Abigail's Top 10 Tips for Recruiting Internaitonally

Thinking of Recruiting Someone from Overseas?
Expert Tips for Ensuring your
International Recruitment Goes Smoothly

By Abigail Stevens, international recruiter for 20 years

Recruiting internationally is essential for so many roles now.  With the economy picking up, post the longest and deepest worldwide recession we have seen, many new jobs are coming onto a market that is exceedingly candidate short.  For those that have not recruited internationally before, and those that have, but not always successfully, it can cause concerns.  However, these concerns are easy to overcome and should not put you off.

In the 20 years that I have been moving professionals around the globe I have, as you would imagine, picked up many tips on best practice to ensure everything goes smoothly.  Here are my top 10:

1. Market Testing - Do your research, make sure you will be able to get a visa for the ideal candidate to make the move from overseas for the role you have in mind.  As a rule of thumb, if the person you need has to have a professional qualification and you can't find someone suitable within the country of the recruiting firm, it is probable that you will have an immigration case to sponsor someone to take the role.  This is likely to involve "Market Testing", which means advertising the vacancy for a certain number of days, prior to offering someone who will need sponsorship.  Don't leave this until after you have found the person because you could lose that person again during the testing time.

2. Keep Momentum Going - When someone applies for a job they are generally most excited about the prospect during the early stages of the application.  It is a big move for them to relocate overseas and they need to feel comfortable with the process and their choice.  As time goes on, they may start to have concerns about the efficiency of an organisation, doubts about making a move, a change in personal circumstances and a whole range of other issues that make them pull out of the process.  Statistics show that you are 53% more likely to get a positive answer to an offer made in writing within 21 days of the recruitment process starting, than one made 30 days plus.  Even higher odds if made within 2 weeks.

3. Help the Individual Visualise the Opportunity - Often, it is not practical to meet someone face to face or show them around your offices when recruiting from overseas.  However, individuals need to feel comfortable that they are making the right move when it is such a big one.  Providing information such as number and backgrounds of people they will be working with, what the office looks like, what people do socially, values and culture of the organisation, what it is like living and working and cost of living in the location, will go a long way towards helping the person visualise themselves working there.

4. Disclose Likely Salary Package Early - Whilst the best recruits will put career ahead of money motivations, there is no point on holding back on this information until an offer is made, it is a waste of everyone's time. 

5. Do Not Think You Can Pay Staff From Overseas Less - If you are hiring them to do the same job as others they are likely to do as good and in many cases a better job than your local staff.  They will find out if you are paying them less than others and they will become unhappy, unproductive employees, or even leave.  Or if a competitor offers them more money you will lose them.

6. Offering a Relocation Package Will Save You Money! - Research shows, if you provide an allowance for moving, initial flights and other assistance such as immigration agents, information of the area they are moving to etc., the individual is more likely to 'hit the ground running' and be far more productive from the start.  They are also more likely to be loyal to the company and stay longer.

7. Include a Clawback Clause - It is more the norm now for international employers to include a clause in contracts that allows them to reclaim back a proportion of relocation costs, in line with how long they have stayed with the company, for the first 2 years.  I.e. if someone hands their notice in after 1 year and hasn't really met expectations, then the company is able to claim back 50% of the relocation costs.  This helps towards replacing the individual.  It can be used at discretion if say someone has to leave to return home due to close family illness.

8. Keep in Touch Post-Acceptance, Pre-Start -  If someone has a long notice period, or a visa is being applied for, a lot of time can elapse between the person accepting the role and actually starting.  It is normal for that individual to be really excited when they first secure the role.  However, as time goes on, the individual can sometimes start to lose that initial enthusiasm.  After all, they are going to be surrounded by their colleagues, friends and family who will start to say things such as 'we are really going to miss you'.  Keeping in touch with the individual will really help with this.  Maybe through sharing internal communications, announcements, exciting news in the media, giving them a buddy pre-start date or introducing them to others who are about to join the company and moving from the same area.  Whichever way, it is nice for them to receive written and verbal communication from their new employer during this period.  

9. Help Them Settle In - Provide them with information on areas to live, how to set up a bank account, how to get a mobile phone, interesting places to explore in their new location and anything else that they may not be culturally aware of.

10. Catch Up Regularly Post-Start - You have spent a long time building a relationship with this person and helping them make one of the biggest moves of their life.  It's great to meet informally and sometimes formally to ensure they are settling well and help with any hiccups there may be.  It is also rewarding to hear, first hand, how you have improved someones life!

This is a topic that I have grown to know a lot about over the last 20 years.  I will be covering all areas of international recruitment on Periscope moving forward.  Please follow me on Twitter @AbigailStevens & @ThinkGlobalRec to find out more about dates and times!

Abigail

Abigail’s Journey

It's our 15th birthday and in celebration we're looking at the journey of the lady who started it all – Abigail Stevens. Here we talk to her about the journey she's been on since Think Global Recruitment started in July, 2000.

How did you get into recruitment and how did you get to the point of setting up Think Global Recruitment?

I lived and worked in Australia for 3 years and when I came back, I visited Edinburgh for a few weeks. I fell in love with the city and haven’t left. After a while the agency I was temping with, while looking for a job in marketing, offered me a job in recruitment, when I asked what was involved they described it as ‘like running your own business’. I was sold.

Celebrating Think Global Recruitment's First Placement, 2000

After a year with that agency, I was headhunted into an international accountancy consultant role where I was quickly promoted upwards. At an assessment for management buy-out, I was identified as a good candidate to work my way up to Director and be involved. However, this highlighted my entrepreneurial strengths and after weighing up my options, I decided to set up by myself instead.

I had the passion for international accountancy, myself and my team were smashing targets and I realised I didn’t have the passion or much input into other business areas in the company. That’s how Think Global Recruitment started.

Have your offices always been on George Street? From the very start we’ve been in this building. We started on the second floor at the back then knocked through and doubled it, then moved upstairs where we had a view of Edinburgh Castle. Now we take up most of the top floor with views of the Castle on one side and down to the Fourth on the other side of the building.

How has the technology used in recruitment changed since you started? Right from the start we have tried to innovate and stay ahead of our competitors. When we set up we bought three computers (many of our competitors were still using card indexes) and created our own database of accountants and prospective employers.

TGR Stars Softball Team 2004

We used to fax CVs out, couldn’t send mail-shots with attachments. Sifting through manual directories was a big part of our job. Now we have video interviewing, Skype and social media making the world smaller for us and the accountants we place.

Which technological advancement has helped you the most? It probably isn’t what most people think! LinkedIn is great but that helps our competitors as much as it does us. We like to be innovative and use sources and methods others do not use.

Email with attachments, the death of faxes and affordable and improved mobile phones and flights have probably helped us most.

Chartered Accountant Ireland Wine Tasting 2007

Picnic on Think Global Recruitment's Balcony 2009

It’s an international business – where do you most enjoy visiting? Australia, New Zealand and the Far East… However, I really do love travelling almost anywhere.  Every location has something special going for it that will improve the accountants we work with lives.

Bollywood Charity Fund Raiser 2008

What’s been your favourite hotel over the years, has that changed? If I’m away for more than three nights I always prefer self-catering. When I was visiting London, Sydney, Wellington and Edinburgh regularly we used to book Ascot Apartments. The apartments were decorated in the same style throughout the world and they let me keep a suitcase of bulky or liquid essentials, in every one, that was good. It felt like home.

Christmas Market Carboot Sale Charity Fund Raiser 2008

Favourite cuisine and most unusual food tried? My favourite food would be Thai. I’ve tried the Aussie meats such as crocodile and kangaroo and emu but I have to admit, I am not keen to eat anything that looks like what it was before it died!

Think Global Recruitment Taxi 2001

How many miles do you cover in a year? I get on a plane more often that I do a car. It varies but by the end of the year it will be over 40 journeys.

What’s your favourite airline? Emirates at the moment. Their staff have been known to frequently approach as I take my seat and say “Hello Miss Stevens you are our most frequent flyer on board today”. Even on an A380.

Worst moments? The attack on 9/11 the human impact of it all and then the impact upon the business that came after that. The recent Worldwide Recession, having opened offices in Sydney, Glasgow and London and the requirement to restructure was very sad at the time, but the one thing that kept the business going and to emerge again and become the largest, longest running specialist international accountancy recruitment consultancy.

'Abigail' Herald Newspaper 2001

Think Global Recruitment famous for its parties over the years!

And best moments? There are many. Our first placement – Edgar went into the Channel Islands. Getting pictures from people in their new destinations; that's when you can really see that you’ve improved their life. Sell out conferences, my number two, Ali returning to the business six months after he left. When clients say that we're the best supplier for both quality and quantity and that they really appreciate your service. This happens very often, but still makes me feel great, it’s all worthwhile!

Recently uncovering people who we helped find jobs as juniors who are now at the most senior level in the same company we placed them in more than ten years ago is really nice.

Over the years there have been so many highs; year ends, watching people develop in their careers, everyone’s first placement, when they’ve improved their first life.

And our staff day in August will probably be one of them too! We are taking the entire company away to a surprise location to celebrate our 15th Birthday. All they know right now is to have their passport up to date!

15th Birthday Cake! 2015