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Brandquad: the challenge of recruiting employees internationally
In an increasingly uncertain environment, successfully recruiting employees to form an international team is particularly challenging. Yet some companies manage to find the right chemistry. Anthony, General Manager of Brandquad, explains how to accomplish this feat.
Where to recruit? On what criteria? Are all countries the same?
Cultural differences naturally lead to differences in terms of training, qualifications, behavior, and commitment to the life or success of the company. This last point is crucial in the development phase for innovative companies or start-ups such as Brandquad.
While 85% of companies do not have an international talent management strategy, it is essential to carry out research before starting any recruitment process: is the foreign country’s degree equivalent to that of the host country? Will it be recognized? etc.
Once you have decided on the country in which you wish to recruit, you will have to find the solutions to do so. How to promote your job offer? Using what media? By going through which recruitment agency? By presenting your company in what way?
Once you’ve received the profiles, you can start sorting through them to find the rare pearl or collaborator that perfectly matches your business objectives.
Recruiting profiles with a strong international culture
When analyzing the various CVs received, attention should be paid to certain details. Depending on the country of origin, they will not all contain the same information. We also use scoring tools or Gallup tests to analyze a candidate’s LinkedIn profiles in order to find insights about his/her personality and inner motivations.
Of course, first of all, candidates should first have a strong international culture. For example, they must at least speak three foreign languages and have lived outside their country of birth for a few years. This reflects their ability to grasp the singularities of each of the personalities in the team.
The interview: validation of first impressions
The pre-selection interview is essential, as it allows us to validate the first impressions we have of a candidate when reading his/her CV.
First of all, it is a filter that is used to evaluate the seriousness and motivation of the person. Is he or she ready to move to a new country, culture, and lifestyle to join an international team?
It is also an opportunity to ensure that he/she is truly able to speak several languages and motivated to meet the challenges ahead.
Onboarding, a crucial step in the integration of a foreign employee
Onboarding is a crucial step in building employee loyalty, and this is especially true when you welcome someone from abroad into your team. Indeed, seeing its members leave the company is the last thing you want to see happen when building an international team. Taking care of the welcoming is, therefore, a priority.
The first step is to prepare for the arrival of the foreign employee: inserting him/her into an integration program, inviting him/her to events or planning informal after-work sessions are all possible options for creating a link with him/her during his/her notice period. A few days before their arrival, it is possible to send them an e-mail detailing the program for their first day and on the day of arrival, they should be welcomed by their manager and management team, who can show him/her around the premises, introduce him/her to their workplace, their new team, etc.
Then, it is a question of transmitting energy in the literal sense of the word to their teams so that daily life does not become a routine, but a positive challenge in order to solve the problems that arise.
Finally, respecting and understanding each other’s motivations is crucial to overcoming cultural differences.
By applying all these tips Anthony, General Manager of Brandquad has managed to bring together an international team with multidisciplinary skills in a context where this feat is increasingly difficult.
Harper Harrison is a reporter for The Hear UP. Harper got an internship at the NPR and worked as a reporter and producer. harper has also worked as a reporter for the Medium. Harper covers health and science for The Hear UP.