With the popularity of remote work today, companies are able to look for talent regardless of geographical location. But while this means access to a larger talent pool with varying skill sets, it also means navigating the legalities of hiring outside your home country and incorporating various cultures into your own unified company culture.
While this can be a tricky task to get right, with the right tools and tips, you can successfully expand your hiring to international applicants. To help, eight business leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss the tips they would give companies for how to be successful with their global recruiting efforts as well as how this might differ from traditional, location-based recruiting.
1. Partner With An International Employer Of Record
To succeed in global recruiting, partner with an International Employer of Record (EOR) to handle compliance, payroll and benefits. EORs simplify international hiring, reduce risks and save time, allowing companies to focus on sourcing top talent and fostering a diverse, innovative workforce. You want to mirror or exceed the expectations of local talent, and the EOR can help with that as well. – Miles Jennings, Recruiter.com
2. Keep Staff Close Even If They’re Far
Keep your remote workers close even if they are far geographically! Communicate with them daily, share company achievements, include them in company team-building activities and, most importantly, work and communicate so that location-based teams see remote workers as fellow team members. It may require a bit more effort as there is no physical interaction, but it has proven to be effective. – Riccardo Conte, Virtus Flow
3. Prioritize Cultural Fit And Adaptability
To truly make your global recruiting efforts successful, you must prioritize cultural fit and adaptability. So, evaluate candidates based on their ability to adapt to your company culture, understand your common goals and thrive in a remote setting. This differs from traditional, location-based recruiting where people have similar backgrounds and coordinate through physical meetings. – Vikas Agrawal, Infobrandz
4. Narrow Your Focus To Specific Regions
There are often significant differences in the job market and cultural practices of different countries and regions. Rather than target the whole world, it can be more productive to focus on particular regions at a time. Learn about the culture, connect with recruiters in that region and identify the best places to reach candidates, such as job boards, universities or agencies. – Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
5. Onboard Team Members With Solution-Oriented Mindsets
One thing you must ensure is that you onboard people who have solution-oriented mindsets. This helps you create a team of high achievers who take responsibility for their deliverables and strive to come up with efficient strategies to solve problems. Finding such professionals can be extremely rare when you’re hiring people from specific locations but becomes easier when you’re seeking talent worldwide. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
6. Promote Diversity And Inclusiveness
When you’re hiring on a global level, make sure to promote diversity and inclusiveness in your recruiting strategy. The beauty of hiring a remote team is that you can hire top talent across the world without worrying about geographical boundaries. So let people know that diversity and inclusiveness are your team-building priorities when hiring candidates. – Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
7. Develop A Thorough Training Plan
Video interviews and a thorough onboarding program are a must. You don’t want your remote worker to get online for their first day of work with no idea how to fit in and no integration plan. Get them comfortable first. Make the hire because you have a clear slate of projects for someone in this role to tackle, and include them in any weekly rituals, like Monday meetings. – Tyler Bray, TK Trailer Parts
8. Understand And Respect Cultural Differences
One tip for successful global recruiting is to prioritize cultural competence and sensitivity. This means understanding and respecting cultural differences in communication, work styles and expectations. This differs from location-based recruiting because cultural differences can be more pronounced and important to navigate when working with remote teams. – Bryce Welker, Crush The EA Exam