The advent of Covid-19 has changed the whole world and certainly the world of work. It seems like there has never been a better time to reassess how organisations work and lots has been written about flexible, remote and interim arrangements together with the pros and cons of this.
What hasn’t been discussed as much, however, is the concept of where businesses look for their talent. Traditionally, in the sectors in which Parkhouse Bell works, when commissioned to carry out a search exercise for senior talent we are asked to look within Australia. The reasons for this are fairly obvious – candidates will know the Australian systems and landscape, they are likely to be well-connected within Australia and onboarding is relatively simple.
It seems to us that next time you are looking for someone to appoint into a senior position, you should consider an international search for the following reasons:
- Senior candidates who have been working internationally, may well have reconsidered their life priorities, eg is it more important to them now to be near family and friends
- Candidates working overseas may be thinking about returning to Australia as it is a relatively safe place to be in the world right now
- People with international experience can bring new insights and ideas with them from the places they have been working
- Candidates who have been working overseas are likely to be more flexible about where they are based – they are used to being thousands of kilometres away from family and friends and so living in a different State in Australia is not likely to faze them
- Someone with international connections may be useful for businesses in Australia – many of our clients have a presence in other countries and anything that can help to join up the dots is useful
Looking for talent internationally is likely to take more time – the market mapping that forms part of the search is arduous and complex so ensure you factor in the lead time that headhunters will need to carry out this component of a search. Our recommendation is to ideally start your international search six months before you actually want the appointed person to be in place. Remember also to factor in current travel restrictions and ensure any successfully appointed international candidate is able to come into the country!
If you would like to discuss the concept of an international search in more detail, please contact Parkhouse Bell’s Managing Consultant, Samantha Smith; – Samantha herself has had an international career and would be delighted to talk with you on a confidential basis.
