hiring-foreign-talent

Tips for Hiring Global Talents (in a Tough Time)

Digging deep into your candidate’s background is one smart way to hire the global talent you need, which is getting tougher to do given the current U.S. administration’s changing policies on immigration and recruitment of foreign nationals. This advice comes from TalentCulture which also points out that U.S. companies are fast coming to terms with the reality that they do need international talents if they are to expand globally.

Assignees can provide the home office with the perspective it needs to make a positive impact in a new overseas market. They can also enlighten their American colleagues about the business etiquette and cultural norms that are crucial in establishing strong relationships with the locals of a particular country, especially when it comes to partnerships with private companies and the government.

However, hiring these assignees at this point in time requires more work that was done in the past, including a closer scrutiny of their qualifications. In short, global mobility managers cannot just rely on past successes or proven methods. A little ingenuity and more homework needs to be done.

First, and this might sound like a no-brainer initially, the global mobility manager must make sure that the candidate is not just qualified for the job — but they must be supremely qualified.

One of the objections levelled against hiring foreigners is that it takes away jobs from U.S. nationals. As such, the global mobility manager must go a dozen extra miles if needed to show that this particular IT professional from India, for example, can execute a dozen more tasks above standard.

It will also help that their work responsibilities are more sophisticated and complex agan and would be difficult to fulfill by just any other candidate from the homegrown pool.

Another way to prove that the candidate is an asset is to point out that they are developing skills that will be needed in the immediate future. If the candidate is taking an online post-graduate degree, or their current skill set is matching the requirements for jobs that are just pioneering and are difficult to fulfill, then their value to the organization cannot be questioned. It might be wise at this point to take a look at the World Economic Forum’s list of the skills and talents that will be sought for by the year 2020 and beyond.

Another way to filter out the most promising candidates from those that can prove challenging down the line is to get the help of a trusted immigration lawyer. Global mobility managers might be hard-pressed to ask questions about the candidate’s future plans about their personal lives.

For example, an assignee might truthfully answer that they are married right now  — but more than a global mobility manager, an immigration counsel just might uncover the fact that the assignee is actually contemplating a divorce in the next few months.

That change of status can impact the way that the U.S. Immigration will regard said assignee. In that particular case, rightfully or wrongly, they must assess that the assignee is a risk because, once divorced, they might look for a spouse in the U.S. And that perspective of risk can end up in a decision of disapproval about the assignee’s visa application.

Finally, consider other visa applications if the precious H-1B Visa is difficult to acquire. Again, the help of an immigration lawyer would be valuable at this point. For example, according to the Atlanta Inno, the O-1 visa is “available to foreign nationals who can demonstrate extraordinary ability in science, education, business, athletics or the arts.”  

This ties up with the first tip mentioned above. An assignee who can be eligible for the O-1 visa might just stand out from the rest of the candidates and get the green light from U.S. Immigration.

Ultimately, this approach of hiring nothing but the best can be beneficial to the organization. Leading tech hubs in Northern California were built on the foundation of spirited, fair, and friendly competition, with the best minds from the U.S. and other companies pitting their strengths against each other, and then combining them, to come up with the innovations that rocked the world.