5 Essential questions for successful international recruitment

You are ready to take the leap. You know that the strategic growth of your company requires international expansion and you need to incorporate top local talent. Perhaps you are looking for a Country Manager to lead the US subsidiary, a Business Development specialist to open LATAM markets, or an Operations Director with experience in Asia.

At Servitalent we know that the euphoria of expansion must be preceded by the discipline of preparation. Based on our experience advising industrial companies in their global challenges, we confirm that 90% of success in international recruitment is defined before the first interview.

Here is a checklist of 5 critical points to complete before launching any talent search process outside Spain.

Strategic checklist prior to international recruitment

1. Have we isolated the global role and its local adaptation?

The most costly mistake in an international selection process is to assume that a role that works at headquarters will operate identically in a new market. A key profile abroad must have a double expertise: mastery of your industry (global) and the ability to implement it in your culture (local).

Your task:

Redesign the Job Description (JD) focusing on decision autonomy and adaptation to the target market.

Example: A Sales Manager in Sao Paulo or Mexico operates with very differentdynamics, timings and relational codes than one in Berlin or Paris.

The question to answer:

Are we asking the candidate to replicate processes or to generate new paths aligned with the global strategy?

Is our offer competitive in the target market?

Your compensation package is a strategic investment, not an operating expense. A salary that may seem generous by Spanish standards may be insufficient to attract a qualified executive in places like Miami or Singapore, or become a high turnover factor in markets with a high demand for talent.

Your task:

It is essential to perform a salary benchmarking of the direct competition in the target country and sector. Investigate in depth: mandatory social benefits, performance bonus structure (local standards) and the actual tax burden for the employee.

The risk of not taking this factor into account:

Lack of competitiveness will force you to hire profiles below the desired competency level, which could cripple your international expansion.

3. Are we clear about our landing culture and cultural adjustment?

The professional you bring in will act as a bridge between your corporate culture and the idiosyncrasies of his/her country. This is especially critical when managing nuances in communication and leadership. How formal or hierarchical is your organization compared to the local environment?

Your task

Define the level of flexibility and autonomy the role will have. Actively seek candidates with high cultural intelligence, able to mediate between matrix management styles and local realities. This is vital for effectivereporting from markets with high cultural distance, such as Japan or China.

A word of advice:

Cultural transparency is vital. Be honest about the frequency of travel, the level of internal bureaucracy and the expected formality of communication.

4. Do we know where to source international talent?

High-value sector experts are not usually found on generalist job portals. The passive talent you are looking for is professionally active and must be attracted through international headhunting strategies, whether in a technology hub in Eastern Europe or in an emerging market in LATAM.

Your task:

Map specialized sourcing sources: key industry associations, leadership forums, bi-national chambers of commerce and, above all, competing companies or players in the same ecosystem.

Servitalent's added value

This is where the expertise of our localpartners is irreplaceable. They know the most relevant networking networks and have the ability to contact that hard-to-reach managerial talent.

Have we budgeted for patience in the expansion plan?

Searching for qualified talent outside our borders requires a significantly greater investment of time and resources than a local search. An executive search process in complex markets can take several months to find the right profile.

Your task

Set realistic time expectations in your expansion timeline. Rushing often leads to hiring an "almost perfect" profile that could fail in the short term. Patience is your best strategic asset.

The Big Fact

A hiring mistake abroad not only implies salary and dismissal costs; it can paralyze your business' entry into the new market for a critical period, damaging your reputation and credibility.

Servitalent: Your partner in international recruiting

At Servitalent, we don't just look for candidates; we help companies build a solid foundation for their internationalization. If you complete this global checklist with our advice, the selection process will be much smoother, reducing uncertainty and increasing the guarantees of success.

Do you want to start completing your checklist? We can start the market research for the country you have in mind today.

Looking to internationalize while reducing risks?