The evolving shift to remote work and remote technology has shed light upon global talent recruitment. This means that companies, wherever they are located, can recruit talent from whichever country they want. Since the appearance of Covid-19, the way we work has drastically changed. Although remote working did exist pre-Covid, evidently, there has been an extreme increase in remote work due to Covid-19. However, this surge is not temporary; it is now expected that the increase in the number of remote jobs and remote recruiting in general will be permanent post-Covid-19, as it continues to shape a more efficient way of work. When internationalising your talent through a remote-friendly job listing, recruiters can expect the following benefits:
1. Diversity – enriched workplace culture and enhanced branding
Global talent recruitment also allows for a more diverse and enriched workplace culture. Diversity can bring access to new insights; different types of people and unique thought-processes can be applied to expand companies’ scope of vision. An international workforce thinks outside the box and is more creative and innovative. Hiring internationally could enable the needed change in perspective and act as the catalyst for a more significant and welcomed change. These diverse teams aren’t afraid to try new things, build connections and develop a community atmosphere that can be advertised as unique within the sector.
Subsequently, having a diverse, internationally hired team can enhance branding which is a huge part of building a successful modern company. It is important that companies take advantage of advertising their incredibly talented team, assembled from all kinds of different backgrounds and locations. This, in turn, will highlight to potential applicants that your company focuses on bringing in the best talent.
2. Employee retention and satisfaction due to flexibility
Flexible schedules and location independence among others are very highly-demanded employment benefits in the job market. By internationalising your talent through remote work as an option, professionals are less likely to leave their employer and more likely to have a higher job satisfaction. In some cases, they would even take a pay cut to avoid relocating as it will enable less time travelling to the office and allow for more quality time to be spent with family.
3. New approaches and new ways to enter potential markets
Internationalising your talent will bring new recruits with different business climates and their new approaches to solving problems. International hires offer their language skills and market knowledge to businesses, giving them an insight into different markets and new ways to enter potential markets, as well as access to an entirely new demographic of customers. These hires have the potential to convince their previous high-quality customers and clients to switch to work with them in their current job.
4. Boosting a green strategy
Internationalising your talent has environmental benefits too, such as less energy waste and reduced fuel usage. Remote working means an increased use of technology and thus reduced usage of daily essentials such as printer paper. Natural light at home can be used as an alternative to electricity and finally, there will be no driving to work which reduces the fuel consumption, ultimately contributing to a greener environment. In fact, the Nasa, “Work from Anywhere program” saved the federal government roughly $30 million for each day.
5. Competitive advantage
Not including an international recruitment strategy can mean falling behind and not only losing opportunities for growth, but also possibilities for recovery. Broadening your approach can help you to have:
- A wider talent pool – Transitioning from a local workforce to an international one will allow you to reach a wider talent pool as you are no longer restricted to local recruitment. This larger pool of workers is also generally more engaged, with all kinds of new opportunities and often trained in unique skills that may not be as widely used or studied within your country. Consequently, gaining a greater level of potential altogether, access to the best candidates, as well as, giving you a valuable edge over your competitors.
- Higher application rates – The more people the job description reaches; the larger the amount of applications. Moreover, according to the remote work strategy firm, Distribute Consulting, most employers that internationalise their talent and advertise a job as remote friendly, commonly see a 3,000% increase in application rates which can help source the best talent across the globe. However, this can also put pressure on recruitment departments since there is more information to be analysed, so technology and global recruitment have to work together to provide a smarter solution.
- Increased productivity with remote workers – The most productive workers in the world come from a diverse number of locations. A common misconception about remote workers is that productivity decreases; indeed, there is the possibility of this, however remote workers tend to accomplish more in a shorter space of time without office distractions. Remote working can be beneficial in improving job satisfaction and is increasingly seen as being a positive force with regard to well-being. Thus, happier employees are likely to be more motivated, which in turn can drive efficiency and further strengthen strategic advantage.
- Lower hiring costs – Global talent recruitment can help to save research and relocation costs (provided the worker wants to stay remote working)
- Extended working hours – If an international hire chooses not to relocate, this will offer a unique asset to the company as this hire will be working different hours to the rest of the employees allowing them to provide an around the clock service. For example, imagine if you cover all time zones – you could effectively have a company working 24 hours.
Recruitment without borders
In conclusion, many benefits come from internationalising your talent and global talent recruitment. While international recruitment is already on most companies’ radars, some are still yet to realise its potential. It is important to recognise earlier rather than later the scarcities in your location that can be brought by the new experiences, skills and knowledge from an international hire, in order to face future challenges and avoid missing out on recruiting the next best candidate. Hiring internationally, means increased remote working and this increase is further accelerated during a global pandemic.
We are at an inflection point, and with no end to Covid-19 currently in sight, organisations must broaden their horizons with diverse, international talent as this will not only benefit your company by increasing the possibilities of growth, but also build bridges between different cultures and will contribute to the transfer of knowledge and opportunities between countries.
Catenon has 20 years of experience recruiting internationally. We specialise in digital talent acquisition for our clients based around the world. With 25 offices and operations in more than 100 countries, Catenon can help you to identify, assess and recruit the best candidates wherever they are in the world.
For more information about how to boost and improve your recruitment process and learn more about hiring internationally, please contact us at info@catenon.com.
