Remote working combined with a global job market means incredible results for your organisation. The world is your oyster when it comes to getting the right candidate for the right position. Gone are the days of geography being a limiting factor.
But for the international HR team who have to run the global search, the prospect can be pretty daunting. How do you search the whole world for one perfect candidate? Perhaps it’s actually less ‘the world’s your oyster’ and more ‘needle in a haystack’?! Don’t panic. We can give you all the whats, hows and whys to get remote hiring right.
The upside: Why you need to hire a remote international team
The benefits to hiring globally are obvious. If you aren’t limited by location, you can pick from the broadest range of talent possible. Choose your hires based on whether they have the right skill set, the right experience and the right tools for the job.
And remote hiring is going to benefit the bottom line too. A McKinsey study recently found that companies who have diversity of race and ethnicity in their teams are 35% more likely to experience financial returns above their national industry average. So, that should be pretty persuasive.
But if that isn’t enough, all this diversity is going to mean that you’re innovating at the cutting edge and that you’re ready for whatever the next challenge in your field may be. A study by Deloitte suggests that organisations that hire remote, and hire diverse, are 1.8 times more likely to be ready to manage industry changes, and 1.7 times more likely to be leading their fields in terms of innovation.
Plus, it’s not just good for your organisation, it’s good for your people. 80% of employees who do the job they want but work remotely report higher morale and happiness. Which is what every HR team wants to hear. Because we want our people to be happy, but also because that’s going to have a huge effect on retention rates.
Next, you also have to factor in lower overheads as you save on office square footage, plus a bump in productivity.
This all starts to seem like a no brainer.
The downside: Why finding the right remote talent can be a challenge
The numbers don’t lie—the benefits are obvious. Throwing your net worldwide is going to produce some amazing results for your organisation. But for the HR team who are doing the recruitment, there are going to be some challenges when it comes to getting that global recruitment process right.
When your job ad only ran in the local newspapers, you might get a couple of CVs to read. Once we went electronic, you were probably talking about 10s of resumes. But now we’re searching globally, you might be looking at vetting thousands of applicants, and that’s going to take some time, especially if you have to read through every cover letter.
If you’re running interviews with candidates in different time zones you’re going to be getting up early and finishing late. And we haven’t even started to factor in daylight savings yet. Scheduling calls can be complex so you’ll need a system in place to make sure you know where your candidate is and when you’re on a call.
When you’re hiring on your home turf you know what the different qualifications look like. You know the companies listed under ‘Previous Experience’ and you know the phrases candidates use. That gets more complex to interpret when you have CVs from across the globe.
Once we get to the stage of making the hire, things get even more complex. Not only are you onboarding across time zones, but also across cultures. Plus, you need to be aware of the contractual and legal restrictions in every region you employ within. And then there’s international payroll to think about. And that’s a whole new kettle of compliance in every country you’re recruiting in.
Best practices for recruiting remote, international teams
It’s pretty clear that to find this shiny needle in our worldwide haystack (and do it without breaking a sweat) we’re going to need to put some good plans in place. Here are some of the factors to think about before you start your search:
1. Know your hiring set-up
We love it when a plan comes together. But you have to start by making that plan. And if you’re going global, you’ve got to think through all the options for how you want to do the hiring.
If you already have a legal entity in your new hire’s country of residence you can employ them directly. If not, you might need to use an EOR or a PEO. You could of course retain your talent as an independent contractor, but that comes with limitations too. If that all sounds a bit overwhelming, you’re going to need an expert to talk it all through with.*
2. Asynchronous systems
Big words for some pretty dandy options when it comes to hiring globally. Did you know that there are recruitment platforms out there now that allow your candidates to submit video responses to pre-set questions? So time zones don’t have to be a blocker… and you don’t need to take hours of your life doing those initial assessments of unsuitable candidates you’d probably rule out. And that frees up your schedule to keep things moving along. Because there’s lots more to do.
3. Understand the complexities
You thought that you’d finally got your head around all the complexities you needed to know. Hooray. But then the global search began, and you realised that before you can make that remote hire, you need to understand the local laws and regulations around employment. And you know what that means – tax laws, immigration requirements, and employment contracts. Add to that any cultural complexities you need to be aware of and this picture looks increasingly unnerving. Compliance is everything. So, make sure you seek legal counsel to ensure you’re getting it right*. Before you get it wrong.
4. Integration capabilities
By that we mean, are you compatible? It’s no good flirting with the provider with the pretty graphics if their platform won’t seamlessly merge with your existing tech. Huge custom alterations to force integration just isn’t cost effective.
5. Check for eligibility
Every region has different requirements when it comes to visas and work permits. So again, before you even begin to think about making the offer, make sure you’re making the offer right. Verify what kind of visas and work permits are needed before contractually crossing any t’s or dotting any i’s. We know this sounds like a lot, but there are experts out there to help.
6. Build your brand
We aren’t talking about colours and logos here. Brand is about presence. It’s about values. And it’s about setting and meeting expectations. As the world shrinks, brand building is becoming a vital piece of the recruitment puzzle. Make sure your organisation showcases its culture and values. This will differentiate you from the competition and help you to secure the best talent globally.
7. Cast your net
There are a range of great remote job boards and platforms out there that cater specifically to remote workers. It’s worth having a look at sites like FlexJobs, Remote.co, and We Work Remotely. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Target your job postings to candidates who are specifically looking for remote work opportunities. It’s basically taking the sting out of a work blind date situation – when you both know what you’re looking for, you’re starting strong.
8. Diversity and difference
Global recruitment is all about diversity. Which we know will be a huge benefit to your organisation. But it’ll mean there are sensitivities from the off. Be mindful of language and cultural differences when recruiting internationally. You might need to provide translation services for job postings and interviews, and make sure you’ve accounted for religious days and variations in public holidays. And that’s before you make the hire. Once you’ve signed the contracts you need to be prepared to provide additional support for onboarding and training. That’s after you’ve considered the different mandatory benefits, enhanced benefits and benchmarked local salaries, of course.*
9. Clarity from Day 1
When you’re writing that all-important job ad, it’s not the zingy adjectives that’ll make all the difference here. Clarity is the key to making the process smooth and making sure you make the right hire at the end of that process. Post-pandemic, remote employees are used to making their own schedules. A recruitment process is a two-way thing, so they need to be sure that your role fits with their way of working. Be absolutely clear on the level of flexibility available and how they’ll be expected to work with people in other countries and time zones.
*That’s where we come in
There’s quite a lot to think about. And we appreciate that remote hiring worldwide was never going to be easy. But it can be simple if you partner with a great global HR service. Which is where Cintra Global has got you covered.
We’ve spent years creating an incredible full-service suite offering you everything you need for global expansion.
So, whether you want advice on how to start your global search, or you want to go fully outsourced and let us take care of the whole thing (we’re talking HR, payroll, compliance, you name it) we’re here and happy to help.
And the truth is, we love to chat. Book in a call today and we’ll see how we can help you to get your global expansion moving.
