The key to a great global hire
Hiring overseas candidates gives you access to an elite pool of talented people that are equipped to come in and make an immediate impact on your business (and your bottom line). But with overseas hiring, there’s a few extra considerations, and they may need a different kind of vetting to make sure they’re right for the role and the company culture.
Overseas hiring is about more than just finding people with the technical skills. It’s also the soft skills that make a difference in the long run in a global, remote position. Candidates who are independent workers and can keep work moving even across borders are critical, and those soft skills are what sets them apart in the end. Here we’ll break down the soft skills that matter the most, how to identify them, and why they are the secret to setting you up for success when hiring globally.
Why the soft skills matter more than you think
You’re often integrating remote workers into a different work culture when hiring overseas, so a candidate’s fit for an overseas remote position comes down to much more than their paper qualifications. The soft skills needed for a candidate to thrive when working in a remote setting from another country are critical because they’re likely going to have less face-to-face time, support, and supervision.
They’re also going to be navigating different time zones and communication styles, so you need a candidate who can figure things out alone and on the fly while still respecting cultural differences as they work. Certain cultural communication skills are a must so they can collaborate effectively and hit the ground running.
The soft skills that matter most
When you’re hiring for global roles it’s important to find candidates who can adapt fast and navigate to fit within any company culture. But that’s just one puzzle piece– there are some other essential skills you should look for when interviewing. Always look for candidates who are:
- Clear and effective communicators across different cultures and working styles
- Accountable and can manage their time and productivity well
- Proactive and can problem solve independently
- Good with team collaboration and a team player
Those soft skills, like drive and initiative, are what will really set the self-starters apart during the hiring process and will make all the difference when looking for the right candidate.
Identifying candidates with the right soft skills
The interview is the best time to really get a feel for a candidate’s soft skills. Try asking behavioral questions that focus on how a candidate has handled past experiences or situations that they may run into working as a remote employee. You’re trying to see how they communicate, think, and problem-solve. For example, ask them to tell you about a time they dealt with a miscommunication and how they handled the situation. Their response can reveal quite a lot.
You can also use situational judgment tests to get a sense of how someone might handle a hypothetical. These are great for spotting soft skills like adaptability and decision-making. These questions can also give you a feel for whether someone’s a good cultural fit, too.
Last but not least– don’t forget to go back to the basics. Feedback from former teammates or peer reviews can offer valuable insights into how a candidate really works with others.
The bottom line: soft skills and your search
When hiring overseas, it’s the technical skills that get someone in the door at first. But it’s a candidate’s soft skills that’ll contribute to their long-term success.
Communication, adaptability, and self-motivation are essential when working across time zones, cultures, and without constant supervision. Focus on these qualities when hiring to set your overseas candidates, and yourself, up for success.
