This document discusses recruitment and selection of human resources for global assignments. It addresses the challenges of staffing a global business and outlines different types of international assignments. Key points discussed include considering parent country nationals, host country nationals, or third country nationals for positions. Factors like costs, cultural proximity, and promotion opportunities should be evaluated. The document also examines recruitment sources, methods, and necessary skills for international managers. Selection criteria focuses on technical, interpersonal, and cultural competencies to improve expatriate success rates.

1. Recruitment and
Selection of HR for
Global Assignments
Presented By:
Ruhi Beri
Roll No. 24
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2. INTRODUCTION
International management encounters many problems above
those faced by a domestic organization.
Geographic distance and a lack of close, day-to-day
relationships with headquarters represent a major challenge to
multinationals.
"It is essential, therefore, that special attention is given to the
staffing practices in overseas assignments"
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3. Contd…
Many challenges exist when staffing a business that functions
globally.
Differences in cultures provide many opportunities for
establishing a diverse workforce.
If the parent company is located in the U.S and separate offices
are being established in other areas of the world, the HR
Manager will be responsible for making sure that the goals and
timeline to reach those goals are met.
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4. Contd…
Depending on the type of business, the HR Manager will need
to establish a way for the policies and philosophy of the company
to be consistent in all branches, regardless of location.
The easiest, but probably the most costly, solution is for the HR
Manager to place home-country employees in the foreign
locations in an effort to establish a program to meet the needs of
the parent company.
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5. Contd…
Geographic differences will present issues for
communication,
time zone differences,
language difference and more.
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6. Reasons For International
Assignments
Position filling
Skills gap, launch of new endeavor, technology transfer.
Management development
Training and development purposes, assisting in developing
common corporate values.
Organizational development
Need for control, transfer of knowledge, competence, procedures
and practices.
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7. Types of International
Assignments
Short term: up to 3 months
Troubleshooting
Project supervision
A stopgap until a permanent arrangement is found
Extended: up to 1 year
May involve similar activities as short-term assignments
Long term: varies from 1 to 5 years
The traditional expatriate assignment
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8. Strategic Role of
Expatriate Assignments
Helps managers acquire international skills
Helps coordinate and control operations dispersed activities
Communication of local needs/strategic information to
headquarters
In-depth knowledge of local markets
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9. STAFFING
“ Staffing is the process of acquiring , deploying and retaining a
workforce of sufficient quantity and quality to create positive
impacts on the organization's effectiveness ”
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10. Factors Affecting Staffing
General staffing policy on key positions at headquarters and
subsidiaries
Constraints placed by host government
Staff availability
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11. PIGORS - 3 DIFFERENT
SOURCES OF EMPLOYEES
First, the company can send employees from its home country,
which are referred to as expatriates, expats or home country
nationals.
Second, it can recruit host country nationals (natives of the host
country)
Third, it can hire third country nationals who are natives of a
country other than the home country or the host country.
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12. CRITERIA TO BE
CONSIDERED
1. Cost
2. Knowledge of the organization (products, organizational
culture)
3. Cultural proximity
4. Knowledge of the local environment
5. Attitude of the foreign government
6. Promotability of local employees.
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13. Case Study—Part One
Activity B
The hotel management asked you if they should look only at
internal candidates who are parent country nationals (PCNs) or
recruit host country nationals (HCNs). Each group should prepare
an argument based on the following:
Group 1 believes that only PCNs should be hired.
Group 2 believes that only HCNs should be hired.
Group 3 believes that a combination of PCNs and HCNs should
be hired.
Present the advantages of the approach your group was allocated.
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14. IN GENERAL (PCN)…
Advantages
Disadvantages
• Familiarity with the home office's goals,
objectives, policies and practices
• Technical and managerial competence
• Effective liaison and communication
with home-office personnel
• Easier exercise of control over the
subsidiary's operations
• Difficulties in adapting to the foreign
language and the socioeconomic,
political, cultural and legal environment
• Excessive cost of selecting, training and
maintaining expatriate managers and
their families abroad
• The host countries' insistence on
localizing operations and on promoting
local nationals in top positions at foreign
subsidiaries
• Family adjustment problems, especially
concerning the unemployed partners of
managers
j
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15. IN GENERAL (HCN)…
j
Advantages
Disadvantages
• Familiarity with the socioeconomic,
political and legal environment and with
business practices in the host country
• Lower cost incurred in hiring them as
compared to PCN and TCN
• Provides opportunities for advancement
and promotion to local nationals and,
consequently, increases their
commitment and motivation
• Responds effectively to the host
country's demands for localization of the
subsidiary's operation
• Difficulties in exercising effective control
over the subsidiary's operation
• Communication difficulties in dealing
with home-office personnel
• Lack of opportunities for the home
country's nationals to gain international
and cross-cultural experience
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16. IN GENERAL (TCN)…
j
Advantages
• Perhaps the best compromise
between securing needed technical
and managerial expertise and
adapting to a foreign socioeconomic
and cultural environment
• TCN are usually career international
business managers
• TCN are usually less expensive to
maintain than PCN
• TCN may be better informed about
the host environment than PCN
Disadvantages
• Host country's sensitivity with respect
to nationals of specific countries
• Local nationals are impeded in their
efforts to upgrade their own ranks
and assume responsible positions in
the multinational subsidiaries
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17. EXPATRIATE
RECRUITMENT
The main objectives of international recruitment are:
(1) elaborating ways and techniques which will allow the
organization to attract a sufficient number of motivated and
qualified international candidates
(2) identifying candidates susceptible to filling foreign positions
at the lowest possible cost
(3) increasing the pool of international candidates at the lowest
possible cost, anticipating for the organization’s future needs in
personnel.
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18. RECRUITMENT
SOURCES
Sources
Internal
External
Based on strategic value of International Assignments
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19. When are expatriates selected???
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20. RECRUITMENT
METHODS
• Job Posting
• Utilization of internal
databases(data on potential candidates, their
work experience, performance, skills,
availability, and their preferences
regarding a potential international
assignment: where he or she would be
interested in working, in what capacity,
and on what sort of projects.)
Internal
• Internet
• Campaigns in international
media
• International head-hunters
• Relationships with learning
institutions
External
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21. Necessary Skills and Abilities
for International Managers
Skills and Abilities
Necessary to Do
The Job
Skills and Abilities
Necessary to Work
In a Foreign Location
•Technical
•Functional
•Managerial
•Adaptability
•Location-specific skills
•Personal characteristics
Improved Chances of Succeeding in
An International Job Assignment
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22. EXPATRIATE
SELECTION
Reduce expatriate failure rates by improving selection
procedures
An executive’s domestic performance does not (necessarily)
equate his/her overseas performance potential
Employees need to be selected not solely on technical expertise
but also on cross-cultural fluency
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23. SELECTION METHODS
Open
•Vacancies are advertised
•Anyone with appropriate qualification and
experience may apply
•Interviews (formal/informal) are conducted
and selection is done on consensus among
selectors.
Closed
•Nominations are made by line mangers and
forwarded to corporate head-quarters
•On acceptance by head quarter, candidates
are informed
•Selection interview for negotiation of the
terms and conditions of the assignment
Formal
•Vacancies are advertised internally
•Selection criteria based on JD & JS are
made explicit
•Psychometric testing is used
•Selection done through consensus
Informal
•Criteria are not specified
•Selectors assume that personality
characteristics are already known
•Importance to networking, reputation, and
team fit
•Individual preferences of selectors can
predominate
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24. SELECTION CRITERIA
FOR EXPATRIATES
Key Success Factors for Expatriate Assignments:
Technical and managerial skills
Personality traits
Relational abilities
Family situation
International motivation
Language ability
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25. j
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26. Priority of Success
Factors
Assignment length
-Technical and professionals skills are key for short
assignments
Cultural similarity
Required interaction with local people
Job complexity and responsibility
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27. Contd…
j
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28. FOUR ATTRIBUTES THAT
PREDICT SUCCESS
Self-Orientation
Possessing high self-esteem, self-confidence and mental wellbeing
Others-Orientation
-Ability to develop relationships with host-country nationals
-Willingness to communicate
Perceptual Ability
-The ability to understand why people of other countries
behave the way they do
-Being nonjudgmental and being flexible in management style
Cultural Toughness
Relationship between country of assignment and the
expatriate’s adjustment to it
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29. THANK YOU!!!
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