Looking for jobs abroad?

What skills are in demand overseas?

The ‘in demand’ skills required for international employers will of course depend on the specific country you are looking at so when considering up-routing yourself, and possibly your family, it is important to understand if the industry you work in is in demand.

If so, not only could sponsorship to that country suddenly become a whole lot easier but the remuneration you could receive. You could effectively do the same job but be jumping on a business class flight rather than economy.

Being a Brit with a solid career history will be appealing to prospective employers overseas in whatever industry you are from. Fundamentally, international employers will be looking for individuals who can demonstrate several key skills including:

-A high performance of productivity and efficiency (AKA: a grafter)

-Multilingual communication capabilities (can you speak other languages?)

As is the case in the UK, a real cultural fit is needed for any potential employer. As we all know (unfortunately) we spend more time with our work colleagues than we do with our family, so some of the ‘softer skills’ listed above are going to be key when making a decision on whether an employer is right for you and it’s the same on the other side of the fence.

There are certain industries that are in demand in any country you are considering, if you work in nursing, financial services, technology and manufacturing you will always be looked at as desirable to overseas employers as they would be in the UK.

By 2030, the global talent shortage in these industries could reach over 85 million people, costing organisations trillions of dollars in lost economic opportunities.

When considering a career move abroad, it goes without saying that you should do your homework. You may be surprised where your experience can take you and what exciting new adventures are waiting in the offices around the world.

What advice would you give to those looking for a role overseas?

Contact our overseas specialist consultants to discuss the ideal destination for your next career path.

How is recruitment overseas likely to change in the future?

Fast paced, high growth businesses are increasingly seeking out more finely tuned skill sets in various sectors, especially sales, retail, digital and finance.

No longer do they select candidates based simply on experience. Leading brands are looking for the right attitude, culture fit and specialist skills… and they’ll search the globe to find them! To stay ahead of the trend towards overseas recruitment, our team pride ourselves on continually developing in line with emerging technologies and new ways of working for a slicker, more streamlined process.

Breaking Barriers

As technology gets smarter, processes become slicker. The efficiency in communication between recruiters and jobseekers, as well as recruiters and their clients has dramatically improved, with new technology helping to overcome geographical barriers, reduce feedback times and create a more seamless selection process.

This new technology has made it easier for businesses to find talent, regardless of location. So if your ideal candidate ticks all the boxes, yet lives hundreds of miles away, there’s no reason why a golden opportunity must die with the distance.

Recruiters have access to global talent pools via online job boards, professional networking sites and specialist industry forums, connecting us with candidates across the globe. This also opens up great opportunities for candidates keen to work overseas, and for employers who want to find the right people, regardless of where they’re currently located.

The Data Game

A far cry from the days of sifting through piles of paper and sorting CVs by hand, data intelligence and AI has allowed recruiters to get through their screening process more swiftly, by filtering out the most relevant of all applicants.

Leaving more time to spend on interview preparation, character profiling, in depth skill assessment and ensuring the right cultural fit. Time is precious to the recruiter, even more so to a business keen to build their teams. As data handling continues to become much more intuitive, resources can be used much more productively.

So Much More Than A Sheet Of A4

Long gone are the days when candidates were required to squeeze every last drop of their experience onto a perfectly formatted sheet of paper. CVs will always be a staple in the jobseekers armory, though the advancement of social networking sites and recruitment forums allows a candidate to open up a window into their career history.

LinkedIn and professional networking sites are the perfect platform to showcase genuine testimonials, experience and publications of work.

Twitter, Quora and Tumblr allow recruiters to see how candidates express their opinions and professional insights, as well as language skills, which come in handy when working overseas.

Job boards allow candidates to create profiles relating to the role they want, and where they want it, making it easier for recruiters to target by desired location… as opposed to where they currently live.

Portfolios have become animated, applications have become more creative and skill sets have become more transparent on the social media stage.

70% of employers* now look up candidates on social media, as a pre-screening opportunity before hiring them. This figure is up from 60% in 2016, and 11% in 2006. For employers selecting candidates from overseas, this offers a great insight into the lives of those we haven’t yet managed to meet in person.

Video Calling

The way we use video calling is changing the face of the interview process. Location is no longer a hindrance to setting a date for an interview, as video calls are becoming more widely used in place of the face to face sit down. Not only a time saver for both candidate and recruiter, video interviews have broken down the barrier for candidates interviewing for roles overseas.

Video takes on a whole new level in the recruitment sector, as recruiters begin to use algorithmically enhanced video systems at the interview stage. HireVue, one of many on-demand video interview platforms hitting the scene, allows recruiters to analyse responses including facial expressions and word choice. This offers a more in depth profile of the candidate, whilst reducing the need for separate character profiling, follow up interviews and competency tests.

The recruitment sector won’t sit still for long. Great recruiters are those that immerse themselves in technological developments and new ways of working. This is why we live and breathe the ethos of continually developing. We know what’s making the recruitment process smarter, you can be damn sure we’ll want to share that with you!