Global Mobility Talent – 5 Ways to Start your Executive Search

Talent acquisition is an increasingly competitive industry, requiring a strong background in global mobility strategies. Executive searches are now capable of reaching across traditional cultural, industry and national lines to source talent from greater distances. As a result, the field of global mobility talent recruiting has become its own specialization used by corporations who need to open up their executive search to the widest possible range of candidates. Today, any good executive talent search will begin with a search firm that is recognized at the global level for their industry expertise.

1. Finding A Global Talent Acquisition Firm – Global Talent Acquisition consulting organizations have grown in sophistication over the years and have formed professional associations (i.e. National Association Executive Recruiters, National Association of Personnel Services, etc.) and industry standards for performance. Choosing the right talent source to partner with can now be done by searching for firms that have been awarded certifications (NAER, CPS, etc.), relocation certifications (CRP, GMS, etc.), and other designations to demonstrate knowledge, commitment and expertise. Having a talent agency that is highly qualified is the best way to ensure that your prospective job candidates are also highly qualified.
2. Position Consultation – Depending on the length of time since your last executive search, you may be up against a number of challenges when it’s time to recruit new talent. Talent agencies who deal with global mobility talent solutions on a daily basis, have the most up-to-date information about industry average compensations, benefits, relocation packages and more. This information is invaluable to you before you begin your search for a candidate, and before you make an official offer.
3. Define Areas of Expertise – In addition to learning about what is expected of your company based on other recent executive searches, it is also imperative to clearly define the areas of expertise, strengths and attributes that you want to find in a new candidate. Oftentimes, this stage of the process is greater than just global industry experience and goes deeper into finding someone who will fit smoothly into the culture of your company. This is also a chance to take a wide view and find somebody with outside experience who may bring a different set of skills to your executive management team for future growth.
4. Candidate Screening – If you have invested enough time with your global mobility talent team to adequately define the candidates you would like to hire, they should have enough information to successfully complete pre-interview screenings. Your talent acquisition partners can take a large group of candidates and quickly sort through them to narrow down your field of options before you have to spend any more time conducting one-on-one interviews. Cultural “fit” for your organization is key and the right partner will screen for “fit” in addition to the job requirements and experience level needed for success in the role.
5. Coordinate Interviews – Once the screening is done, you should be left with a small pool of highly qualified and specialized executives who are interested in your position. The talent agency will have gathered sufficient information about their backgrounds, prior compensation, personal strengths and skill set to give you a solid idea of which candidates will work best. An executive summary will provide you with significant detail regarding the candidates beyond merely a “resume”. The final phase of beginning your executive search is using your talent management group to coordinate interviews with all of the approved candidates.

As the pool of available executive team members grows to include those around the world, sourcing new talent will require a team of dedicated global mobility talent agents. National association designations can be used to determine which agencies are best suited to providing candidates in your industry. Once you have chosen an agent, the process of funneling qualified candidates into into your office begins by narrowing down potential leads one layer at a time.