Trevor Foley says great talent is available worldwide – you may just need the right help to connect with it.
Far too often, industry players will say that there’s not enough talent in the industry. The simple truth is that those saying that are just looking in the wrong places!
Without doubt, it can be challenging to attract top candidates to new opportunities. Current employers will be eager to keep them, and candidates are often relatively comfortable in their current role with good salaries, benefits, and a feeling of job security.
Contrast that with the flexibility and willingness of the best talent in our industry to move around the globe – which is ideal for an industry that is expanding its global footprint at a rate of knots.
The demand for top talent to move from one side of the world increases, and those passive candidates who were comfortable a moment ago can quickly become active candidates when an opportunity is presented to them by a talent partner with knowledge of their skills, as well as cultural fit for an organisation. The key to successful talent matching is in knowing both employer and candidate well enough to know where there will be a chemistry fit, and just as importantly, where there will not be a fit.
“The key to successful talent matching is in knowing both employer and candidate well enough to know where there will be a chemistry fit, and just as importantly, where there will not be a fit."
One of the main appeals of a talent search partner, therefore, is their existing industry knowledge and connections, and their ability to identify the best individuals who are ideal for the business’ current and future needs – and know how best to approach them. Another important contribution of a talent search partner is their understanding of local employment situations, which can be vastly different, essential information to know before a lot of time and effort is wasted ahead of things inevitably falling over.
Here’s a clear example. In the US market, where notice periods of just two weeks are common, it is quite normal for an employee to hand in their notice and begin working with a competitor within two weeks. Contrast this with a US company seeking to hire talent into Europe, and selecting a German candidate who is then wondering why she has not been sent a guaranteed FIVE year employment contract!
Navigating the differences and variations in regional cultures and expectations is the key to making the right international hire.
A talent partner can who understands your business intimately can offer a truly confidential and consultative approach. Many big businesses don’t want to advertise the fact that they’re losing a valuable senior executive, or that their own talent pipeline might not be up to filling such critical positions.
Work smart, not hard. Great talent is available worldwide - sometimes you might just need the right help connecting with it. We will explore some case studies of fabulous talent placement successes and spectacular failures in future editions.
