Hiring for Mobility (Among Other Things, Of Course)

At a workshop in Kuala Lumpur this week we touched on the employee characteristics that companies in various Asian markets are (or should be) looking for. Such things as innovation, a growth mindset, critical thinking, speed, and flexibility came to mind. One participant added a very important one to the list: mobility.

For large multinationals from the US, Europe, and Australia, as well as large Asian enterprises from Japan and Korea in particular, a professional workforce that is able to move between markets has been essential. Now, with more companies looking to grow regionally and globally, and with the opportunities resulting from the emergence of the ASEAN Economic Community next month, Southeast Asia-headquartered companies need to give serious thought to designing a workforce that can be deployed to multiple markets. That means hiring not only line employees but especially current and potential leaders with the ability, and willingness, to move between countries. If you expect your company to grow internationally, it makes little sense to bring leaders on board who will be limited in their ability to move toward that goal.

Of course, simply asking people in an interview if they are willing to move to another country may lead them to tell you what you want to hear regardless of their feelings on the subject, and being interested in multinational assignments is not the same as being able to do them effectively. So, what could you look for?

• Previous jobs, and experiences in those jobs: past jobs in other countries, multinational projects requiring significant travel
• Education: studying abroad (either for a semester or for an entire degree), academic degree focusing on a culture other than their own
• Cultural background: coming from a multinational family, speaking more than one language
• Personal background: significant travel (especially beyond common tourist destinations), overseas volunteer work

By the way, if you want those globally mobile employees to do great work for you, you need to provide the infrastructure to make that happen. Among other things, you need local training for people moving to new countries and cultures; technology to facilitate working smoothly across borders and time zones; and expertise in visa issues, legal compliance, health care, and other things that help your employees focus on their work and not on the many details involved in working around the world. It may be HR’s responsibility to manage those systems, but it’s your job as a leader to make sure the systems are available and supporting your employees.

Your retention strategy starts with recruiting, so focus on recruiting people who can grow with your business. If you are in Asia and planning to operate only in your home country, then you can recruit people without the motivation to go overseas or the skill set to do it well, but if, like many growing companies, you plan to expand, you can improve your chance for success tomorrow by hiring the right people today.