Snapshots

International Sourcing – Europe

How does sourcing candidates located in Europe differ from sourcing in the USA?

After 10+ years in the recruiting industry, my scope expanded to working internationally. This proved to be an underdeveloped area in my “playbook”. As the Talent Manager for a consulting firm intent on developing a global footprint, I learned first-hand about obstacles facing those attempting to source talent “across the pond.”

Even though the global community has become smaller and more integrated via the internet, challenges remain when sourcing for European talent from the United States. Finding the required talent in Europe takes a little preparatory groundwork.

Since I have worked primarily with domestic opportunities through the years, my LinkedIn network and databases for the US and Canada are extensive. Building a network of global connections outside one’s home geography takes time to develop. If lead time is short, working agreements with third party recruiting vendors with offices in Europe and/or those that have locations in both the USA and Europe can help facilitate the sourcing process. In order to be effective, however, your employer and your partner agencies must have an expertise in similar industries.

In the USA, employment laws are fairly standardized throughout all the States. In Europe, each country has its own definition of employee vs independent contractor and they define the entitled benefits for each category differently. Employers who mislabel an employee status are at risk of receiving severe financial penalties and reimbursement (back pay) to said employee. A third party vendor in Europe … or an affiliate European location ….. can assist in avoiding these employment missteps.

Visa requirements vary from country to country. Overcoming the time zone differences and conducting telephone conversations, while simple in the USA, become scheduling challenges. And then there’s the currency exchange which feeds back into payroll issues…….