Helping International Employers With Strategic US Hires – Person-To-Person Recruiting
- Dec 11, 2024
- 5 min read
Harvard Group International has been successfully helping clients fill critical and strategic hiring needs for three decades. As consultant in this field, HGI regularly provides analysis and advice to executives and professionals who seek the firm's assistance. The door is always open to employers and individuals for courtesy discussions.
While AI might be the best way forward for Medical Advancement, Space Exploration, Machinery Production and in coming years Taxi Service, as long as humans lead businesses, Person-to-Person is the most effective, assured means of recruiting and hiring proven impactful Humans. Often those best executive and professional leaders are not even looking to make an employer change. They are not “posting” their CV’s or polishing their LinkedIn profile. AI is changing a lot of things fast, while HGI has been considerately helping clients hire top professionals and executives for decades; even to help drive businesses that today envision AI as highly important to their futures.
Can Do vs Will Impact
In talent acquisition, there are job openings that may be effectively filled from online databases just as those same sources are useful routes for “can do” job hunters to enhance their networking in order to be found. However, when the target is critically a WILL IMPACT leader the challenge becomes less rote, more human in the how part of the decision regarding the means applied. Over thousands of projects, HGI has been that right value in identification and recruiting of “best candidates”, where personal touch and professionalism wins the day. Finding and hiring people who can lead people and impact growth takes people… takes the personal touch far more than The Cloud.
Add in “International”
When there is an International aspect to the recruiting project, the need for Person-to-Person recruiting steps up even more. This is in part due to the reality that the international aspect usually brings characteristics to the project that are unusual or different as well as maybe slightly more complicated than helping US based employers find leaders for US based executive and professional hires. Around such titles as: American Division President, Managing Director, Executive General Manager, Engineering Team Lead, Harvard Group International has considerately recruited top candidates on behalf of its international clients. Key Engineers/Scientists, Accounting/Finance Managers and similar as well. All involved intercultural distinctions and focus, allowed or required, assumed and planned for, as well as dealing with unanticipated turns and steps, as the project unfolds.
Some examples of those that have been successfully addressed include:
After a month-long evaluation of candidates, by the US subsidiary of mid-size Asian manufacturer, the candidate and client reached full agreement, only for the US President-To-Be deciding at the last minute that the job expectations would not fit their work/family priorities. Totally fair decision, supported by the client. Because the HGI standard process kept the search active, even with more stringent qualifications evolving from extensive consideration and interviews of the client’s top choice, new candidates were presented within a couple weeks. A successful hire resulted that even addressed a new preference regarding candidate’s achievement history, subtly inserted by the client’s CEO.
Helping a South Asian leading manufacturer establish their US business presence was successful, despite the client’s uncertainty regarding candidate qualification preferences when the project was launched (i.e. no job description or preparations to establish a US subsidiary). The project became one of helping the EVP hiring manager evaluate what talent could be available based on State/City, education, and target compensation. Further needing attention were the ramifications of this being their first hire in the US; cost overall, legal hiring aspects like contract, business entity and employment law (referred to an expert source), location of building. Uncertainty on the EVP’s part led several periods to hesitation, pausing the project. Months passed, while HGI did not stop recruiting against a narrowing evolution of the definition of target, even a job title change. Success in hiring came as the client’s first step in establishing a US business, followed by office, team and warehouse decisions.
Other aspects typical of helping International Employers have included:
Multi-lingual and even preference for multi-national education and experience.
Differences in qualification preferences put forth and resolved between the client and their US management team.
These and more are part of HGI’s experience base, reinforcing confidence and ability around decades of Person-to-Person recruiting. Of course, there is often the greater time difference resulting in less convenience around conferencing with decision makers. Dealing and succeeding through all of these are at the core of who HGI is and how we’ve increasingly helped clients Overseas in addition to North America.
Core process – in addition to flexibility
Core to HGI’s successful process is clear focus on effectively understanding the client’s job/candidate qualifications sought, along with the hiring manager’s key qualification preferences. With these in place, research is applied to identify likely source employers and subsequently those candidates who may be ready to succeed in fulfilling the client’s leadership need.
Good Person-to-Person relations, along with check/double check determination of the prospect’s accomplishment history leads to determining and recruiting qualified candidates for the client to consider.
Person-to-Person respect must be maintained on behalf of the client as well as the recruiting firm, regarding all who are formally considered.
While currently employed candidates are found and presented, never overlook solid prospects who may be in transition.
All of this is entwined around good two-way communications founded on well-considered analysis and questions.
Wrap up
In helping an international employer hire US Professionals and Executives, very often the project takes on distinct requirements and steps to facilitate landing the best. The decision on “which and when” regarding engaging a professional recruiting firm should be considered along with the timing to fit the overall project objectives. Key to deciding on which firm to engage is the firm’s experience at being flexible without losing sight of the target, and resourceful as the project unfolds. Still, keep in mind the proven benefit of proven Person-to-Person candidate recruitment. HGI has helped clients deal with and plan around all of these, while still being that right value.
Read more from Harvard Group International
Harvard Group International, Executive & Professional Recruiters
Harvard Group International was founded in 1997 with a primary focus on automotive manufacturers and tier-one suppliers. From its beginning, the culture has been one of providing help and advisory services to clients and candidates alike. As the firm grew, the practice evolved more of a generalist focus, covering almost every industry segment across finance & investment, medical, technology, consumer, and more, to manufacturers and suppliers; US and International. With that history, HGI has helped many of the largest corporations in the world as well as private businesses and start-ups. The key to success is grounded in the firm's process of thoroughly understanding the clients' needs as well as hiring managers' preferences to enable effective 'digging' into likely sources; and identifying accomplished candidates that require actual recruiting before presentation to clients. Along the years, HGI has become known for professional courtesy, confidentiality, and focused urgency. The associates and directors of the firm have reviewed many thousands of resumes, placing thousands of candidates across a broad spectrum of titles, roles, and diversity.
