The greatest challenge companies face to stay competitive is constituting a workforce with the best available talents. With 80% of millennials wanting to work overseas, expanding the workforce to include global employees is a move becoming more and more common. International teams nurture new perspectives, complement their skills, and ultimately contribute to developing better solutions to business challenges. Countries like Canada also see international candidates as the response to fill positions in sectors facing a critical shortage of qualified workforce.
Hiring internationally is probably the best investment you can make to support your company's future growth. But global candidates do not have the same expectations and requirements as local ones. Attracting them requires some adjustments in your recruitment strategy. Discover our tips that will help you reach and attract the best talents.
Write an Appealing Job Description
International candidates are not only harder to reach, they are also harder to convince. Think about what it would take for you to leave everything behind and relocate to a new country. No candidate would take that risk for a generic job everyone could do. You have to advertise what is unique about the position you are offering and what makes them a perfect fit. Write an appealing and informative job description. Describe what kind of expertise is needed, what tasks are involved, and what they would bring to the team. Mention the benefits and perks of working for your company and make clear that there are possibilities for growth, or they will not bother applying.
Being specific in your job description will also help if you need to apply for an LMIA. Indeed, it will be easier to prove that no local candidates meet your requirements if you pinpoint the exact qualifications you are looking for. Canada Talents can support you in creating an appealing job description for your international recruitment project.
Accommodate Cultural Differences
Before planning to recruit international talents, take a moment to think about the workplace cultural differences that it implies. More importantly, make sure that you will be able to answer the needs of your future employees. Some cultures have traditions that might involve praying during the workday or participating in events that would require a day off. Discuss with prospective candidates what accommodation they would need to feel good within the company. These small gestures can help convince even the most reluctant candidates and maximize their retention in the long run.
Create a section on your website promoting what you do to accommodate cultures coexisting in your company. Examples include celebrating events associated with different countries, organizing international meals, or having a world map showing the country of every employee. The possibilities are endless! Canada Talents is committed to helping newcomers through personalized sessions designed to better understand and adapt to the Canadian workplace culture.
Promote your Onboarding Process
A new position, new country, new culture, sometimes a new language: international workers are probably worried about feeling completely lost on their first day. Assure them that they will be fully supported by describing the onboarding process you have in place. If you need advice on creating the best onboarding experience for your new talents, check our article! Remember to mention the resources available to them in case they have questions or need more support. The point is for them to know that they will not be on their own once they sign the employment contract.
Offer Relocation Assistance
Relocating to a new country is tricky, costly, and time-consuming. If you are serious about attracting top talents, you must offer assistance through the relocation process. Most companies developed "Relocation Packages" consisting of a certain amount of money or various assistance services provided to relocating employees.
The material aspect of relocating is easy to take care of since you can contract a company specialized in international moving services. Some free apps like Arrival Advisor also compile all helpful information for new immigrants to Canada (housing, health, education, finances). What is more complicated is assisting in the cultural aspect of the relocation. Canada Talents is dedicated to helping bilingual candidates transition smoothly into the Canadian workforce. We developed guides in French covering all aspects of immigrating to Canada's biggest cities. We also have a career clinic program offering personalized assistance and career-building sessions for your talents. Visit our website to learn more about our services for employers and candidates.
Share Success Stories
What better way to convince a talent to work for you than to have an actual international employee testifying about their experience? Reviews are becoming one of the more valuable marketing tools for companies. By providing transparent insider information to prospective employees, companies like Glassdoor revolutionized job hunting. A survey by Software Advice even showed that almost half of the respondents used Glassdoor at some point of their job search.
To take advantage of reviews, you can have a page on your website dedicated to some “Success Stories” from your employees. Make sure to be the most inclusive possible and feature employees from various positions, careers, and countries. Show how you value the international talents you hire and reassure prospective global candidates that other people successfully went through the relocation process before them. Knowing they are not the only international team member will make them feel supported and understood when they arrive. If you have employees from the same country or speaking the same language as them, it is even better since it adds some familiar reassuring element.
Participate in International Hiring Events
If you are planning on recruiting international candidates but do not know where to find them, consider participating in international hiring events. The most popular event for French-speaking and bilingual candidates is the Destination Canada Forum held every November. Canada Talents also offers recruitment services to help you source the best bilingual talents for your project. If you feel like organizing your own online hiring event, check our article! These events are the perfect opportunity to reach more international candidates and have a first contact with them before entering the recruitment process.
Build Partnerships with Schools Worldwide
Recruiting talents directly at the source is the best way to bypass the competition. Most universities are now implementing international programs to stay competitive in the market but struggle to find overseas partners for their students. Take advantage of it and offer to receive interns with skills valuable for your business. If they do a good job, you could end up recruiting them, saving you the cost of finding another suitable candidate. On top of that, it would considerably shorten the onboarding process since they would already be familiar with the job. But remember that you must be willing to dedicate the necessary time and resources to every intern, or they might just spread the word not to work for your company.
Once you successfully recruit a young graduate, things get even easier! Your new hire can share his experience with the school and become an ambassador of your company for the next generations of students looking for a job after graduation.
And you? What strategies have you implemented to reach international talents? You can share with us in the comments below.
Canada talents help Canadian employers build an efficient strategy to bring global bilingual talents to their team. We also offer recruitment services if you want us to take care of the process for you. To talk about your project and learn more about how we can help you, contact us at welcome@canada-talents.ca.