Global Recruiting

For the past few years, the recruiting landscape is more competitive than we have seen it in years, so if you’re an employer you are already restructuring to make recruiting one of the top priorities this year. This can be your year for change and growth, and a well networked recruitment agency can make this happen while saving you both time and money.

A recruitment agency is in the business of getting people employed, that is what they do. A well connected recruiter can offer your business a much wider range of connections in the industry you are looking to recruit in due to their network of recruitment partners as well as candidate databases among those recruiters. Many firms are specialized in their respective niche and location, and have a network of other firms that are specialists in other industries so working with one firm as your single point of contact allows you to skip your research to find recruiters that align with each individual need, they have it covered. These recruiters are experienced working in the industry, and have recruited candidates similar to who you are looking to hire, so they understand the skills needed to be leveraged to secure the top candidate.

They know how to maintain relationships. Getting to know your company, culture and structure is a critical piece in how a recruitment firm will represent you to a candidate. It is important that both client and candidate needs are understood to make a placement that truly fits the organization and will be beneficial to both the culture and growth. Continuing to use them for your hiring needs save you time as they can continue to build your departments out according to this knowledge to create the most stable teams.

Rest assured that if your growth leads to multi national or international expansion, a well networked recruiter with international reach will still be your single point of contact. For instance, members of our organization cover all six continents with a local presence to deliver global top talent for your hiring needs.

Many employers attempt to first use internal resources instead of looking at external recruitment companies. In markets that the employers know well and have social media connections, perhaps it is possible to avoid independent recruiters or at a minimum reduce the dependence on outside agents.  When the needs of companies expand beyond a local market and into countries where there is no physical presence, recruitment agencies may be the only way to achieve the results that are needed. As an international agency ourselves, we have prepared a few questions to consider when contracting an international agency.

1. How does your fee structure work?

There are many different approaches that recruiters use. If you have a real and immediate need opt for a firm that requires paying some sort of engagement fee or retainer so that you know that your opening will get some attention, or a devoted team and number of hours immediately put to the search. This will shorten the duration of the search and turn up candidates more quickly.

2. Does your firm have partners and connections where we are hiring?

It is often desirable to make a connection to a local recruiter with international connections rather than searching for a recruiter in the market where you have a one-off need. Develop a relationship with someone in your time-zone, who speaks your language, where you can meet them for coffee or have a meeting to hold them accountable for results. Have a relationship that is more than a single transaction. Opt for a relationship that gets leveraged around the world for your benefit, but keeps you grounded right where you are.

3. What is the most common source of the candidates you place?

Locating names is easy; selling people on making changes to their lives as significant as leaving one employer and moving to another is not easy work. It is even more difficult for the hiring company to be seen as an impartial coach or motivator of change. Sometimes the recruiter can do what even very talent hiring managers cannot. Also, look for recruiters with connections to a group of peers. You want the best candidate available not just the best candidate in their database. More like the best candidate in 20 or 30 recruitment companies’ databases. Or 500.

5. Can you tell me about international placement you have done or your affiliates/partners have done?

Examples of success are a good predictor of future success. Not every recruiter you connect with will have partners and connections and be able to share success stories. The ones who are capable will know others who are successful and have made international placements.

6. Does your firm belong to an international network or association of any type?

Ask what organizations they belong to. If they do not belong, then this show a lack of commitment or focus on what you are defining as necessary to support your search. They may have developed networks and connections independently…if so, they need to share some details on how they remain relevant in the market they hope to search for you.

There are many more you can add. In the end, it is about building a partnership and developing trust. The big things to take away are: look at the need creatively, you may find someone locally that has connections where you need to be, look for the ability to communicate examples of personal/partners success stories, and find someone who is doing recruiting not just list building.