Organizations formulate a global recruiting strategy and actionable plan for many reasons, including filling positions in international branches, hiring remote workers for skilled or lower-cost labor, and importing talent from around the world. It can also improve the resilience of the workforce and compensate for low unemployment in the organization’s home location. A 2020 talent mobility survey featured in Forbes found that for more than 95% of CEOs, their top priority is talent acquisition. Planning a global recruiting strategy helps organizations fill roles with a broader and more diverse pool of candidates.
This blog will discuss the importance of global talent acquisition, exploring several considerations to help you create a global recruiting strategy and secure top talent in locations around the world. We will also provide examples of successful strategies and the benefits of working with a global talent pool.
Is Global Talent Acquisition Important to Your Organization’s Recruiting Strategy?
A global talent acquisition plan and strategy solves many problems organizations and recruiters face when securing the best talent. Planning a global recruiting strategy provides more opportunities to scout the ideal candidate and diversifies your organizational talent in ways local recruiting never could. Many companies are looking for global job-seekers to improve productivity and fill in gaps in local talent.
Global talent is critical to your company navigating labor supply and demand. It can provide a safety net for disruptions in your local labor pool and an opportunity to expand into unfamiliar markets by hiring local, on-the-ground expertise.
What Should You Consider When Formulating a Global Recruiting Strategy?
You may face several challenges when recruiting from a global talent pool, but you will be able to overcome them. Consider the following when planning a global recruiting strategy.
Hiring Volume
Whether you are shifting to a global recruiting strategy to acquire talent with skills unavailable locally or are seeking high volumes of labor, your first consideration will be hiring volume. Your plan for recruiting should scale with your needs, whether you need one employee or several thousand.
Start by centralizing your data to ensure that the candidate experience is consistent and applicants in every location you work with have an equal opportunity. An applicant tracking system (ATS) can ensure that data flowing in and out of your organization is consistent and unbiased.
Choosing the Right Technology Solution
Organizations planning for global recruiting benefit from technological solutions, from ATS and recruiting software to chatbots and video conference capabilities. Technology can make it easier for your recruiting team to manage talent acquisition in various locations, providing seamless communication between your team and candidates or teams abroad.
An ATS can automate tasks that would be impossible for a small team or single recruiter when it comes to recruiting on a world stage. It can prepare data-driven job descriptions and screen and source candidates that are most likely to succeed in the role. An ATS will track the candidate from start to finish, up to their job offer and onboarding, to provide a consistent and positive candidate experience.
Technology like chatbots and video conferencing can bridge the communication gap. Chatbots can screen applicants anytime they are comfortable with and solve time zone scheduling conflicts. They may be more inviting if programmed to converse in the candidate’s primary language. Video conferencing allows recruiters and stakeholders to interview candidates if they make your shortlist. You can see the applicant’s face and have a more personal experience than you would over the phone without the expense of meeting in person.
Culture and Language
When planning a global recruiting strategy, culture and language are essential considerations. Any materials used for talent acquisition should maintain a consistent message while accounting for culture and language. You can ensure consistency by making a template for recruiters abroad to use when localizing the content.
Culture is as important as language regarding promotional images and branding. Your promotional material should be culturally appropriate to avoid confusing or alienating potential applicants. A consultant or recruiter in the locale where you are seeking talent can assist with localizing your material and choosing the ideal local platforms to post jobs and promotional material.
Labor Laws and Compliance
While the language and culture barrier can be challenging to overcome, there are also local regulations to observe. When sourcing candidates in different countries, it is critical to understand the local labor laws and comply with fair hiring standards that may be distinct from what you are used to in the US. While screening candidates with a criminal background check and drug test are common in many states, the practice may be illegal in other countries. You should also pay attention to the terms in the employees’ contract and offer letter if you are hiring abroad.
An employer of record (EOR) can assist your organization in recruiting globally. An EOR provides an understanding of labor laws and can navigate the nuances of the geographic market where your candidates are located. They are your partner in sourcing candidates and ensure your background checks, job description, and offer letter comply with local regulations and customs.
Time zones and Locations
It is vital to pay attention to time zone differences when your applicants are from distant locations across the globe. For instance, applicants in Asia will likely interact with your job postings and request information late at night. You should be flexible with your interactions and make an effort to schedule interviews at times that make sense for you and the applicants.
Leverage chatbots to make screenings as inviting as possible to applicants in different time zones. When you invite a candidate to an interview, provide the time zone or convert it to their local time.
How to Identify Quality Candidates in a Global Talent Pool
Selecting talent from a global talent pool can be challenging, especially if you are only familiar with local recruiting. It may be an easier transition if your organization recruits nationally or continentally. Global candidates require a unique approach and a little extra attention to make your organization seem like a trusted friend rather than an outsider. Pay attention to your branding and make adjustments to provide a great candidate experience in every territory.
Build Your Brand to Attract Top Talent
While your organization may already be attracting top-notch talent from a local or national candidate pool, attracting global candidates requires understanding a broad demographic. Your brand should positively reflect your organization and its values to a highly diverse audience. Not only will your diversity and inclusion plan need an overhaul, but your employee communications, social media profiles, job postings, and candidate landing page will need to be tailored to a worldwide market.
Your recruitment strategy should be responsive and adaptable to greet candidates in their spoken language and convey understanding and respect for their culture. You can use locally significant content while maintaining a consistent brand and voice worldwide to appeal to candidates where they are located.
Localizing Your Global Recruiting Plan to Provide a Better Candidate Experience
In addition to building a brand, take time to understand the culture of the locations you plan to acquire talent from to create a positive candidate experience. Research what candidates look for in an employer and tailor job postings and communications to local preferences. A trustworthy brand is authentic. Incorporate video testimonials into your social media and recruitment landing pages to connect with job seekers and provide a sense of authenticity.
While many candidates in the US use a laptop or desktop to browse job postings and conduct video interviews, applicants in other countries may be more likely to use a mobile device. Ensure that your website and job postings are accessible for mobile devices with a responsive design. Use popular apps, websites, and social media the locals are familiar with and ensure the services you use are available in your target location.
Building a Relationship With Global Talent
When you understand the culture and language of your global talent pool, you can appeal to them as a local employer would. Find out how brands and employers communicate with candidates and employees in your target location. Some cultures value humility and personal communication, while others value hierarchy, rules-based communication, and a more reserved way of speaking. A point of contact or team to liaison with local candidates may be necessary to ensure you make a good impression. An employee referral program is one way to grow your candidate pool abroad with quality candidates and build trust as a new employer by introducing candidates to your brand through a friend or family member.
While video conferencing can make it easy to communicate with candidates face-to-face, your organization can build rapport and create a lasting impression on employees, new hires, and candidates by meeting employees in person. If your organization has offices or branches in another country or continent, holding an annual conference or event can make a major difference in employee sentiment abroad. It gives US and international teams a chance to meet and know who they work with daily. The get-together can be a perk of employment with your organization, and you can use videos and images from the event in promotional material for future recruitment initiatives.
Examples of Organizations that Successfully Leveraged Global Recruitment
Numerous organizations have turned to global talent to shore up their workforce with larger hiring volumes, skilled professionals, and new perspectives unavailable locally. Companies can gain an advantage locally and abroad with a global talent pool.
In October of 2021, Facebook (now Meta) announced its intention to hire 10,000 skilled workers in Europe to build its Metaverse platform. The organization needed numerous highly skilled engineers to create the platform. While there is no shortage of skilled engineers in the local Bay Area, the number of talents needed in a short period required Facebook to expand its talent pool with a recruitment drive in Europe. The company sees Europe as a leader in quality talent and sees the continent as an emerging hub of skilled engineers.
The Benefits of a Global Talent Acquisition Plan & Strategy
A global recruiting strategy provides an expansive and fresh pool of worldwide talent with different experiences and skills from your local talent pool. Your organization can gain the following benefits from a global talent acquisition strategy:
- Larger Pool of Candidates: When unemployment is low, it can be difficult to fill positions locally. A global talent pool gives your organization access to regions with more job-seeking candidates. It can also provide more choices for hard-to-find talent in technology like machine learning and native language speakers to help your organization expand into other regions.
- Diversity of Thought: A global talent pool can help your organization solve problems with fresh ideas and new perspectives. The new ideas can recharge your organization. Diverse perspectives can be vital to your organization’s ability to expand into new territories and do business with a global market by providing an on-the-ground view of the local culture.
- 24/7 Productivity: If your organization operates with a local workforce, 24/7 productivity can be difficult to achieve. When you hire talent from time zones around the world, your organization can easily maintain 24/7 productivity with optimal staffing.
- Workforce Resilience: A global talent pool provides additional resilience for your company. During times of economic uncertainty or a difficult labor market, having access to a global talent pool can ensure your organization has a steady supply of quality candidates.
Planning for Global Recruiting With an Effective Strategy
Your organization may be moving into a global recruiting strategy to increase its recruitment capabilities and find new talent or as a core component of an international expansion. Talent acquisition on a global scale can help your organization fill roles and understand new markets from a local perspective. A successful global recruiting strategy depends on the right tools.
Comeet’s recruiting platform allows you to put that global talent acquisition plan to use and can help you source talent pools worldwide and screen and select quality talent to fill roles internationally or locally. It can automate your recruiting tasks to make recruiting from a large candidate pool fast and efficient. Schedule a demo with Comeet to begin your international talent acquisition journey.
