Finding the talent you need isn’t a simple process. Most organizations have to work hard at it, investing efforts in employer branding and unconventional strategies. Becoming an employer of choice may be one of your goals, but achieving this takes time. Meanwhile, you’ve got positions to fill, and your current team feels the strain.
Casting your hiring net into international waters can help you locate the employees you’ve been looking for. You needn’t settle for just anyone when the world offers candidates with the right expertise, passion, and dedication for the job.
But recruiting overseas isn’t exactly the same as it is from home. You’ll have to tweak some of your approaches and study local cultures and legal requirements. That said, bringing international employees on board can level up your talent game. Here are four ways to do it.
1. Research Potential Markets
Before you start putting the word out about job vacancies, it helps to know what you’re getting into. Labor market conditions, language barriers, and business practices can impact the attractiveness and feasibility of various countries. While hiring from Canada might seem like a good idea, you might find the competition for talent is too stiff. It could make more sense to target candidates in Germany or Singapore.
Researching and comparing potential markets can prevent headaches later and identify which areas are most viable. Your investigation should include employee classification laws, candidates’ expectations, hiring practices, and cultural influences that shape working conditions. Global employment solution Remote offers international hiring guides to help you get started.
You’ll find overviews on local economies, payroll requirements, languages, currencies, and public holidays. You’ll also discover whether you should set up a legal entity to hire local candidates. Some countries require businesses to establish a local office and a legal subsidiary. To avoid this, companies can work with an employer of record that has already established such legal entities.
2. Use the Influence of Social Media
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn can be a powerful way to reach across your country’s borders. Although the United States still dominates the professional networking site with 178 million users, other countries are catching up. For example, there are 76 million users from India and 53 million from China. Asia and Europe both have more combined LinkedIn users than North America.
Some countries and labor markets your business wants to recruit from are probably well-represented on social media. Besides platforms you already know, there may be other popular ones within certain nations or global regions. You might try posting on MaiMai if you’re seeking employees in China, for example, or Viadeo if you’re targeting workers in France. Social media sites geared toward professional networking and careers are prime places to recruit international employees.
While you can post open positions and pitch them at specific labor markets, you can also build your employer brand. Share content that will appeal to job seekers in the industry and country you hope to hire from. Have your HR or social media team join discussion groups that do the same. For instance, an ad agency might consider connecting with a global group for marketing professionals. Also, use relevant hashtags to help your content get seen by the right audiences.
3. Network With Local Organizations and Government Agencies
To increase your chances of discovering international talent, you can try reaching out to local organizations. These include universities, the equivalent of chambers of commerce, and government branches that oversee employment. Your business may get wind of global hiring events or conferences you can attend.
Start out slow at these hiring events and conferences by first seeing what they’re like. Merely attending them will give you a chance to talk with other worldwide business leaders and potential new hires. While networking, take notes on how these events work so you can determine how best to increase your presence going forward. At future conferences, you could go all-in and secure a featured booth or speaking slot to promote your company’s opportunities.
Other than events and conferences, local colleges may have career offices for current students and alumni. Learn how you can work with these offices to generate interest from candidates with the appropriate skills and interests. If you have open positions in a specific discipline, consider reaching out to the head of those programs. Department heads or instructors may have graduating students in mind who are seeking opportunities like yours.
Government agencies charged with improving labor market conditions could also have employment programs or initiatives. These present an additional recruiting opportunity for your business. Your company could either advertise vacancies through government agencies or become a featured employer for one of the programs. For instance, some initiatives target underserved communities or demographics.
4. International Job Boards
Although online job boards are a tried-and-true method, a few expand potential hiring pools. Some well-known recruiting sites feature worldwide or international sections for companies looking to broaden their horizons. Similarly, global candidates looking through these sections may be open to remote opportunities with businesses beyond their borders. Posting in international sections might get the right candidate to notice your listing sooner.
Sites that are popular throughout the globe can boost your vacancy’s visibility, but don’t discount regional or national avenues. There may be other online job boards the locals frequent, especially if they’re well-known in certain industries like tech. Include these in your listing efforts to cover all your bases.
Conclusion
If you’re struggling to find good candidates to fill open positions, you’re not alone. A recent survey of businesses from 43 countries found that 69% of them are facing difficulties. Upping your talent game means moving beyond conventional recruitment practices and expanding your efforts to international labor markets.
To pull this off successfully, research and select your most reasonable options. From there, use the power and influence of targeted online and in-person networking to locate excellent contenders. Once you find a process that works, keep honing it until you have the strongest applicants knocking at your door.
