A rapidly increasing number of companies and organizations are embracing the practice of hiring internationally. This allows global recruiters to source skilled workers without the boundary of geographical borders, therefore significantly broadening the talent pool.
It’s clear that a diversified workforce offers a wide range of benefits to companies including:
– expanding into new markets
– global competitiveness
– and access to a wider selection of highly skilled professionals to help increase revenue.
It also contributes to a broader client base. The perks of hiring internationally are bountiful.
Businesses need assurance that they are hiring the best international candidates who have the right skills and experience for the role. However, the prevalence of CV fraud and application fraud makes it difficult to place absolute trust in any one candidate. Unfortunately, document fraud, diploma mills, exaggerated information and forgery are all too common which means that up to 50% of applicants may be unqualified for their role.
Follow our 5 practical steps to avoid these common pitfalls when recruiting talent from overseas.
1. Create Trust – It Works Both Ways
When you reach out to international candidates, it’s important that you can direct applicants to a website or to a resource which adds credibility to the recruitment process for them.
It’s also a good idea to send them some written information or insightful media about the role and the company. Direct candidates towards your company’s LinkedIn page or even better, Glassdoor profile, so that they get a better understanding of the company culture. Giving applicants an honest insight into what working life will be like will not only build trust but also help to ensure they’re the right fit for the role.
If you plan to verify the documents of an overseas candidate – which is a highly recommended practice in international recruitment – let them know ahead of time so they can prepare their documents. This also deters fraudulent applicants from continuing to pursue an opportunity if they know their misinformation will be uncovered.
2. Embrace Video Interviews
Unless it’s crucial to do a face-to-face interview or assessment, technology is on your side in the form of video conferencing tools. Popular options include Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Skype.
It’s highly likely that the candidates you will be interviewing may have a different native language to yours. Plan an ample amount of time for video interviews where anything that may be lost in translation has time to be clarified for both parties. It may also be likely that the person you are interviewing has not worked abroad before. They may not be aware of your company’s cultural norms or even norms in the country that the role will be based in. Take time to cover these in the call to ensure they’re aware of what to expect before they pack their bags and get on a plane.
Use positive body language to fill the gaps usually found in in-person interviewing to make sure that this candidate is at ease. Give the candidate a clear picture of what life at your company is like and the working environment itself. You can even include other team members on video calls in later interview stages so that the candidate feels they have met a few of the people they’ll be working with.
3. Know Who You’re Hiring
Simply put, is the candidate who they say they are? Are they qualified to do the job they’ve applied for? Knowing this information before proceeding with a candidate’s application must be a priority. Verifying a candidate’s professional information from the start mitigates risk and protects your company, clients and employees from the potentially catastrophic effects of employment fraud.
When an applicant gets their documents verified by TrueProfile.io, as a recruiter, you know that they are already pre-qualified for shortlisting. It’s also incredibly important that a potential candidate sees how efficient your hiring process is which contributes towards a positive onboarding experience.
4. Communicate
For an individual candidate in a different country, global recruitment may seem daunting to them. Going through this process is not a daily occurrence for an applicant, so make sure to stay in touch and give updates when possible. Through a candidate’s eyes, you are the only contact they are having with your company. Encourage conversation and questions. The last thing either party wants is any misunderstanding of the company and the role based on miscommunication.
Maintaining regular communication ensures that your candidates have a full picture of how the recruitment process works and lets them know when they can expect to hear from you. If a candidate is met with radio silence for a month, it’s likely they’ll start pursuing other opportunities – potentially with competitors – and you could lose out on hiring a talented employee. It is also critical to manage this relationship effectively during the offer process and notice periods.
5. Hire From Reputable Career Platforms
Hiring internationally comes with many perks and benefits, but it can also be a long and pricey process. If you’ve found the perfect employee and you plan to relocate them, it is imperative that all their references, credentials and educational qualifications are thoroughly vetted. Omitting this step increases risk and could cost the company dearly. It’s an expensive mistake that is so easy to avoid.
TrueProfile.io Recruiting enables global healthcare employers to hire verified medical professionals. We’ve created a video which explains how we can help you to source and contact verified healthcare candidates quickly and at scale with access to a growing database of professionals who are ready to be hired!
To find out more about how you can modernise your human resources and source employees from a huge pre-verified talent pool, contact a member of our team today at businesspartner@trueprofile.io or request your free 7-day trial of TrueProfile.io Recruiting.
