International Social Recruiting: Challenges and Strategies for Effective Implementation

The globalization of the job market is a real opportunity for companies looking for talent. Along with strategic use of social networks comes the opportunity to reach a wider audience of potential candidates, anywhere.

Through platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, in addition to posting job openings, one can tell stories, promote organizational culture, and convey emotions to capture attention and create authentic connections.

However, social recruiting also brings with it challenges in implementing international recruiting strategies. By identifying and addressing them, the global recruiting process can be turned into a competitive advantage with access to the best skills.

Having overcome these obstacles, international social recruiting becomes an important tool for reaching talent around the world.

Before investing in international talent search, companies need to know the challenges involved in order to engage in strategic planning and maximize the effectiveness of selection processes.

Although it may seem trivial, the most difficult barrier to overcome is the language barrier.

The involvement of international colleagues can already be a support within teams in deepening different languages, while the hiring and onboarding processes can be facilitated by technology, particularly some specific recruiting software:

• VidCruiter, for example, makes it possible to manage the entire process (from posting ads, to administering written tests, to returning feedback) in different languages, depending on the target candidates.
• Tools such as Workable make it possible to automatically generate subtitles for asynchronous and prerecorded interviews by supporting several languages, including English, Spanish, Russian, and French.

An international social recruiting strategy can be compromised by time zones.

To remedy the problem, several tools have sprung up to compare schedules from around the world. Among them, we can mention WorldTime^Buddy1: a tool that allows you to cross-reference time possibilities to find the best time to arrange an interview.

The use of asynchronous tools is probably the key to addressing the distance problem, adopting a flexible approach to managing a recruiting process that is certainly more cumbersome and complex than ordinary search and selection activities.

Another relevant aspect concerns the need to harmonize the regulations of different countries, as each has different labor law regulations.

In Italy, for example, according to the “Consolidated Text on Immigration, “² an employer who intends to hire non-EU nationals must obtain a “Nulla osta al lavoro subordinato,” with a validity of no more than six months from the date of issuance and a maximum quota of foreign workers eligible in the territory. For “International Smart working,” i.e., the possibility of hiring a worker operating exclusively remotely in another country, on the other hand, we have autonomous legislation on remote ^work3.

The principle of “concurrent taxation” applies in Italy, whereby employment income is taxed both in the state of residence and in the state where the work is actually performed, unless certain conditions apply in which taxable income is taxed only in the worker’s state of residence (e.g., if the worker resides in the other state for short periods or the employer was not a permanent organization).

For social security aspects, reference is made to the “Framework ^Agreement4,” to which Italy is a signatory along with 19 other countries.
This agreement, created on an ad hoc basis between employee and company, allows the employer and employee who habitually teleworks across borders to maintain the social security regime of the state where the employer is based, provided that the employee performs less than 50 percent of the total working hours in his or her state of residence and continues to work at the employer’s registered office in another member state for the remainder of the activity.
In the absence of this, the ordinary provisions of the social security legislation of the worker’s state of residence apply, if the work is performed for at least 25 percent of the total hours.

For companies and head hunters to lead the way in finding the best talent, what are the key points to implement for a concrete international search strategy?

• Having a global gaze: Deepening knowledge of other countries’ cultures provides a better understanding of their social and professional fabric, which can often prove to be a source of talent to fill internal skills gaps. This also facilitates the creation of multicultural teams resulting in increased productivity in the company.
• Use the most popular social media: today it is essential for companies and head hunters to use social media. Linkedin is the main tool, but socials with a greater impact on the younger generation, such as Instagram and Tik Tok, should not be overlooked. These platforms not only allow classic job postings, but also offer the possibility of creating content of various kinds (posts, articles, insights) that enhance the company’s mission, increasing engagement and improving employer branding.
• Technology tools: staying up-to-date on technologies and what the digital market offers is a real opportunity. The market is full of interesting solutions for companies. In the HR world and in the search and selection sector, tools are available for posting ads, managing and monitoring applications, conducting interviews, and administering tests and surveys.
• Know the regulations of different countries: it is essential to understand the regulatory aspects that govern the relationship between employees and employers in the countries where you want to conduct a recruitment search. It is very useful to consult online guides, such as the one compiled by ^Deloitte5 in which the labor law regulations of more than 60 countries are summarized and analyzed with similarities and differences.
• Analytical and data-driven strategy: to make international recruiting strategy effective, it is essential to take an analytical and data-driven approach. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or data analytics tools such as Microsoft Power Bi or Google Analytics allow data to be used as a KPI of the selection, to be analyzed constantly to refine the international search. This approach helps, for example, to understand which countries the most applications for a given position come from, at what times people generally apply, and what the average salaries are in different states.
• Flexible approach: international research activity cannot be compared to ordinary research, especially because of some organizational aspects (different time zones, different languages and cultures). A flexible and dynamic approach allows contact and empathy with people with their own backgrounds and uniqueness that differentiates them.

With international social recruiting, it is possible to cross geographic boundaries with just a few clicks and reach top talent around the world to find the increasingly hard-to-find skills.

The benefits are too significant to let obstacles limit an effective strategy in international hiring: companies will benefit in terms of desirability and productivity.