INTERNATIONAL RECRUITEMENT AND SELECTION 1

International Recruitment and Selection

Title of the course

Student's name

Email Address

Date of Submission
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITEMENT AND SELECTION 2

Table of Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Recruitment Process and Challenges .............................................................................................. 4

Selection within International Market ............................................................................................ 4

Principles of Selection ....................................................................................................................5
Capacity to Adapt Culture ....................................................................................................... 5
Family values ........................................................................................................................... 5
Command on linguistics .......................................................................................................... 5
Work experience with international organization ................................................................... 5
Personality attributes ............................................................................................................... 6
Education, level of competence and skills............................................................................... 6
Candidates’ organizational suitability ..................................................................................... 6

Challenges to International Selection Procedures........................................................................... 6

Success in International Recruitment and Selection ....................................................................... 7

Conclusion and Recommendations ................................................................................................. 7

Long-term HRM Support ............................................................................................................ 7
Strategic selection procedure ...................................................................................................... 8
Foreign business trips .................................................................................................................. 8
Web based projects...................................................................................................................... 8
Career opportunities for partners................................................................................................. 8
Training for the partners .............................................................................................................. 8

References ....................................................................................................................................... 9
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITEMENT AND SELECTION 3

Introduction
Recruitment and selection process in multinational companies is of utmost importance and
requires careful planning for hiring right applicants for the designated posts. In case companies
fail to manage the process effectively, they are likely to bear financial loss and wastage of time
along with compromising on company’s reputation (Collings and Scullion, 2006). It is important
that multinational companies should consider the issues faced by HR managers while preparing
for international recruitment and selection process. These issues are commonly related to
national or cultural differences between the parent and host countries. The cultural and other
differences in these countries affect the process of recruitment and selection because (Collings
and Scullion, 2006):
 The number of job applicants applying for an international post is large. MNCs have
option to select candidates from host-country nationals (HCNs), parent-country nationals
(PCNs), third-country nationals (TCNs), skilled migrants (SMs) and self-initiated
expatriates.
 Varying employment legislation across countries
 International posts require detailed job analysis
The selection practices of MNCs are affected by the needs relevant to advertising
international posts (Collings and Scullion, 2006). The needs may exist in the form of developing
skills of existing employees or fulfilling the vacant positions in the company.
The challenges faced by international recruitment and selection process prevail at the macro
level, meso-level and micro-level. Challenges prevailing at the macro-level are related to the
legal factors such as health, safety and employment laws, social factors such as career attitudes
and education system and national culture (Sparrow, 2007). The company’s selection and
recruitment policies, creating employer brand, practices and processes, evaluation of
international selection and recruitment effectiveness falls in the category of meso-level practices.
HR competencies of international selection and recruitment practices, employee-organization fit,
job analysis and ability of the candidates for working and adapting to international work
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITEMENT AND SELECTION 4

environment and their response to HR activities and practices are discussed at micro-level
(Sparrow, 2007).
Recruitment Process and Challenges
MNC is required to assess the HR managers’ competencies and abilities before giving
them the responsibility of recruiting and selecting candidates at international level. It is a known
fact that abilities of HR managers must be more diversified when involved in international
recruitment and selection process (Whitaker, 2003). The challenge faced by HR managers at
micro-level is anticipating the practices related to selection and recruitment process in the host
country. At meso-level, MNCs face the challenge of identifying and developing competency
profile of HR based on the strategic goals. They also require developing different competencies
such as cultural sensitivity and linguistic abilities for carrying out HR related tasks.
Organizations set profile of international HR competency according to their developmental stage.
For instance, an organization consisting of two subsidiaries in countries with similar culture will
work through HR manager possessing linguistic skills while company with goal of global
staffing will work develop complex competency profile for its HR managers (Whitaker, 2003).
The HR manager at micro-level also creates international recruitment and selection competencies
such as skills, personality traits, knowledge, abilities, attitudes and other characteristics for
effectively carrying out their responsibility.
Firm’s level of internationalization determines the extent to which the firm conducts its
human resource hiring in the global market. At the beginning of global operations, the HR
department conducts it’s hiring of TCNs and HCNs, during which, they are exposed to the
complexities of adopting the local laws and cultural values. While the firms, with well-
established HR branches in their various global destinations are exposed to the issues of cross-
cultural cooperation between the head office and local branch (Kang and Shen, 2013). It is
essential for HR department at head office to have a deep knowledge about the strategy of the
firm, to create relevant employment positions by recognizing the required skills and capabilities
and to take effective decisions about global hiring procedure.
Selection within International Market
This part will analyze the various distinct principles and procedures of selection, suitable
for adoption in the global market. At this point, macro-level issues include the revision of
organization’s selection procedures to make them suitable for the environment of host state
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITEMENT AND SELECTION 5

(Kang and Shen, 2013). At meso-level, choosing the selection technique that firm will utilize for
its global posts is a major issue. While micro-level issues includes usage of distinct selection
principles for global vacancies.
Principles of Selection
1. Capacity to Adapt Culture
The skill of adaptation lowers the level of pressure caused by cultural differences
between the host and home country and the applicant could mold his job expectations
accordingly. In this regard, three types of adjustments are necessary (Kang and Shen, 2013):
 Adjustment of the job duties according to the new requirements, facilities available,
management techniques and productivity expectations
 Adjustment of collaboration to create reliable bonds with HCNs and thus makes it
possible to effectively use the of HCN’s language
 Adjustment in the overall lifestyle including residence, food items, clothing etc.
2. Family values
It is essential to evaluate the family values of the candidate to effectively determine his
job expectations and his suitability for the job. Members of the families with good
communication skills, which includes the talent to debate on cross cutting opinions and find
creative solutions on that, and with strong emotional bonding are more suitable as it lowers the
level of pressure and makes the adaptation easy for the candidate (Bartram, 2000).
3. Command on linguistics
A research has been conducted on selection principles that identified the good command
on linguistic as the 5th most significant trait for selection after socialization, openness, cultural
adjustment and professional values (Bartram, 2000).
4. Work experience with international organization
Candidates, who are already familiar to the environment of international organizations,
possess relevant job expectations. In addition to this, it lowers the fear of unseen and thus reduce
the pressure caused by cultural differences. Such candidates have experience of frequent
traveling and relocations so it is easier for them to adapt new environment, job duties and to
create new bonds (Bartram, 2000).
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITEMENT AND SELECTION 6

5. Personality attributes
Many studies have identified the contribution of Big Five attributes of personality in the
good job performance and quick environmental adaptation in case of global job positions. These
attributes are as follows (Bartram, 2000):
 Agreeableness
 Extroversion
 Conscientiousness
 Intellect and openness
 Emotional balance
The prioritized ranking of the above mentioned attributes can varies in the selection procedure
depending on the different cultures of the global destinations.
6. Education, level of competence and skills
Field level competence is also a significant element in the procedure of global selection.
Candidates with such competence are able to deal with work uncertainties; face fewer jobs
related issues and is able to develop reliable and collaborative bonds with HCNs (Bartram,
2000).
7. Candidates’ organizational suitability
Mostly people prefer to work in that organization, whose culture is not in conflict with
their personal values. As the culture of host country and home country usually varies, it is
essential to evaluate the candidate’s personal values to forecast its performance level in the
global job positions.
Challenges to International Selection Procedures
Following two methods could be used to deal with the issues of selection procedures in
the global market
 Provision of accurate information about the advertised job which ensures the on time
process completion by investigating those candidates who possess the relevant experience
for the international post
 Provision of self-selection instruments, which enables the candidates to evaluate
themselves on the parameters of personality attributes and family and professional values.
Through these instruments, the organization could develop a pool of candidates for
probable global vacancies in the future by evaluating the candidates’ field education,
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITEMENT AND SELECTION 7

accessibility, skills and expertise, life and work experiences and priorities for global posts
(Ahmad and Schroeder, 2002). But research shows that, in case of tight labor market, the
use of self-evaluation could not be effective. As candidates are not able to get job within
their home market so they overvalued their proficiencies to get a job in global market.
Success in International Recruitment and Selection
This part will provides the indicators of successful global selection and its real cost to the
parent, subsidiary and global worker. At this point, macro challenges includes the consistent
discovery of new factors in host state, which impacts global hiring process. At meso-level, firm
has to create an effective assessment procedure and enhance the overall HR policies according to
global market requirements like adjusting healthcare packages (Hsu and Leat, 2000). At micro
level, evaluating the effectiveness of hiring process for individual candidates is a major
challenge. Firm has to deal with all these issues to successfully complete the global post. If
workers completes their global post and adapt the new environment, it results in successful
selection at micro level. But success also depends on workers performance evaluation in terms of
attainment of firm’s strategic goals. Various factors like adaption of host environment, flexible
personality attributes and help and support provided to PCNs by parent and subsidiary
organizations, contributes to enhance global worker’s performance (Kang and Shen, 2013).
Conclusion and Recommendations
After detail assessment of the potential challenges which causes failures in the global projects,
following suggestions are worth considering in order to execute successful global projects
1. Long-term HRM Support
HR departments of MNCs Should have training for a comprehensive mentality so that they
encourage the international projects. HRM team should understand the challenges to which
international workers and their families are exposed and should facilitate them accordingly,
rather than dealing with the situations combatively (Kang and Shen, 2013). Following are few of
the basic but less costly facilities which could help the global workers to get adjusted in their
new destination: provision of contact list for emergency situations, help in job finding to the
worker’s partner within the host state, help the worker in getting his partner’s work permit order,
arrangement of gatherings for worker’s social assimilation and recognition of relevant HSN
network sources before the worker’s exit.
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITEMENT AND SELECTION 8

2. Strategic selection procedure

HRM within MNCs have to rely on strategic techniques of employee selection that includes
assessment of their administrative and technical expertise in addition to the detail interviews.
Furthermore, families of the candidates should also be examined through detail interviews
together with the assessment of their adaptability skills (Kang and Shen, 2013). It helps the
organization to determine the ability of the candidate and his family to survive within the
complexities of overseas life and to give their maximum potential. It would be more rational
approach as compared to the coffee machine method that is based on sentiments.
3. Foreign business trips
Through arrangement of international business trips, design for some days or weeks, the
organization could initiate and complete its overseas projects, without majorly affecting the
families of their employees.
4. Web based projects
Latest information and communication technology enables the businesses to conduct their
international operations virtually. Thus workers are not required to travel to overseas
destinations, producing time and cost savings for the firm.
5. Career opportunities for partners
When it is inevitable to send the workers to overseas destinations, the firm could work to
identify the job opportunities, within the same organization, for their partners as well. It will
create strong bonding between the partners and will also reduce the complexities that could arise
in the relationship due to far distant locations of the partners.
6. Training for the partners
The partners of overseas workers should also be provided with the relevant training and
development programs. These initiatives could develop the required competencies and skills
within them so that they could be able to find good career opportunities in the overseas market.
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITEMENT AND SELECTION 9

References
Ahmad, S., & Schroeder, R. G. (2002). The importance of recruitment and selection process for
sustainability of total quality management. International Journal of Quality & Reliability
Management, 19(5), 540-550.
Bartram, D. (2000). Internet recruitment and selection: Kissing frogs to find
princes. International journal of selection and assessment, 8(4), 261-274.
COLLINGS, D. G., & SCULLION, H. (2006). International recruitment and selection. In Global
Staffing (pp. 75-102). Routledge.
Compton, R. L. (2009). Effective recruitment and selection practices. CCH Australia Limited.
Hsu, Y. R., & Leat, M. (2000). A study of HRM and recruitment and selection policies and
practices in Taiwan. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(2), 413-
435.
Kang, H., & Shen, J. (2013). International recruitment and selection practices of South Korean
multinationals in China. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 24(17), 3325-3342.
Sparrow, P. R. (2007). Globalization of HR at function level: four UK-based case studies of the
international recruitment and selection process. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 18(5), 845-867.
Whitaker, K. S. (2003). Principal role changes and influence on principal recruitment and
selection: An international perspective. Journal of educational administration, 41(1), 37-
54.