Employment methods have steadily been changing thanks to the introduction of readily available technology. However, there has never quite been a time like the present where COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into global business operations. Suddenly, workforces are completing tasks and reaching objectives through methods some might have never imagined, with thousands upon thousands of employees now working remotely.  

From the looks of it, these changes were bound to happen eventually: COVID-19 fast-forwarded the process. Now, multinational companies like Twitter are allowing some of their employees to work at home long-term while others are currently discussing further workforce changes, such as implementing a four-day workweek permanently. 

As a result, the recruitment process changes significantly as the conversation around global hiring expands with each passing month. While your company continues to stay safe and adapt to changes in the market, it should also keep these considerations in mind as its workforce increases. 

 

Employees May No Longer Want to Relocate 

Before remote work, there was one primary method for employees living far away to join a leading company: relocation. While most successful businesses provided compensation packages that enabled employees to get their start in a new city, this did not mean that it was ideal for either party.

Let’s take a look at San Francisco, for example. As its tech bubble exploded and dozens of tech giants migrated to the city suddenly, anyone who wished to have a career in tech (with a top company, at least) had to relocate to San Francisco to land such a position, whether they wanted to live there or not. 

Luckily, most tech opportunities granted employees the ability to afford San Francisco’s prices, but the same is not true for other occupations spread around the globe. Those who wished to work in the heart of the publishing industry had no choice but to move to New York, where a starting salary of $30,000 does little against soaring home costs. 

Remote work could change this forever. 

Statistics reveal that New York City and San Francisco experienced more than a 20% decline in population growth in August than last year, a stark indicator of how the tides are changing. If trends like this large are occurring in the United States itself, imagine how large they’ve grown overseas. Resources like the H-1B fiscal program may no longer be necessary as immigrants now have the opportunity to remain in their home country whilst enjoying a remote job at a prosperous American company. 

 

How Can Companies Prepare for Remote Work? 

From reduced costs to a broader selection of global talent, remote work provides companies with a long list of potential benefits. However, the question remains: are they ready? 

Global hiring has been around for a while, but it’s never looked quite like this. Despite some of its complexity, there are a few guidelines for recruitment teams to follow that’ll make the process going successfully.  

 

Know Where to Target

To make your global hiring efforts genuinely impactful, you’ll need to determine which markets hold the most merit. For example, an engineering company may want to target Sweden, which is known to produce a rising number of STEM employees. 

Global hiring doesn’t just stop at talent. You’ll also need to understand the foreign market’s laws surrounding business and employment, as well as expectations you’ll have to meet for employees abroad. 

 

Create A Remote Employer Brand

Traditional strategies for building an employer brand have difficulty extending to remote workers. After all, there’s no way they’ll experience your unique office spaces or in-person communications. 

To maintain your employer brand, you’ll have to research the differences in employee values compared to its country of origin and provide incentives such as competitive salaries and benefits. 

 

Know Who to Hire

Ultimately, your team won’t succeed with the previous two methods if they don’t have a set standard of an employee candidate. Creating candidate profiles that include desirable skills, salary, and more for your recruiters to follow is a great tool, as it’ll inform them where to direct their efforts. 

 

Separating the Weak from The Strong

Keeping up with the trend of global hiring is bound to be a challenge for many, but it’s an obstacle that’ll separate the weak from the strong. Companies with strong employer brands and passionate employees should adapt to these guidelines with ease and find that their workforce is more capable than ever to find success with the global talent pool.