Life-Saving Tips when Recruiting Staff Abroad
Are you looking to recruit staff from abroad, but don’t know how? There are many tips, considerations, and rules you should know in order to successfully recruit staff from abroad. When considering this option, you should first determine what country you would like to recruit staff from. Whether it is located in the Pacific, Latin America, or North America, there are certain rules and regulations that need to be taken into consideration.
When you expand your company into new territory, its overall potential and valuation increase dramatically. Moreover, expansion also allows you to increase your market share, find new customers and diversify your business.
While it has its benefits, there are some obstacles to taking a business to the multinational and global levels. Most notably, recruiting employees abroad can pose a series of challenges for even the most cunning business people. However, there are ways to overcome them and ensure success for your global expansion.
Challenges with recruiting abroad
One of the hardest things to consider when recruiting any staff is getting them to have the same vision and plans you have in mind for your business. This challenge can be exacerbated by differences in culture, business structure, and overall values.
Recruitment can also be made difficult if you’re recruiting in a foreign country and don’t understand their native language. Although English is typically the ‘language of business,’ that does not mean that everyone in the business world speaks it. If you haven’t taken it upon yourself to learn the language of the country you are looking to enter, this can pose a great deal of challenges when hiring employees.
Finally, recruiting staff abroad can be a fairly regulated practice depending on the country. Being aware of, and actually understanding, the laws and regulations in the different countries you’re recruiting from can get complicated and a tad overwhelming. Nonetheless, it is one of the most essential parts of the process and should not be ignored.
Luckily, all these challenges can be overcome. In the end, it will take your company to a more dynamic and globalized level.
Having a local business partner is important
If language serves as a fairly big barrier for you, it is essential to have a local business partner. They can act as a liaison between your company and other businesses and/or government officials. This will save you from a fair amount of stress and headaches because you can trust you are following rules and regulations appropriately.
Moreover, they will be able to give you insight into local and national laws and regulations for recruiting and hiring employees in the respective country. Moreover, having a partner will decrease the likelihood that mistakes are made throughout the process. By avoiding unnecessary mistakes, hiring and onboarding becomes a much faster and smoother process.
Not only can a local partner clue you in to laws and regulations, but they can also provide suggestions relevant to your business model and the market you’re involved in. These suggestions can give your business a competitive advantage over other foreign companies in the same industry.
Take your time
When you are hiring people, make sure that you take your time and don’t hire too quickly. This tends to be a mistake for many expanding businesses. You should take everyone you hire into careful consideration. If you are just starting in a foreign country and don’t have a business partner, or sufficient funds to hire a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), use local resources such as recruitment websites, employment fairs, universities, and job centers. You can also use your personal or companies social media to start recruiting. Given the digitization of the world, there are plenty of platforms to advertise a job opening cheaply and/or freely.
Rules and Regulations
Whether you hire a lawyer or you go about it on your own, it’s essential that you understand local employment laws and regulations before you start advertising for staff. In certain countries, you may be required to give employees a minimum amount of annual leave based on their age or length of employment. Additionally, there could be registration processes and licenses required for companies if it is there first time hiring in the country. Be sure to avoid ‘putting the cart before the horse’ and check off all the steps before starting the recruiting process.
Moreover, it is important to have an idea of the pay and working-condition regulations in the country. For example, in some LATAM territories, there has been an increase in minimum wages and working conditions. It is sensible to follow regulations and offer your employees a generous pay package and comfortable and ethical working conditions, regardless of your industry.
Job Market in the Country
When you decide to recruit staff from abroad, it is important to consider the country’s overall job market. If the market is stagnant, it might be harder to find qualified employees. If the market is fluid and the country’s economy is doing well, companies should find that it’s easier to bring on qualified, talented employees. It’s best to understand the overall climate of the prospective country’s job market so you have an idea about what the hiring process might be like and what types of candidates you could encounter.
Overall, taking your company into global expansion can be a difficult feat. One of the hardest parts is finding trustworthy, qualified employees abroad. Given the potential differences in culture, values, laws, and practices, employers can run into a handful of challenges. The best way to avoid these problems is to bring on a local partner to help you and develop a well-rounded understanding of the country’s business culture, laws and overall economic climate. With assistance from experienced professionals and extensive knowledge on various markets and economies, your expansion abroad and hiring process should experience great success.