Better Together
considered, when this is accompanied by better English communication skills, highly developed collaborative ways of working and better critical thinking”.
A country-specific approach The perspective would also appear to be country dependent – in India, the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Management are viewed as the elite institutions. Students with a UK (or non-Indian) education may be viewed with an element of scepticism by in-country recruiters because British HEIs cannot compete in terms of brand awareness. Subha Rajan Tampi, Confederation of Indian Industries explains, “Students from known universities in India have certain credibility as these institutions are time tested and very reliable. Most students who graduate from here are generally brilliant and have proved to be excellent professionals.”
When responsibility for overseas recruitment lies in-country, the importance of relationship building between the British HEI and the overseas employer is paramount. At Nottingham in 2013, a Global Labour Market Team was established with a representative in each of the UK, China and Malaysia. The advantage has been clear – we have been able to join some of the dots globally – and even facilitate conversations between country specific recruiters which may otherwise not have happened. This team ensures that where appropriate, vacancies are made available to students on all three campuses. Country specific labour market information is shared with students through web and social media channels and dedicated stands at fairs. An exciting recent development is video presentations by employers to students on an international campus; for example, a Kuala Lumpur- based employer speaking to Malaysian students in the UK and China.
This is not just for the big global players – as local businesses look to countries such as India and China as areas for
growth, they need expertise from those countries. Geoff Baker from Nottingham-based apps publisher, ICN, explains “We have hired all of our staff from local universities as we pursue plans to publish apps tailored to the largest smartphone markets (India, USA, China, Brazil, Mexico and Japan). A University of Nottingham intern originally
Developing the global graduate
Within universities and graduate recruiters, the term ‘global graduate’ gets used more and more frequently. But what is the global graduate and how are universities developing them? More and more universities recognise the importance of giving their students the opportunity to pursue global and cross-cultural experiences. The typical UK HEI will attract a number of international students to its courses. Students studying at the University of Nottingham could find themselves studying alongside peers from any one of 150 countries. However, the global aspect to their studies reaches far beyond this. A global perspective is encouraged through study abroad opportunities, society membership, global conferences and business challenges – to name but a few. So what are global competencies? One could describe them as highly developed inter-cultural skills which enable an individual to interact appropriately where established views and behaviours may differ due to the cultural context. They include linguistic and communication skills, critical thinking, adaptability and empathy.
Geoff Baker, ICN addresses this issue: “Language skills are great ‘hard skills’, but the multitude of global languages and prevalence of English as a business language means that while very useful, ICN sees cultural awareness and confidence as critical to the success of the global bound graduate. Again while useful to know, this goes far deeper than knowing when to nod or how to sit without offending a potential international partner.
It’s an old cliché,
but incredibly poignant, ‘people buy people’. It’s very much about knowing how to read and react to people…”
Arthur Wang, Deloitte China underlines the importance of a student maximising their time in the UK and building networks “Chinese students studying overseas need to use their precious time well to invest in people networking. They are entering a people business – knowledge and skills create value only if they are good at selling it to a client.”
Universities are only succeeding in developing the global graduate if they are meeting the needs of organisations operating in an ever changing and dynamic multi-national context. Different recruiters will seek different competencies – but there will also be the common factors that enable an individual to thrive across cultures. Through regular conversations between employer and university, you can help ensure that the global graduates emerging today are best placed to lead your organisations in the future. n
from Mumbai is currently on the team helping with the launch of an app in the Indian market.
The message is clear – whether you are a recruiter in the UK or overseas, the university members of the AGR will be able to support you in resourcing your global strategy.
www.agr.org.uk | Graduate Recruiter 15
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