Is Your Hiring Process Ready for Global Talent?

Embracing a unified approach to global background screening is essential for organizations seeking to thrive in the global marketplace.

By Joy Henry, Head of Technology and Business Services, Sterling  

Over the past few years, the scope of global talent acquisition has expanded across industries, specifically gaining traction in financial and professional services, retail, technology, and staffing. With the rise of remote work and the globalization of job markets, companies are now in a race to attract top talent from around the world. We are also seeing rapid expansion to particular regions; for example, Latin America is now a more prominent player in the global screening landscape.

This global labor trend is forcing organizations to navigate diverse legal frameworks, compliance requirements, and cultural nuances. With increased complexity surrounding compliance, it’s important for organizations to seek out a background screening provider that has operations around the world, global client and candidate support, deep regional expertise, local service proficiency, and reliable global fulfillment capabilities.

Having streamlined, efficient, and compliant background screening around the world is crucial to manage the volume of global organizations and to expedite turnaround times. To execute effective, timely hiring on a global scale, companies should keep the following objectives in mind.  

Developing a single framework   

One of the larger challenges for multinational organizations is the ability to manage a global screening program with consistency across compliant solutions, candidate experience, and technology. When organizations partner with a single global screening provider, they have the ability to streamline the processes and manage their hiring programs across regions, in one system. Organizations can work to establish consistent global standards across the business and navigate compliance and risk management, enabling them to better compete for talent globally and hire authentic people to build a strong company culture.

Understanding global and regional screening compliance Different areas of the world have local screening legislation and privacy laws that vary greatly. Organizations that operate globally should seek out a background screening provider that has tech enabled solutions and in-house compliance teams, privacy teams, and outside council that partner globally. Organizations should expect to receive personal service, and identity, screening, and verification solutions that meet or exceed complex compliance standards across regions and industries. Managing risk by navigating the complex, evolving global regulatory landscape has never been more important.

Meeting regional requirements Each country or region that organizations hire in may have specific and complex regulations relating to consent, data privacy, record-keeping, and other relevant processes. A robust background screening program formalizes basic elements of the screening process while allowing organizations to customize their packages based on the needs of the organization. This level of customization is particularly helpful when hiring in multiple countries or managing candidates with diverse, global backgrounds. Many multinational organizations have turned to technology solutions to automate background screening . These background screening platforms – when combined with human touch and expertise – are effective because they give employers the ability to remain complaint when hiring and scaling internationally.  

Having a local presence as part of a global screening program In addition to having built-in compliance technology, it’s important to look for a screening partner that has a physical presence in the regions where hiring is taking place, with experts that have insight into local languages, norms, nuances, and cultures. Partnering with an experienced background screening provider that has expertise in these regional variances ensures the necessary support structures are in place to handle every candidate, and that organizations are set up to onboard the best fits. A provider that has a strong familiarity for only one or two continents, for example, could fall short of a company’s global talent acquisition strategy. With regions such as Latin America gaining more prominence for its large pool of multilingual and skilled workers, companies ultimately need a background screening provider that can roll out solutions in every region.

Creating consistent experiences

Some companies have tried to circumvent not having a unified global screening program by working with multiple vendors that together can cover every relevant region. While this piecemeal approach can help ensure regional compliance, it ultimately fails at delivering a truly global screening program and a consistent candidate experience. Employers who use a single global background screening provider are able to offer a consistent experience, both internally and for all candidates in every region. Importantly, meeting regional requirements also means having a screening platform available in multiple languages.

Organizations have the opportunity to provide consistency everyone can benefit from, including recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates. Candidates in particular benefit from a unified process that can be tailored based on where they live, allowing them to complete applications in their language of choice and ensuring they feel valued and understood. In addition, a centralized program aligns hiring teams across regions, with all hiring managers and HR professionals operating within the same platform. In situations where a candidate has a question about the background screening process, the support they receive is localized, consistent, and available across time zones, enhancing candidate satisfaction and improving overall efficiency.

The background screening landscape has significantly evolved over the past few years, extending beyond traditional sectors and regions. A unified global program offers numerous benefits, including consistency, customization, compliance adherence, and scalability.

Partnering with an experienced screening provider will help organizations meet compliance requirements, address cultural nuances, and create a streamlined and predictable experience for candidates and teams worldwide. In a world where mobility and global hiring are increasingly common, embracing a unified approach to global background screening is essential for organizations seeking to thrive in the global marketplace.

Joy Henry is the Head of Sterling’s Technology and Business Services group, where she holds responsibility for the P&L of the financial services, retail, gig, staffing, diligence, technology, media, entertainment, and hospitality practice areas of the business. Joy joined Sterling in 2013 and previously held the position of general manager of the financial and business services practice area. Prior to Sterling, Joy spent over a decade at Dow Jones/News Corp serving in various roles across the organization.  

This article was originally published in BenefitsPro.

Sterling is not a law firm. This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.