HROTodayGlobal

Recruitment The Search for Global Talent A blueprint for sourcing a multinational workforce. By Kate Donovan Today's global workforce is on the move as never before. Macroeconomic forces, including globalisation and technological revolutions, provide individuals even more choices of how, where, and when they want to work. In fact, today there are more than one billion mobile workers worldwide. And this doesn't take into account the 214 million global migrants, many who migrate in order to work. While this is great news for talented job seekers, it is an increasing pain point for many employers who are discovering that finding the right talent where and when they need it most is not an easy task. What employers are discovering is that talent is becoming a scarce resource in the economic world. The war for talent means we are entering a new age, the Human Age, where the ability to optimise human potential will be every organisation's key competitive differentiator. This creates continued complexities and opportunities in the marketplace and makes access to the right talent at the right time the major agent of economic growth and key differentiator for business success. As business needs evolve and companies are managing operations around the globe, more and more are realising that their tactical, short-term workforce strategies need to change. In fact, according to ManpowerGroup's most recent , of 35,000 employers across 36 countries, 34 percent of companies are struggling to fill jobs they need in order to succeed. Mobilising the right talent is critical to creating a long-term competitive advantage for any organisation. Global programmes require a long-term business strategy rather than a simple tactical approach, something many organisations struggle to develop across borders. One of the larger challenges many organisations face when implementing global workforce talent strategies is determining the best balance between local and global recruitment approaches. Local recruiting provides many benefits to organisations with a strong local presence. It allows companies to be sensitive to cultural nuances, have a stronger understanding of local laws and regulations, and in many instances have the ability to source candidates more efficiently because of their knowledge of the market. With global recruiting, the benefits can vary. A cross-border recruiting strategy helps to strengthen a global brand, source top talent across a wider range of markets, standardise and streamline processes to generate efficiencies and reduce risk, and provide a more robust candidate experience. The question most organisations face is which model best meets their business needs. For many organisations, an ideal end-state is having a "fixed and flexible" model. Here, certain elements of the recruitment process should be considered "fixed" on a global level, including having a global applicant [36] HRO TODAY GLOBAL | FALL 2011 Accountability After global team members agree to what the recruiting process will look like across their regions, it is critical to have a formal communication mechanism in place that clearly articulates goals and commitments. Executives should sign agreements that refer to those commitments and acknowledge shared responsibility for project successes or failures. tracking system to ensure all candidates come into the recruitment pipeline through a single tool. Other elements of programmes considered to be more "flexible" on a local level include recognising and acting upon unique market, cultural, and legal requirements. A growing number of organisations understand they can't be everywhere with the local labour knowledge of markets in which they want to enter, and many are turning to trusted advisers who understand their challenges first hand. And as companies turn to these trusted partners, it's important that they understand critical components to any outsourced recruiting programme. As a consultant to organisations around the world in their talent strategy development, we believe four key elements should exist in any successful global recruiting programme to ensure the objectives align with the overall business needs. This is true either for an internal, globally managed recruitment programme, or for a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) programme through a trusted adviser. Consider these four elements as you look at your workforce needs: Shared Alignment Creating shared alignment means organising a centralised project steering committee that will determine, in very clear terms, the project scope and objectives along with each region's role in T alent Shortage Survey

• Cover