Recruiting top-notch international talent is now more feasible than ever before. However, you need to have the right knowledge and strategies to identify, evaluate, and onboard the best candidates. This comprehensive guide equips you with the essential tools to succeed in global recruitment.

Sometimes, you might struggle to find the right candidates close to home. Perhaps the job market is simply too saturated in your own country. Or you need multilingual talent to tackle your company’s expansion into new markets. Whatever the reason (and you’ll find more listed below), your business may be looking to hire international employees. But where do you start? How do you find and recruit global talent? You’ll find all the information you need below. From the best international job search sites to promote your role, to how to adapt your HR processes to be better tailored to global talent acquisition needs. You’ll learn that, and more, in our global recruitment guide below.

In some cases, it can be challenging to locate suitable candidates within your local area. This could be due to a variety of reasons, such as a saturated job market or the need for multilingual expertise to facilitate your company’s expansion into new markets.

For whatever reason you require it (which we’ve outlined below), your business may want to employ foreign personnel. But where do you begin? How can you identify and attract international talent?

All of the necessary information can be found below. From the most effective international job search platforms to publicize your job opening, to adapting your HR practices to be more tailored to the requirements of global recruitment. You’ll find all of that, and more, in our comprehensive guide to global recruitment.

There are various advantages to recruiting talent globally.

When you engage in global recruitment, your business can access diverse talent pools, leading to fresh opportunities and increased potential for growth. Here are the top five advantages of hiring international employees and recruiting globally.

1. Discover unique skills that aren’t available locally: If you’ve been struggling to fill a specific skills gap in your team, expanding your recruitment search globally can increase your chances of finding the perfect candidate. By broadening your horizons, you can access a larger talent pool and find the ideal fit for your team.
2. Meet your multilingual requirements: As your business expands into new markets, finding native employees who speak the local language is crucial. Hiring globally can help you find people who understand the culture and market intricacies of your target countries. By doing so, you can tailor your product and strategy to meet country-specific demands.
3. Foster diversity and inclusion: Hiring international employees from different backgrounds leads to a more diverse workforce. Adopting a culture add approach, rather than the cultural fit approach, can have many benefits for your business. Diverse teams have been shown to outperform homogeneous teams, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion can enhance your employer branding.
4. Cut staffing expenses: Global recruitment can also help reduce staffing expenses, but only if the position can be performed remotely. In certain countries, employees’ average pay rates may be lower than those in your company’s home country. Hiring remote workers can also save costs associated with office space and supplies.
5. Lower recruitment expenses with virtual recruitment: International recruitment mostly takes place virtually, which can positively impact your company’s bottom line. Online interviews can save time and resources, reduce travel expenses, and increase efficiency, as discussed in our article on digital recruiting.

Best practices for global recruitment.

You have made the decision to recruit international employees, but how do you find top-notch candidates from around the world? Look no further than our list of eight global recruitment best practices, designed to jumpstart your international hiring journey. Let’s get started!

1. Establish specific goals and objectives.

Setting goals and objectives is crucial in the hiring process, especially when recruiting internationally. In addition to the standard steps followed during the hiring process, it’s important to adapt the process as you explore new territory. Consider the following factors when setting goals and objectives:

• Where will the position be located?
• What specific language skills or local knowledge are required for the position?
• Why are you recruiting globally? Is it to add diversity to your workforce or to find certain skills that are not readily available in your home country?
• Which countries or regions will you target in your recruitment efforts? For example, if you are seeking a Spanish speaker, you may want to focus your international recruitment in Latin America and Spain.

2. Utilize international job sites to their fullest potential.

To optimize your international recruitment efforts, it’s important to utilize appropriate job boards that align with your goals and attract skilled candidates through a more tailored approach. These job boards could be either free or paid portals. Below are five examples of renowned international job sites that allow you to post your job advertisements in multiple locations.

Platform 1 – LinkedIn
With over 700 million global members, LinkedIn is one of the largest professional social networking platforms available.

Platform 2 – JOB+
JOB+ leverages AI to connect you with local, regional, and global employers as well as alumni.

Platform 3 – iGlobal Talent
iGlobal Talent is a market-network that facilitates connections between companies, jobs, and candidates on a global scale. It partners with various organizations to connect them with each other.

Platform 4 – Cturtle
Using AI, Cturtle addresses critical talent shortages through strategic partnerships between corporations, governments, and universities.

Platform 5 – International Alumni Job Network (IAJN)
The International Alumni Job Network (IAJN) was established in 2015 as a professional network for international graduates worldwide.

When it comes to hiring globally, it is not necessary for your business to have a physical presence in the country where you are hiring. This is due to the increasing trend of remote work, which allows you to hire talent from anywhere in the world, even if your business does not have an active base in that location.

3. Building Your Employer Brand: After identifying where to find global talent, the next step is to showcase why your company is an attractive place to work. To do this, you need to focus on your employer branding. As most global talent will need to relocate for the job, they want to be sure that your company is trustworthy, reliable, and authentic. An engaging career page is a good starting point.

Research by LinkedIn found that 75% of job seekers consider employer branding before applying for a job. This makes it a worthwhile investment to improve your employer branding, particularly if your company is not well-known internationally.

4. Honesty and Transparency: Honesty and transparency about your company culture, processes, and ways of working are critical for all candidates. However, this is even more crucial for international hires who are taking a significant leap of faith. Any misalignment upon arrival could damage their perception of you as an honest employer. Failing to deliver on your promises could lead to a poor employee experience and damage your reputation as an employer.
5. Understanding Legal Processes: Before hiring global talent, it is crucial to understand the legal processes involved. The employment regulations in your country may differ from those of the candidate you’re hiring, and they may require a work permit if they’re relocating. Your HR team should understand these requirements for both the employer and the employee and be prepared to provide assistance. It’s equally essential to handle candidate data appropriately and in line with local and regional regulations. For instance, when hiring within the European Union, GDPR compliance is a must.
6. Modify your existing processes: In addition to setting goals and objectives, it’s essential to tailor your hiring process to align with the unique requirements of international recruitment. Consider these factors:

• Utilize online job interviews
• Consider time zone differences when scheduling interviews
• Allow for longer timelines in the recruitment process
• Take into account cultural differences in your processes and requirements, such as CV formats

7. Provide additional support: Recruiting globally often requires extra effort to convince candidates to accept your offer. Consider offering relocation packages or temporary accommodation to sweeten the deal.
8. Personalize the onboarding process: Don’t stop at the contract signing; consider the specific needs and wishes of foreign talent during the onboarding process. Be aware that onboarding may take longer for international hires, and provide language courses or other integration assistance as needed.

Start recruiting global talent

By implementing these tips and best practices, you’ll be better equipped to hire international talent. While the standard hiring process still applies, there are unique factors to consider in the global recruitment process.