International Human Resources Management
Globally, the processes that are associated in recruitment and selection are influenced by a number of factors. It needs to be highlighted that in the process of international recruitment and selection, a number of factors need to be taken into consideration to ensure fulfillment of two very specific important requirements. One is that the organization should be able to acquire the most effective human resources and the other is that the process itself needs to be highly effective with the least wastage of time and financial resources available at the disposal of the human resources department of an organization .
Over the years, the dynamics in international human resources management in multi-national organizations have changed rapidly and there are many factors to have come into limelight, as determinants of success of international hiring. Resourcing of human resources have become more of a challenge, as it makes it essential for leadership of an organization to be abreast of a number of factors. For instance, an organization should have in position a well coordinated system that enables it to recognize potential and at the same time be sensitive to the local needs. It has been observed that one of the key requirements of international recruitment and selection have increasingly focused on the selection of talent from a variety of sources and geographical regions, which makes it necessary to focus on maintenance of workforce diversity . The challenge in this particular context lies in the fact that recruitment of a diverse workforce makes it necessary to take into consideration individual professional values influenced by the diverse ethnical and cultural backgrounds of the potential employees. As a result of which, organizations have to ensure that the presence and image is well established to attract the best of the resources to the recruitment and selection process and barriers of communication and culture are minimized to the maximum extent . The challenge of management of resourcing activities internationally brings to light another crucial factor which is that of adaptation. Recruitment and selection planners in an organization need to understand the fact that in order to be abreast of the needs of a global recruitment and selection practices, they have to ensure familiarity with contemporary recruitment and selection practices are followed in equal abundance as traditional ones. Another unfortunate but important aspect of international human resources management practices is that the market is always susceptible to volatility, characterized by rapidly changing market conditions. In other words, development of flexible management practices in case of recruitment and selection is essential, which makes presentation of benefits and compensation available to the employees a tricky affair. Not only is it essential for planners to ensure that the compensation and benefits highlighted in recruitment and selection are attractive to international talent, but it has become equally important to subtly present the aspect of change in human resources management policies in case of unfortunate events in the future. It brings to the picture the important aspect of designing compensation and benefits structure to be presented to international talent. It is no less of a challenge to take into consideration the value of different national currencies and develop different compensation packages, all the while adhering to labor cost effective management principles followed in the organization .
The above factors highlighted will raise the question as to how does one develop an effective recruitment and selection strategy to effectively undertake recruitment and selection processes. There will be many different answers to the question based on different perspectives. However, if the above mentioned factors are taken into consideration, the following well planned recruitment and selection strategy may be considered to be a reflection of effective planning and management. The first step that needs to be taken is calculation and planning or how many labor resources to acquire for the different positions of the organization from the different geographical locations and cultural backgrounds. Effective planning of the positions and numbers need to be done in order to present the most suitable recruitment plan. Next lies the important challenge as to how will the organization ensure attention of the talent pool in an international organization is captivated. In earlier days, the most common technique was to present newspaper advertisements as they were considered to be the most effective medium of communication.
However, it has changed a lot and in today’s times, it is essential to highlight the potential of the organization on different contemporary channels of information such as the internet. The internet has turned out to be a highly effective medium of communication as it helps an organization to reach out to the maximum audience without any geographical limitations. Numerous organizations have focused on using social websites and professional networking websites as means of access to international talent pools across international borders. It is useful to not only present the organization to the talent pool but also to communicate with potential and interested candidates more effectively. This medium can be very useful in advertising the positions vacant to numerous potential candidates who are regular users of online communication portals such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. The first priority in this case is to provide knowledge about the vacancy to the international talent pool for which even reputed national job consultancy firms can be utilized for advertisement and promotions about the organization . Post this stage, the processes of recruitment drive, short-listing candidates and conducting interviews vary from organization to organization and it is best to be decided by the leadership of the organization as to how and when interviews would be conducted. Post interviews, successful candidates need to be provided job offer, in which employment terms and conditions and remuneration form important components . To incorporate a highly competitive salary according to different countries, a proper market research will be necessary. However, these steps and processes would be highly influenced by the nature of the business organization.
Hiring for a replacement of position overseas
In case the organization is looking forward to hire a replacement for a position overseas, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration. A replacement usually occurs from cessation of employment. However, if the cessation is due to the termination of services, extra caution needs to be exercised to replace the overseas position. The foremost requirement in case of a replacement of a position overseas is familiarity of both the job position’s exact requirements and also about the qualities of the potential candidates. The most important factor in case of overseas recruitment is the difference in outlook among the leadership and overseas employees. In order to ensure that this difference is the minimum, it is essential to conduct multiple rounds of interview – possibly through incorporation of audio-visual aids such as video-conferencing. In addition, positions overseas are expected to exercise greater autonomy as compared to national employees of organization . As a result of which it is important to ensure that the prospective employee would be able to perform the expected job roles and responsibilities entrusted on him.
At the same time, it is important for an organization to ensure the hiring department performs the important actions such as background verification, assessment of physical and mental health, examination of the qualifications and experience possessed by the employee. As an overseas employee of the organization, it would be comparatively more difficult for the leadership to physically conduct a check on each and every employee’s qualifications and actions and thus, it is important to take the necessary precautions post interview and short-listing process.
References
Baillie, J. (2009). Attracting Employees Who Surf the Internet. People Management, 17(2), 46-47.
Freeman, R.B. (2011). The Labour Market in the New Information Economy. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 18(3), 288-305.
Tong, D.Y.K, and Sivanand, C.N. (2008). E-Recruitment Service Providers Review. Employee Relations, 27(1), 103-177.
