Recognizing differences in culture and factoring those into the recruitment process can help ensure you don’t miss out on an outstanding candidate. Recruiting globally opens up the field to a wealth of talent that can bring a richness of experiences to the business. That being said, you need to be aware of cultural variances and not fall into the trap of ruling out candidates because you are evaluating them based on your own conditioning and preconceived notions of what constitutes ‘leadership’, ‘drive’ and even ‘confidence’.
For example, in the US the emphasis is on selling yourself, telling your story with confidence, focusing on achievements, being assertive – while in most Nordic countries this could be viewed as boastful, arrogant and smacks of self-importance. Recognizing that a Norwegian’s modesty during the interview process, or an Asian candidate’s reticence to promote themselves above their team are not indicators of a lack of confidence, and devising ways of identifying desired traits and behaviors through other techniques, can be crucial to recruiting the right candidate.
Our team at Career Opportunities International, C.O.I., is drawn from several different cultures. This breadth of understanding of South American, Asian, Nordic, Western European, British and, yes, even American cultures and behaviors helps ensure we look beyond our own individual cultural conditioning to assess the real individual.
Author: Rowena McAllister