Challenges of Hiring Global Talent. The Transition Process is Key!
Attracting and hiring talent from abroad has many rewards. First and foremost, hiring foreign talent gives access to a bigger talent pool of qualified candidates, which can help fill skills gaps. Foreign employees also bring knowledge of industries, business practices and markets outside the U.S.A., and will therefore enhance your projects with a fresh perspective. Furthermore, global talent also increases the diversity of the workforce and therefore its potential for innovation. In other words, the benefits largely out-weigh the investment.
The Challenges
Nevertheless, hiring global talent is a challenging process for any company and invariably involves some additional expenditure, as procedures that are standard for domestic recruiting will have to be revised and adapted. Here are examples of the key issues to be considered:
What is the current team’s composition and what are the company’s long-term international expansion plans?
Do the hiring managers have the expertise needed to complete a global hiring process successfully? For instance, will they be able to confirm work references from abroad? If not, what internal or external partners need to be added? What about your legal team?
Have the necessary resources been allocated? The cost and timeframe need for recruiting international talent will exceed your typical domestic outlay. Additional expenses will need to be budgeted (e.g. extra man-hours, airfare for interviews, relocation expenses).
Is your on-boarding process flexible enough to integrate global talent efficiently? By the way, it is said that up to 70% of failed relocations result from the family not settling in and adapting.
The Transition Process is key for the On-boarding and Retention of Global Talent
Getting the practical relocation elements right (e.g. the work visa and social security number, household move, a temporary place to stay) is crucial to make the new hire (and their family members) feel they are being welcomed to the company.
However, surveys show (Expat Insider 2018, Expatica.com 2018) that global talents' main concerns are cross-cultural differences and the need to adapt and integrate into a new community.
- • Language competency, communication skills.
- • Adapting to local culture.
- • Learning culturally appropriate behaviors.
- • Developing a new social network.
- • Family unit relocation issues (e.g. partner’s and children’s integration, relationship).
- • Differences in Work Environment and Processes.
- • Cost of Living and Retirement Provisions.
Letting your new hires know that the company is aware of these concerns can make a huge difference. First impressions do count!
So how can companies help with cultural issues and make global hires feel more welcome? Often, it is the little things that make a difference; here are some suggestions:
- ✓ Have some healthy food available for the arrival of the new hire at the temporary housing.
- ✓ Have somebody with knowledge of the new hire’s own culture give them an area tour, help them get their social security number, look for a school for the children, etc.
- ✓ Have informational material about their new community available, e.g. opportunities for sightseeing, cultural communities in the area.
- ✓ Implement a buddy system (e.g. past foreign hires, or domestic employees interested in cross-cultural communication).
- ✓ Train the domestic employees on cultural differences and sensitivity!
By the way, these initiatives can be implemented at a minimal cost, particularly considering the overall cost of hiring global talent.
A good example of low-cost but invaluable on-boarding material is the new book “The American Way of Life. The Foreigners’ Perspective”.