand cultural differences and leverage cultural training and inclusivity tools
One thing organizations should consider when exploring global recruitment is the cultural differences that may come with the territory. Understanding the cultural nuances and customs of the countries where potential hires live can help a company avoid misunderstandings and baseless efforts.
For instance, different cultures value different things. People in the United States live to work, where for many, work gives them purpose. Other cultures, however, have more of a work-to-live mentality, where they don't necessarily sign up to the fast-paced business world. If you don't understand a culture's values, you can easily misinterpret an employee's motivation and actions.
When considering global recruitment, it's also important to recognize that various cultures may have different communication styles. Some may be more direct, while others prefer indirect or nuanced communication. Mismanaged communication can lead to conflicts among team members and harm client interactions.
Next, companies must prioritize cultural sensitivity, intelligence, and awareness. Companies should respect diverse work ethics, unique values, communication styles, and local holidays. Cultural sensitivity is essential for maintaining a cohesive work environment and ensuring long-term project success. Cultural sensitivity not only fosters mutual respect but also optimizes collaboration, driving collective success across borders.
To achieve this, companies need to have a thorough understanding of the culture, lifestyle, and religion of the country where the employee lives. For example, companies can provide prayer rooms for staff religious practices.
Companies that have invested in cultural training and inclusivity tools and truly grasped their cultural foundations have created a more inclusive, welcoming, and productive workplace.
Immerse yourself in legal expertise
Companies considering global recruitment need to understand and comply with local labor laws and regulations, which can be a tedious process.
Being legally prepared to meet your global expansion goals, having all legal documents ready to avoid future litigation issues, and training global recruiters to always adhere to the requirements are all key to preventing commercial risks.
Companies must invest in legal consults specialized in international labor laws and cultural sensitivity training. Doing so prepares their global recruiters for the nuances of a diverse workforce and mitigates the risk of potential legal issues. By addressing these aspects head-on, companies capitalize on the benefits of a global talent pool and minimize the challenges at the same time.
CEOs experienced in global recruitment swear by legal expertise. Partnering with a local expert to navigate legal intricacies creates cohesive remote teams and collaborations.
Optimize employer branding
A strong global recruitment strategy involves building an employment brand that is truly global and effective across the world. An organization can enhance its employer brand by creating employee ambassadors, using social media, and prioritizing mobile in its digitized branding efforts.
While your organization may already attract top-notch talent from a local candidate pool, attracting global candidates requires understanding a broad demographic. Your brand should positively reflect your organization and its values to a diverse audience.
Similarly, your global recruitment strategy should be responsive and flexible, welcoming candidates in their native language and showing respect for their culture. You can use locally relevant content and maintain a consistent brand and voice worldwide to appeal to candidates wherever they’re located.
To accomplish this effectively, HR should work with local employees and marketing teams to ensure culturally appropriate employer branding and recruitment marketing campaigns in every region an employer recruits. Not only will your diversity and inclusion plan need an overhaul, but your employee communications, social media platforms, job postings, and candidate landing page will need to be customized to a worldwide market.
To resonate further with diverse cultures, companies can highlight inclusive practices and global success stories on their website and social media platforms. For instance, SAP’s “Life at SAP” social media campaign effectively demonstrates its diverse and inclusive culture.
Use these methods to take your employer branding to the next level:
- Tell real stories of employees from different backgrounds by creating a series of employee spotlight videos that highlight their journeys, achievements, and how they’ve grown with the company.
- Use statistics to back your claims on diversity and inclusion. For example, you can say, “Our team consists of people from 30+ countries, and we have a 40% female leadership team.”
- Encourage employees to share their experiences on social media platforms, effectively turning them into brand ambassadors.
Offer competitive compensation packages
Develop compensation packages that align with local living standards and common market expectations in the business world. For instance, consider offering additional vacation days in countries where they are a norm or stock options where they are highly valued.
Compensation strategies aren’t just about salary, however. They should include a series of benefits and perks that resonate with the evolving needs of the current workforce market.
Additionally, hourly wages vary from country to country. Companies can double their pay for remote teams compared to what they were getting from companies in their local region, making your company an attractive place to work.
Improve candidate experiences
A strong end-to-end candidate experience is important regardless of where candidates are from.
Candidates around the world want mobile-friendly applications that are fast and easy to fill out, well-written job descriptions that engage and convince them to apply, positive interview experiences, and consistent communication.
Utilize employee retention methods and invest in your workforce
To retain global talent, offer continuous learning opportunities and an inclusive company culture. Offering career development opportunities will enhance your retention rates and help your skilled workers become better at what they do for your business.
Here are a couple of examples of retention strategies you can execute in your organization:
- Provide specific professional development opportunities, such as sponsoring workers for specialized training or offering tuition reimbursement programs in exchange for a given number of years in the company.
- Introduce mentorship programs where global employees can be paired with senior leaders, fostering a sense of belonging and providing career guidance.
A well-supported and satisfied workforce is your best advocate in attracting new talent. Here are some ways to turn your workforce into a winning talent acquisition tactic:
- Conduct regular check-ins and surveys to understand and address the concerns of your employees. Showing that you listen to and act on their feedback can make your company attractive to potential hires.
- Focus on creating a positive, inclusive, and supportive workplace culture. A happy and engaged workforce will naturally advocate for your company, both in their networks and through platforms like LinkedIn or Glassdoor.
- Encourage your employees to refer qualified potential candidates by offering incentives. A solid employee referral program can tap into the extensive networks of your diverse workforce.
Prioritize long-term hires
If you’re going to invest in retaining, training, and upskilling your workforce, it only makes sense to prioritize employees who will be with you for the long run.
A trait often overlooked in this rapidly shifting society is consistency. Many people constantly search for new jobs and have no longevity at any previous job. Searching for people looking to add long-term value and consistency to organizations is vital in global recruitment. If a person is known for job hopping, you may be at risk of losing your investment in training.
Consider time zone differences
When considering global recruitment, it's crucial to account for differences in timе zonеs and their impact on collaboration and productivity. Asynchronous work modеls are proven effective in mitigating this challеngе, enabling team members across thе globе to contribute mеaningfully and maintain work-life balance.
Allow multiple communication methods
Communication is the most important component because it will allow you to keep your remote employees close even if they are far geographically. By communicating with them daily, sharing company achievements, and including them in company team-building activities, local teams will see remote employees as fellow team members.
To do this, organizations have to make sure they’re responsive and open to multiple communication methods. One of the best things about the growth of digital platforms and technology is it diversifies the way you collaborate remotely.
Use these advancements in communication technology to create engaging ways to tutor, mentor, and manage your remote workforce.
Partner with global recruitment organizations
Finding allies such as global recruiters, global recruitment agencies, or global recruitment platforms can help organizations delegate the HR headaches of finding, screening, and vetting top candidates from any part of the world. This will speed up the process and allow the organization to focus on broader, big-picture tasks to ensure successful global recruitment.
Partner with global recruitment firms and recruiters that have valuable insights. These talent acquisition specialists can help you navigate cultural nuances and legal requirements and have access to wider talent pools.
For instance, Workfully, a VC-backed recruitment platform, helps organizations ranging from startups to large enterprises with recruitment processes by providing access to their extensive network of verified, senior recruiters with talent pools worldwide. You get to pick global recruiters to work in-house with you, fully aligned on your brand, culture, goals, and strategic vision.
Analyze global labor market data.
One of the best things about global recruitment is if the talent market starts to tighten in one part of the world, you can easily access a workforce in another part of the world, stabilizing your operations for the future. Not only this, you gain valuable insights, and you’re able to see how your workforce compares throughout the region and other areas of the world. That insight can be used to make high-level business decisions and improve HR operations.
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Global Recruitment Strategy
By following these simple yet imperative steps, business leaders and recruiters can be confident in building brand-new satellite teams from anywhere in the world.
Step 1: Carry out extensive market research
Before making a decision that costs time and money, organizations need to proceed cautiously to reduce uncertainties.
Global recruitment requires extensive market research to identify countries or regions with talent pools that match your requirements. This should include labor market trends, compensation expectations, and job market saturation.
Business leaders and global recruiters must be careful not to rely on previous market experiences and apply them elsewhere. Every market differs in terms of cultural attitudes, states of hiring, competitors, and so on.
When researching global recruitment, consider the following:
- Recognize cultural barriers and appropriate communication channels, as discussed earlier.
- Assess your competition’s employment perks and compensation standards.
- Take into account time-to-hire challenges. For instance, average notice periods vary across regions. In Europe, for instance, it can take between 8 and 12 months for a candidate to start with their new employer.
- In-depth research minimizes potential global recruiting mistakes, like employing less qualified employees or not valuing the ones you have.
Understanding the differences, challenges, and benefits of international employment law is vital if your organization is considering global recruitment. Everything from the hiring process, including salary, pension legalities, and paid time off allowances needs to be fully understood and finely negotiated before you even write a job description.
Therefore, with any kind of global recruitment, assembling an advisory board for your new region is recommended. A trusted group of leaders who have faced hiring challenges themselves should be able to offer fresh and structured advice.
Step 2: Create a job description
A successful global recruitment strategy begins as a business plan does, by clearly identifying your ideal candidate or customer.
By profiling a fictional dream candidate, you can focus your recruitment drive and tailor it to the specific soft and hard skills you want your applicants to have. In doing so, your fictional dream candidate may just come to life.
Additionally, better job descriptions lead to positive responses from 75% of candidates. In your job description, clearly define the required qualifications, skills, and experience. Then, incorporate cultural adaptability, language proficiency, and cross-cultural collaboration skills.
Competitive roles are what every company strives to achieve. When first hiring in a new territory, you need to not only remain above the legal requirements with the compensation package you offer but also above what is considered good in the area you're expanding business.
Step 3: Narrow your focus to specific regions
After you have your ideal candidate profile down, you need to decide which global regions you wish to hire employees from.
Before diving into specific foreign countries, ask yourself:
- What is your company’s tolerance for time zone differences?
- What specific skills or expertise are you seeking?
- What is your budget for salaries and benefits?
- Are there particular industries or sectors you want to target?
For example, recruiting from a country such as Malaysia, whose expertise lies in healthcare, tourism, and manufacturing, may not provide you with the hiring pool you want for tech professionals.
Instead, countries like Ukraine, Pakistan, and India are known for their large tech talent pool and will have the resources you need to expand with competitive job roles.
There are often notable differences in the job market and cultural practices of different countries and regions. Rather than target the whole world, it is more productive to focus on particular areas at a time.
Learn about the culture, connect with global recruiters in that region, and identify the best places to reach candidates, such as job boards, universities, or agencies.
Step 4: The Global Selection Process - Pre-screening, interviews, and cultural fit assessments
To truly make your global recruitment efforts successful, you must evaluate candidates based on their ability to adapt to your company culture, align with goals, and excel in a remote setting. This differs from traditional, location-based recruitment where people have similar backgrounds and communicate through physical meetings.
Evaluating and selecting candidates from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds is complex. Traditional assessment methods and criteria must be modified to account for cultural nuances, varying educational systems, and professional qualifications.
Global recruiters should also implement culturally sensitive and standardized evaluation methods. An example is conducting rigorous background checks and using innovative technology to assess candidate skills and qualifications effectively. Additionally, global recruiters must standardize interview processes to ensure all candidates are assessed fairly.
One thing global recruiters should look for while evaluating foreign candidates is a solution-oriented mindset. This creates a team of high achievers who take responsibility for their deliverables and brainstorm efficient strategies to solve problems. Finding such professionals can be rare when hiring locally, but it becomes easier when seeking talent worldwide.
Step 5: Onboarding
Once a candidate is hired, effective onboarding and integration become crucial. You don't want your remote worker to get online for their first day with no idea how to fit in and no integration plan.
Global hires may require additional support and resources to acclimate to a new work environment and cultural norms. Therefore, providing comprehensive orientation programs, mentorship opportunities, and cultural integration initiatives can facilitate a smooth transition and improve employee retention rates.
Get them comfortable and then include them in any weekly rituals, like Monday meetings.
The onboarding process should also be as consistent as possible in each location. According to SHRM, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experience great onboarding.
Another thing to consider is employee referrals, as they account for nearly a third of all hires according to SHRM. Therefore, having a strong employee referral program for each country is vital.
Having said this, companies must have an equivalent referral bonus in each country. The amount should be based on a percentage of the average income in each location. If referral bonuses are too varied in different countries, it can make employees in one location feel less valued.
Step 6: Leverage technology for global recruitment
Invest in modern technology to streamline your global recruitment process.
By Implementing a global ATS, you will be able to:
- Automate tasks like screening a high volume of applications that would be impossible for a small team or single recruiter.
- Prepare data-driven job descriptions and screen and source candidates who are most likely to succeed in the role.
- Track candidates from initial application to job offer and onboarding, to provide consistent and positive candidate experiences.
- Maintain consistency in your hiring process, regardless of the candidate’s location.
- Consolidate data from multiple regions and channels into a single platform, making it easy to analyze, spot trends, and drive key business decisions.
Luckily, an ATS isn't the only technology that can support global recruitment. Organizations considering global recruitment can benefit from recruiting software to chatbots and video conference solutions. Video interviewing platforms and AI-driven tools can save time and improve efficiency, providing seamless communication between your team and candidates abroad.
Technology like chatbots and video conferencing can also bridge the communication gap. Chatbots are available around the clock to screen applicants and address scheduling issues across time zones. Additionally, if designed to communicate in the candidate’s primary language, they can create a more welcoming experience.
Similarly, video conferencing allows global recruiters and stakeholders to interview shortlisted candidates. You can see the applicant’s face and have a more personal experience than you would over the phone.
Step 7: Select the right global recruitment partners
The last step in global recruitment is partnering with recruitment agencies or recruiters specializing in global recruitment.
A global recruitment agency or recruiter can be a valuable partner in developing a global recruitment strategy because you benefit from the wealth of knowledge and experience they gain through working in different industries around the world.
As you look for a partner, it’s important to ensure that they have experience in the industry and the parts of the world where you’re looking to hire candidates.
For example, recruitment agencies or global recruiters specializing in recruiting tech professionals from India can help you hire the best local talent in the IT industry there compared to an agency that sources candidates globally from other industries.
Your global recruitment partner should also help you navigate the compliance and cultural issues in global recruitment. They can equip you to face upcoming challenges and anticipate any communication and training issues, enabling you to tackle them head-on.
Now that you understand the advantages of having a partner in global recruitment, let's dive deeper into what it entails to collaborate with global recruiters and global recruitment agencies.
The Role of Global Recruiters
A global recruiter is a professional who specializes in finding, attracting, and recruiting talent from across the globe to meet the needs of clients operating or looking to operate in different international markets.
A global recruiter is an individual role, meaning they can work as an internal recruiter within a company or an independent recruiter. Global recruiters often have a hands-on approach and are directly involved in the end-to-end recruitment process, from building relationships with the candidates to conducting interviews and onboarding. They also personalize their recruitment strategies to meet the needs of clients.
Their role includes the following tasks and benefits:
- Talent Sourcing. Global recruiters use their networks and databases to find top-tier candidates across different regions and industries, providing clients with a broader, ready-made talent pool.
- Cultural Intelligence. An in-depth understanding of cultural differences and market dynamics helps global recruiters evaluate candidates for both their skills and cultural fit, fostering collaboration and engagement in diverse teams.
- Legal Expertise. Global recruiters are well-versed in international labor laws, compliance issues, and regulations, ensuring that the recruitment process adheres to these laws and avoids potential legal pitfalls.
- Tailored Recruitment Strategies. Global recruiters customize recruitment strategies based on the needs of the organization and the state of the market, including methods of sourcing, communicating, onboarding, and much more.
- Candidate Experience. Global recruiters are experienced in engaging with candidates, from initial applications to onboarding, to ensure a consistent, positive experience. This builds the employer’s brand reputation and attracts more talent.
- Market Insights. Global recruiters provide priceless insights into global talent trends, salary benchmarks, and competitive recruitment practices, helping clients make informed decisions.
The Role of a Global Recruitment Agency
A global recruitment agency specializes in sourcing, vetting, and placing candidates from various parts of the world into suitable roles within companies.
This sounds a lot like the job of a global recruiter, which is why the terms “global recruiter” and “global recruitment agency” are used interchangeably. However, there are some key differences between the two.
A global recruitment agency is an organizational entity that employs multiple recruiters, each specializing in different industries or regions. This also means a global recruitment agency has larger databases and networks, enabling it to source talent efficiently. Instead of tailoring their recruitment strategies, a global recruitment agency offers clients a range of service models, including temporary staffing or workforce consulting. Lastly, a global recruitment agency focuses on scalability; it can handle large-scale recruitment efforts and high-volume recruitment needs.
While a global recruitment agency has roles similar to a global recruiter, such as quality talent pools, legal expertise, and market intelligence, here are several other functions:
- Time and Cost Efficient. A global recruitment agency streamlines the process by sourcing and screening candidates, arranging interviews, and extending job offers. This allows companies to focus on their core operations and save time and resources.
- Cost Structure. Familiarize yourself with the global recruitment agency’s fee structure and ensure it fits within your budget. Some global recruitment agencies charge a flat fee, while others may charge a percentage of the hired candidate’s salary.
- Faster Hiring Process. A global recruitment agency’s extensive networks and databases enable them to quickly identify and engage potential candidates. This speeds up the hiring process, helping companies fill key positions faster.
- Scalability. Whether a company is expanding into new markets or ramping up for a large project, a global recruitment agency can scale its services to meet the company’s needs. This flexibility is crucial for businesses that experience fluctuating staffing demands.
- Industry Expertise and Reputation. Ensure the global recruitment agency has experience in your industry and understands the specific skills and qualifications required for your roles to find the right candidates. While assessing their industry expertise, don’t forget to research the global recruitment agency’s reputation, client testimonials, and track record. A reputable global recruitment agency with a history of successful placements is more likely to meet your hiring needs.
By collaborating with a reputable global recruitment agency or global recruiter, companies can efficiently find and hire the best talent anywhere in the world, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and gaining diverse perspectives. As businesses continue to expand across borders and innovate, the role of global recruitment partners will remain vital in shaping the future workforce.
Case study: TechSolutions Inc. and GlobalRecruit
TechSolutions Inc. is a medium-sized technology firm headquartered in the United States, specializing in software development and IT consulting. After gaining significant growth in the US, the company decided to expand its operations into Europe to tap into new markets and access a diverse talent pool.
TechSolutions faced the following challenges in their efforts to recruit globally:
- The company had little market knowledge of the European job market and local hiring practices.
- Understanding cultural differences was necessary to successfully communicate with and integrate new employees.
- Navigating different labor laws in multiple European countries was challenging.
- Identifying skilled candidates in a competitive market was crucial to establishing a strong foundation.
TechSolutions partnered with GlobalRecruit Agency, a global recruitment agency to provide the following solutions:
- GlobalRecruit carried out comprehensive market research to find the most suitable countries for TechSolutions, factoring in the local demand for technology services, available talent, and competition.
- The global recruitment agency created a customized recruitment strategy, sourcing candidates with the right skills and experience to meet TechSolutions’ needs. To do this, they leveraged their extensive network and databases across Europe.
- GlobalRecruit provided cultural training sessions for both the TechSolutions team and the candidates, facilitating seamless communication and integration into the company culture.
- The global recruitment agency assisted TechSolutions with navigating complex labor laws, ensuring all hires complied with local regulations.
- GlobalRecruit provided consistent support throughout the recruitment process, including candidate engagement, interview scheduling, and onboarding.
As a result, TechSolutions successfully expanded recruitment into Germany, France, and the Netherlands within a year. GlobalRecruit helped them hire over 50 skilled professionals, including software developers, project managers, and sales representatives. The recruitment process would have otherwise taken several months. However, with the help of a global recruitment agency, the process was streamlined and resulted in a faster time-to-hire. Additionally, cultural training provided by GlobalRecruit facilitated smoother transitions for new hires, increasing employee satisfaction and engagement.
With a powerful local team, TechSolutions penetrated the European market quickly, increasing its clientele and revenue by 40% within the first year.
Conclusion
The future of global recruitment is continuously transforming with advancing technology, such as AI and automation, changing workforce dynamics, and evolving candidate expectations.
The best part is that you don’t have to do it alone. To stay on top of the rapidly changing global recruitment strategies, enhance your global hiring strategy, or explore new opportunities to source top talent, you can contact us here.