International Recruitment: How to Simplify the Process of Hiring Qualified Workers

Last Updated: 

March 6, 2024

Hiring a candidate that exactly matches the job description has become difficult - about 75% of companies in the US struggle with it. 

It’s often not the shortage of talent but the time and cost constraints that complicate the hiring process. As a result, employers end up hiring mediocre talents and settle for less deserving candidates. 

One effective way to overcome this - considering international recruitment. 

It opens so many doors for you and helps you find your ideal candidate in significantly less time. 

In this blog post, we’ll discuss the ways you can effectively hire international/ foreign candidates and how EOR services can help you with it.

Key takeaways on international recruitment

  1. Hiring global remote teams: Tap into a diverse talent pool, save on costs, operate 24/7, foster diversity, and promote sustainability.
  2. Employer of Record (EoR) services: Streamline administrative tasks, ensure compliance, and minimise legal risks for international hiring.
  3. Clear job requirements: Define job expectations, communicate company values, provide necessary details, and avoid bias or discrimination in job postings.
  4. Structured interview process: Develop a consistent and fair interview process, utilise pre-interview assessments, prepare relevant questions, and provide timely updates to candidates.
  5. Verify qualifications and work eligibility: Validate educational degrees, work permits, and conduct background checks based on country requirements, consider work samples or case studies, and use psychometric assessments if necessary.
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Benefits of hiring global remote teams

As remote work has become the new norm, the concept of having a globally dispersed team has boomed too. Now, it’s more about getting the job done and building a talented team instead of just settling for mediocre local talents. 

Here are some reasons why you should consider global hiring:

  • Hiring globally allows you to tap into a vast talent pool from around the world. You can attract highly skilled professionals regardless of their geographical location and get access to a diverse range of expertise and perspectives.
  • You can save on expenses associated with office space, equipment, utilities, and other overhead costs.
  • Hiring talent from regions with lower labour costs can provide cost advantages without compromising on quality.
  • Hiring a global remote team allows for around-the-clock operations. With team members in different time zones, you can ensure continuous work progress and faster turnaround times.
  • A diverse remote team brings together people from different cultural backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking.
  • Remote work contributes to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly work model.

Basically, having a remote and diverse team offers you the flexibility and convenience to use your resources as you like and hire the best talents from all across the world. 

What are Employer of Record (EoR) services?

Now, when it comes to hiring—be it remote or in-office—it takes tons of legal and administrative obligations to onboard an international hire. There’s payroll, employment contracts, and so many other things to think about, and you cannot possibly handle it all alone while being located in faraway land. 

The solution—Employer of Record (EoR) services that do the heavy lifting for you. As part of an EoR service, a third-party entity takes on the responsibilities and legal obligations of being the official employer for a company's remote or international workforce. 

In this arrangement, the EoR becomes the legal employer of the remote workers on behalf of the client company, handling various employment-related tasks and compliance requirements.

For example, Global Expansion’s EoR services help businesses tap into the global talent pool and carry out their operations without being physically present. They have tie-ups with local experts in up to 214 countries to set you up with hiring across the globe.

How EoR services handle the administrative tasks

  • The EoR takes care of payroll processing, including salary payments, tax withholdings, and contributions to social security or other benefit programs on behalf of the employees. This way, you can ensure compliance with local labour laws and regulations related to compensation and benefits.
  • Most EoR services typically include human resources (HR) support, such as managing employment contracts and handling employee onboarding and offboarding processes. So, all there’s left for you to do is welcome your new hires and get to work.
  • EoRs help you stay updated on changes in employment legislation and ensure that the client company's workforce operates within the legal framework of the respective countries.
  • The EoR takes full responsibility for compliance, reducing your company's exposure to legal, tax, and regulatory risks that may arise in foreign jurisdictions.
  • EoR services can simplify and expedite the process of expanding operations into new countries or hiring remote workers from different locations.

How to select the right EoR services for your business

Finding the right EoR partner for your business can be daunting. Here are some factors to consider while making the selection:

  • Evaluate the EoR's presence and coverage in the countries where you intend to hire remote workers. Ensure they have a strong network and expertise in the specific regions of interest.
  • Verify the EoR's knowledge and experience in local labour laws, tax regulations, and employment compliance.
  • Consider whether the EoR has experience and understanding of your industry. Different sectors may have unique requirements and regulations. Choose one that specialises in your industry and can provide valuable insights and tailored solutions.
  • Review the specific services provided by the EoR. Assess whether they meet your needs, such as payroll processing, benefits administration, HR support, and employee onboarding/offboarding.
  • Evaluate the EoR's technology infrastructure and integration capabilities. Make sure they seamlessly integrate with your existing systems, such as the best HR software or payroll software, to streamline processes and data sharing.
  • Assess the level of customer support the EoR offers.
  • Consider the EoR's ability to accommodate your business growth and changing needs. They should have the capacity to handle fluctuations in workforce size and adapt to evolving market conditions.

Best practices for hiring global candidates

When hiring global candidates, it's crucial to follow best practices to ensure a successful hiring process. A remote job board like Remotewokr.com, can play a key role in your remote hiring strategy. Here's how you can incorporate RemoteWork into the process:

Don’t worry—it’s not overwhelming at all. You just need to follow a couple of best practices to ensure you do bag some talented candidates for your company.

Define the job requirements clearly

This is where most recruiters fail. Never underestimate the power of a good job post—one that has every detail mapped out clearly and uses acceptable language and tone. 

Here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Make sure you sound gender-neutral and do not demonstrate any kind of racism in the hiring post. Any remark related to geographical location, religion, ethnicity, etc, is off-limits. 
  • Provide all the necessary details like salary range, job description, job title, benefits, etc., clearly, so there’s no scope for confusion.
  • Make sure to talk about the USPs and achievements of your company—after all, it’s important that candidates like you as well and see themselves working with you.
  • Use internationally recognised job boards and social media platforms to advertise your job.
  • Clearly communicate the expectations, policies, and support available for candidates who may need to relocate or work remotely.

Use a structured interview process

Develop a structured interview process that evaluates candidates consistently and fairly. It’ll not only make the job easier for you but for the candidates appearing for the interviews. How?

Upon seeing and experiencing your well-conducted interviews and hiring process, they’ll form a good impression of your company and consider joining it. 

Here’s how to do it:

  • Employ a pre-interview assessment to asses their soft and hard skills.
  • Prepare a list of relevant questions in advance to avoid any surprises during the interview.
  • Always update the candidate on time—do not keep them hanging. This will impact your name and reputation in the market.
  • Depending on the language requirements of the position, include language assessments or interviews to evaluate candidates' language skills.

Verify qualifications and work eligibility

Verify candidates' qualifications, certifications, and work eligibility based on the country's requirements where the position is located. This may include validating educational degrees, work permits, background checks, or visa requirements.

Here are some best practices:

  • Request for work samples or portfolios from candidates allows you to assess their prior work and skills.
  • Consider providing candidates with simulations or case studies related to the job role. These exercises can be completed remotely and are designed to evaluate their problem-solving, decision-making, and analytical skills.
  • Consider using online psychometric assessments to evaluate candidates' personality traits, cognitive abilities, and behavioral tendencies.

Offer cultural orientation and support

Once hired, provide cultural orientation and support to help global candidates integrate into your organisation. This can include onboarding programs, cross-cultural training, and mentoring opportunities to facilitate their transition.

  • Offer cross-cultural training programs to help global candidates understand the cultural nuances and working styles within your organisation and the local context.
  • Prepare comprehensive orientation materials that provide an overview of your organisation's values, mission, policies, and practices.
  • Pair global candidates with a buddy or mentor within the organisation who can offer guidance and support and serve as a point of contact for any questions or concerns.
  • Regularly organise cultural events and celebrations to foster a sense of inclusivity and appreciation for diverse cultures within the organisation.

Build your army of global talent

Hiring a global workforce can benefit your organisation in many ways. Not only do you get a diverse team from different cultures, but you also get the best talents from around the globe. 

This way, you can work toward your business goals more effectively and achieve great productivity. 

Just follow the best practices and take the help of EoR services if required. 

Happy hiring. 

Author’s Bio

Deepali is an engineer-turned-freelance writer for B2B SaaS, writing actionable long-form content for companies in Marketing, Cybersecurity, and HR-Tech. When she's not writing, she's engrossed in a cosy murder mystery novel with a cup of hot chocolate!

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