03 Feb The Range of Skill Sets that Top Mobility Professionals Needs

Global mobility professionals share some of the qualifications of the average white-collar worker. The complexity that global mobility positions entail, however, demands a specific skill set for them to thrive. 

In some instances, companies fail to appreciate the range of skills that mobility professionals possess. Managing intricate programs, global mobility pros handle HR management, tax and employment compliances, expat remuneration, project management, and vendor management – to name a few. 

As global mobility continues to evolve in the pandemic, it will be helpful to discuss the essential skills global mobility professionals need to become more effective in their line of work. 

Fortunately, global mobility leaders and their interrelated experts in other industries stress the importance of discussing anything that has to do with global mobility. Vicki Lander, the host of Weichart’s “Big Reveal” show for the corporate Global Mobility Top 250, shares some points that were raised concerning what makes a successful global mobility professional.

The first thing the host highlighted is that the best global mobility pros are exceptional at partnering — and listening. Lander continues by describing successful global mobility pros as those professionals who are open to innovation and technology. 

This is particularly helpful for ensuring great expat experience, as modern technology allows mobility professionals to make data-driven solutions at speed.

Global mobility managers 

Just like in any business hierarchy, higher positions in the global mobility profession, albeit financially rewarding, demands more responsibilities. 

Employers need to determine the competencies that are required of a candidate, especially for a managerial position in mobility. Mercer recognizes mobility managers’ crucial position as strategic partners in business decision-making. 

The asset management firm was able to formulate insights based on responses from HR professionals and managers from other departments concerning the specific skills that global mobility managers should possess to make a difference in business decisions:

Present compelling business cases

Oftentimes, management and different departments don’t share the same language. Global mobility managers have to translate jargon and unfamiliar terminologies to more understandable concepts to present robust business cases. 

And in the global mobility realm, it can be rare to find similar cases of assignments. Therefore, presenting clear business cases to help management understand how each case can contribute to business growth is nothing but essential.

Make sense of facts

Acquiring information that global mobility specialists use isn’t considered the main problem at hand these days. With the advancement of technology, the gathering of data can be seamless when companies choose to invest in software tools. The matter at hand is a global mobility managers’ ability to understand the data presented and draw relevant insights from them. Too many times businesses formulate hypotheses based on misrepresented and insufficient data. This results in making business decisions that are misinformed and costly.

Present good stories

Statistics and numbers aren’t worth much without presenting the compelling stories behind them. The work that global mobility managers do, being people organizers and analysts, can be both considered an art and a science. The art covers the subjectivity of each assignment case while the science behind mobility lies within its more empirical nature. Nevertheless, it’s best to help management see the context of mobility in the grand scheme of things in the organization and how it contributes to a company’s goals.

Be tech literate

Gone are the days when managers have to settle with the idea of leaving knowledge around technology to the experts. The new generation of workers are not only technology-literate, they expect the people leading them to understand how to navigate through basic tech – at the very least. As business strategy and technology become more and more correlated across organizations, global mobility managers are pressured to be able to make sense of digitization. Building relationships with IT or any tech-savvy employee helps them put technology in layman’s terms.

Grasp the master of compliance issues

Tax, immigration, social contribution, work practices, and duty of care are just some of the aspects of compliance issues that mobility managers encounter. These complex issues tend to involve service providers and other departments in the organization and all the more complicated compliance management. Global mobility managers’ challenge is not so much how to know every single potential issue as to be able to detect quickly what could cause such issues.

Remember that global mobility has dramatically changed since the pandemic. Global mobility professionals are viewed as key partners in vital business decisions, especially now that major economies are anticipating an economic recovery. Therefore, employers should keep an eye out on skill gaps within their global mobility teams and fill them as soon as they can to maintain their important contribution to business growth.