Recruiting abroad: a step-by-step plan

Recruiting abroad can be a solution to many of the problems employers face. Staff are hard to find these days: there are vacancies in abundance, but candidates are scarce. Recruiting staff abroad goes one step further. Where do you start, and how do you go about it? With the recruitment strategy we discuss in our article on Emerce, it gets a whole lot easier.

In 2022, too, employers are increasingly worried about the growing staff shortage in our country. To win this ‘battle for talent’, many companies are taking a more radical approach: they look beyond Dutch candidates and literally push their boundaries. That takes an investment, but in the long run they will certainly benefit from it. In the article we explain, tip by tip and in precise detail, how Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) campaigns via Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn can help you reach, win over and attract suitable candidates, including when recruiting staff abroad.

Step 1: The right context

Before you start your campaign, it’s crucial to map out your own situation properly. For roles where fluent Dutch is a requirement, recruiting abroad is less efficient. Learning a new language simply takes too much time. For roles in marketing, tech and IT, however, it’s a different story. Here English is often the working language, or in the case of IT, programming languages such as C#, PHP and Java are universal and the same all over the world.

Step 2: Preparation is key

Once the profile is clear, you start preparing your campaign. A good starting point is Statistics Netherlands (CBS), where you’ll find information on youth unemployment per country. Southern European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece still struggle with high youth unemployment, sometimes as high as 40%. The higher the youth unemployment, the more effective your recruitment campaign will be.

Step 3: What do you have to offer?

A job abroad needs something attractive in return. The better you present the role, the sooner someone will make the move. Also think about the support you offer while people settle in. For example, help with finding accommodation or opening a Dutch bank account. Mention this clearly in your job ads. The more you roll out the red carpet, the bigger the influx of foreign talent.

Step 4: Running the campaign

To launch a social media campaign you need creativity as well as technical knowledge of tools such as Facebook Business Manager and LinkedIn Recruiter. After the preparatory steps you know how to win over your international colleagues. Highlight the unique aspects of your company in the vacancies, such as a paid trip back to their home country twice a year or a month of free accommodation. And don’t forget that an attractive salary is always a plus.

Work these benefits into the content for different platforms. You spread the most effective campaign via Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. In Facebook Business Manager, use the ‘lead ad’ option for the best results; candidates then apply directly via Facebook and Instagram, which increases conversion.

Actively searching with a LinkedIn Recruiter Seat is also recommended. Keep an eye on your budget, because these tools aren’t free. The advantages of a LinkedIn Recruiter Seat are:

• Sending unlimited connection requests, which increases your chances.
• More targeted searching, including for people with private profiles.

Step 5: Pay attention to the details

Recruiting abroad can pay off if you can’t find enough suitable candidates in the Netherlands. Start within the EU to keep it manageable and benefit from the free movement of goods and services. Be aware of the regulations that can make it difficult to bring candidates from outside the EU, such as Ukraine or India, to the Netherlands.

Step 6: Get started with recruiting abroad!

As with so many things: just do it. Create an English-language ad, use Facebook Business Manager for the right targeting and set a budget for your campaign. After a month you can evaluate whether your recruitment abroad has potential.