How To Hire Your First Overseas Team Member
Hiring global talent is one of the best ways to grow your business.
It's a great way to:
- Increase your own capacity to get more done
- Move time-consuming tasks off your plate quickly
- Build a team around you while resources are low
Many are afraid to take this step, but below I am going to share the process I have used to hire many great teammates from across the globe.
You should know that global talent is not less than domestic talent in any way. In fact, many have graduate degrees and are extremely capable! But the powerful component here that we are going to tap into and leverage is what is known as Geographic Arbitrage. Purchasing power is very different in different countries. $1 USD in some countries can buy food for a family for a day... or even more!
So how do you pull this off?
The Setup
1. Understand what you need
List out the specific tasks that don't require someone to be "on location". This tends to include things needing to be done on computers, over the internet, on the phone, through text, etc. Don't limit yourself by thinking you can only hand off low-intellect tasks like data entry. There are individuals great at data analysis, customer service, and managing e-commerce sites.
Work through not only the tasks, but also the access that will be needed, tools that may make it easier, and if 'when' tasks are done is important too (many team members from the global talent pool will work at your hours!)
2. Write the Job Description
Now it's time to write the job post. This is not a generic list of duties. Contrary to popular belief, overseas workers aren't dying to work for you, taking any scraps you can give them. They have families, opportunities, and dreams as well. They are playing the same game you are... geographic arbitrage. When you write your job post, make sure you
- Sell your company
- Sell your vision
- Sell working with you
- Sell the role
- Sell the future
Yup, it's a full-on sales pitch!
I have had great success with my template and average over 200 applications in the first 24 hours almost every time.
3. Sign up for a job site
Yeah, that's right, I am asking you to spend some money. Most cost $50 - $100 per month and can be canceled when you are done.
If you are serious about doing this you are going to spend $500 - $2000 per month on a great hire. So spending a few hundred to get the right hire is a small entry fee. You are also going to free yourself up to build a bigger business (worth $100,000s), and probably save $20,000 - $60,000 a year doing it when compared to local companies only hiring local talent. The upfront cost is extremely affordable.
4. Find the pay zone
Go through and look through job seekers, for those that have the talents you are looking for. After looking at 10-20, you'll get an idea of the pay range. Take something higher in the range and add 20% to it... that is your advertised pay rate.
The Process
5. Post the Job
It's now time to post that job. Post the job up on the site and ask for what you need. Don't oversell it. Remember, you are not hiring a partner, you are hiring for tasks to be done, and they are signing up for tasks to be done.
6. Filter those who applied
The next step is to go through every, single, reply and determine if it's a generic 'reach-out' with generic language or a message someone wrote to you after seeing the post. This is usually pretty easy to tell. You are looking at
"I saw your job post and wanted to send my resume. I believe I have all the skills you are looking for! Let me know if we can set up a meeting"
and
"I saw that you are hiring for order entry. I don't know much about production processes but I am willing to learn your ERP. My resume is attached."
The goal here is to find those who want THIS job, not A job.
7. Email every person who responds
I then reply to every actual response. I usually use a template intro, followed by 2-3 follow-up questions. These questions raise the bar on the job a little bit and act as a partial filter. The reply itself is also a filter. Are they checking and replying within a day? Again, do they really want this job and are they responsive?
My questions can include:
- Can you send me an example of your work?
- Are you willing to work 9-5 CST?
- Have you ever used bill.com?
etc.
8. Add a detail filter
I then close out the email and as the last line, I ask them to follow a simple task. This checks their attention to detail, and if they read the whole email. I often use something like "send me the link to our website"
9. Video Call
Of those who respond to that email with the follow-up answers and the link, I set up a video call. I do these as quick 5 min calls to discuss the job, their situation, and their desire. It's a great way to assess language, dress, how they carry themselves, and what type of setup they have to work.
10. Review and choose
Of the usual 200+ applications, I get in the first few days, only 10 or so make it past the video call. At this point, they are all probably capable of doing the job. So I just review the resume details and find the one with the closest experience.
11. Make the Offer
I then make an offer and close out the job post. My offer is always 80-90% of the posted value for 3 months, with the opportunity to get the full value after 3 months of exceptional work.
Each of these steps is set to gain information, filter individuals out, and find someone who is right for the job. They have all been added based on trial and error while hiring and working with global talent over the last 7 years.
The Follow-Through
Remember that hiring is really only the beginning of the process.
You should have a solid onboarding process to integrate them into the team as quickly as possible. As an example, have automated an initial email sequence, onboarding videos, and progression of documents, along with some initial tasks to help them feel part of the team. It's also good to give them context to your industry and market. I even have them review the tools we use and how we use them.
As you move forward you must remember that they are part of your team, not a lower-level worker. Help them feel part of it and you will get some of the best workers this world has to offer.