Global recruitment strategies are now more important than ever. As competition for talent increases, it is increasingly important for international organizations to create a recruiting strategic plan that is consistent across the globe. One factor driving this shift is falling unemployment around the world. The U.S., China, Japan, Britain and Canada all have unemployment rates at or below 6 percent—with the U.S., China and Japan at or below 4 percent. This makes it difficult to find and attract top talent in these economies.
Leaders are concerned about the growing competition for talent. According to PwC’s 21st CEO Survey, which collects data from leaders around the world, 80 percent of CEOs say they’re worried about finding talent with necessary skills. Additionally, 54 percent say they plan to increase the headcount at their organization over the next year and 57 percent believe global growth will improve over the next year.
To support growth and remain competitive in sourcing and recruiting the best workers, organizations need to build a comprehensive global recruitment strategy. An overarching global recruitment strategy covers recruitment marketing and employer branding, candidate experience and onboarding around the world.
In this blog post, we will cover the benefits of a global recruitment strategy and the building blocks employers need to be successful.
Benefits of a Global Recruitment Strategy
Improved quality of hire
An effective global sourcing strategy enables employers to make a better cultural match and increases the potential of finding the right candidate with the right skills.
Increased diversity and greater cultural literacy
Employers are able to speak to and attract candidates regardless of country through a consistent global recruitment strategy. If the recruitment process is optimized for one country or weaker in different parts of the world, an employer will see the overrepresentation of some candidates and underrepresentation of others. By deploying a truly global process, employers will be able to attract and hire a more diverse slate of candidates. Increased diversity has a host of benefits including improved productivity and higher levels of employee engagement. Diverse employees also bring an increase in cultural literacy to an organization.
A recruiting strategic plan to better source candidates with skills of the future
A global recruitment strategy can help employers source candidates with the skills of the future. Automation is changing the way we work, and different areas of the globe are adapting at different paces. According to PwC, 94 percent of CEOs in China are worried about finding candidates with the right skills compared to just 51 percent in Canada. With a global recruitment strategy, HR professionals can adapt candidate personas from around the world to ensure they are sourcing talent with the necessary skills and identifying new ways to target candidates who fit these personas.
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Employer brand
The first step of implementing a global recruitment strategy is building an employment brand that is truly global. Many employers, especially those in the B2B space, don’t have a strong consumer brand. Without a strong consumer brand, most organizations need to rely on their employer brand to attract talent. There are many ways for an organization to build its employer brand, including developing employee ambassadors, using social media and digitizing brand strategy while putting mobile first.
When implementing a global recruitment strategy, organizations need to build an employer brand that is effective across the world. It is important to work with local employees to ensure employer branding and recruitment marketing campaigns are culturally appropriate in each region in which an employer recruits.
To accomplish this effectively, HR should work with marketing, so the strategy is aligned with and deployed alongside traditional marketing messages.
Candidate experience
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 candidates and convince them to apply, positive interview experiences and consistent communication.
Employee referral program
The process should also include a strong employee referral program for each country as employee referrals account for nearly a third of all hires, according to SHRM. It is important to ensure 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.
Consistent onboarding process
The onboarding process should also be as consistent as possible in each location. According to SHRM, 69 percent of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experience great onboarding. While some countries have exceptions, like requiring a new hire to come into the office for a signature before the start date, but otherwise the process should be as consistent as possible. At PeopleScout, we standardize, document and create global job contract repositories to make our clients’ onboarding processes more efficient and compliant.
Standardized technology
When building a global recruitment strategy, it is important to standardize technology as much as possible across the globe. While there are exceptions, like Russia where, by law, you need to have an ATS on the ground in the country, you should use the same technology systems wherever possible.
A centralized technology system for all global locations gives you better data and a better view of your entire workforce. This gives you the ability to better spot trends and make strategic decisions.
Global labor market data analysis
If the talent market starts to tighten in one part of the world, you can easily 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. For example, a PeopleScout client was looking to hire Norwegian speakers in a central European country. After analyzing the market data, PeopleScout provided recommendations for better locations outside of Norway where the client could find more candidates who met their requirements.
Finding a Global RPO Partner
A global RPO provider 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 parts of the world where you’re looking to hire candidates.
Your partner should help you navigate the compliance and cultural issues that accompany any global sourcing program. While some local labor laws deal with issues that happen after the hiring process, remember that they can have implications during the hiring process too. An RPO provider can help prepare you for many of the challenges before you post a job or extend an offer. Additionally, a partner with years of experience can help you anticipate any communication and training issues so that you can tackle the issues head-on.
If you are considering building a global recruitment strategy, read more about our global RPO solutions.
