Today, companies across the world find themselves in a unique set of circumstances. The Great Resignation, a surge in retirements and a rebounding global economy have converged to create a situation where we have more job openings than available talent.
Because of this, companies are now exploring options that they may not have considered before to find and retain talent, including international recruitment. While overall, this is a positive trend, it’s led to the re-emergence of some popular myths that employers will need to disregard in order to get the best return on their recruiting strategy.
Myth 1: Hiring internationally requires too much paperwork
The belief that there’s too much paperwork when you hire internationally isn’t a myth so much as an observation. There is a lot of paperwork whenever you hire anyone, but with an international hire, the amount of paperwork can quickly become overwhelming, especially if your company decides to handle relocation and work visas on your own.
The good news is that you don’t have to hire internationally alone. By partnering with a company experienced in global mobility, you will have someone to handle the bureaucracy and complete the administrative tasks that are vital, but time-consuming.
The right international relocation service provider will do the leg work necessary to jump over barriers so you don’t have to. All you’ll need to worry about is finding the right people and maximising your team’s efforts.
Myth 2: International recruitment takes too much time
One of the key metrics in recruiting is time-to-hire, meaning how much time elapses from the day that the position is approved until the day a candidate accepts the position.
There are a lot of factors that affect time-to-hire, depending on the type of position you’re trying to fill and where you’re trying to fill it, however, one thing is always true—everyone wants the time-to-hire to be as short as possible.
Because of the importance placed on time-to-hire, there’s a persistent myth that international recruiting takes too long. While that may have been true at one time, advances in technology, increasing acceptance of global mobility, and the development of global relocation experts have made it easier than ever to recruit internationally.
Myth 3: Global hiring is risky
Another common myth about international recruiting is that global hiring is risky. Companies are concerned that employees who are hired internationally won’t stay long enough to justify the company’s investment.
And with an estimated 33% of newly hired employees leaving their jobs before they’ve completed ninety days of employment, it’s no wonder that companies are worried that global hires will leave quickly.
Employee retention is a concern all over the globe, with companies seeking ways to increase employee commitment. Ironically, one of the best ways to encourage your employees to stay is to embrace global mobility.
Increasingly, employees see relocation as a chance to advance their careers and improve their lives, and they see the opportunity to relocate as an investment their employer makes in their future. By making this investment, employees are more likely to commit to your company, which will lead to great employee retention and a lower turnover rate.
Myth 4: Hiring internationally is too expensive
Like international recruitment, numerous variables affect the cost of international hiring. These costs include administration fees for the immigration process, insurance, tax compliance, housing, and, of course, the move itself.
In addition to these costs, there is the time and effort that your company must spend on working with an unfamiliar set of laws and customs. It’s easy to see why people think that hiring globally can be too expensive.
Of course, the cost of hiring must be weighed against the cost of leaving a position unfilled, or worse, hiring the wrong person for the position. The bottom line is recruiting costs money, but the associated costs are often less expensive than allowing the position to remain open or settling on the wrong hire simply because they’re a local candidate.
The good news is that international hiring costs can be managed. By working with an international employee expert, companies can save time and money, and mitigate stress.
Myth 5: Hiring internationally requires a lawyer
There once was a time when you needed the help of a lawyer to hire or relocate employees internationally. Today, however, many countries have embraced global mobility, and programs like the EU Blue Card have made it much easier for employees to work across borders.
In most cases, getting a work visa is an administrative task, for which you can partner with an expert to make hiring and relocation run smoothly. You may still need a lawyer for complicated and unusual cases, but most of the time, a group of experienced professionals will help you meet your needs.
Myth 6: It’s too difficult to find employees with comparable skills and experience
Finding employees today is no easy task, but when you move beyond borders, it becomes much easier to find the right people. The fact is that talent and skills don’t depend on the nation of residence and limiting your talent pool only to certain nations inhibits your company’s potential.
There are many job boards online that cater to international employees. By posting your openings on these boards and searching their resume databases, you can easily reach out to job seekers who have the skills you need and aren’t geographically limited.
Myth 7: Working with international hires is too difficult culturally
Whenever a company hires internationally there are cultural differences to account for, just as there are in other areas of life. These adjustments can sometimes be awkward or inconvenient for both the new employee and your existing team.
However, the benefits of adding diversity to your company outweigh any initial challenge your team may face. Additionally, this particular myth underestimates and shortchanges your employees.
By following this myth, you are assuming your employees will not respond well to changes in the team’s makeup. However, studies have shown that diversity among employees is a strength and international hires improve your company by providing new ideas and a fresh perspective to your business.
Myth 8: Relocation support packages aren’t necessary
It’s tempting to think that employees should be able to handle their own moves personally, but that simply isn’t the case. Anyone who has ever moved knows that the process is among the most stressful events someone can experience.
That stress increases exponentially when someone relocates internationally. And employees who are undergoing extreme stress are unlikely to perform well.
The process of relocation involves more than simply transporting goods to a new location, and companies who provide additional assistance are much more likely to have successful relocations.
A relocation package that includes such things as assistance with acclimating to an employee’s new location and job assistance for the partners of employees who have relocated has been shown to improve job retention and employee engagement.
Myth 9: We can take care of the entire process in-house
Of all of the myths around international recruitment and employee relocation, the idea that the entire process can be handled in-house, without any outside assistance is the most seductive, and the most dangerous.
This myth is seductive because it appeals to our desire to work independently, and our image of ourselves, and our companies, as being very efficient and capable. This myth is dangerous because employee relocation is a sensitive area, and company mistakes can have dire repercussions for your employee and their team.
Human Resources is complex, and people who work in those departments have very specialised skills that are better used to handle the many important tasks that are already on their desks. The best way to handle international hiring and relocation is to use professional assistance to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
The bottom line
Talent can be found anywhere, but the best talent isn’t limited to a geographical location. If your company has international ambitions, why limit yourself to local candidates? Your best talent acquisition strategy is to expand your talent pool, recruit internationally and relocate new hires across borders. Your company will be stronger for it.
Now that you know the truth about the 9 myths in this article, discover 6 great reasons to hire internationally.
