Global thinking Going global


What does it mean to ‘go global’?


Globalisation has contributed to the internationalisation of university education, it has meant greater geographic mobility of students, and many universities now have campuses in more than one country, explains Katherine Travell, CEO, Futureboard Consulting. Within businesses it has meant mobility of employees, more cross-cultural business transactions and a squeeze on skillsets that are in demand the world over.


A


ll this has led to a definite appetite on the part of multinational employers to


move towards a model of global graduate recruitment and development.


Operating a graduate recruitment and development programme at a country specific level is demanding enough, but scaling this up to a regional or global level brings a whole new set of considerations.


We have seen a number of organisations being drawn to going ‘global’, but not being clear on what it means to them or necessarily realistic about their goals. Is a global approach about an organisation having the same careers website across each country with the same application form? Is it about roles meeting certain standards in order to qualify to be part of a graduate programme with a consistent competency framework to go alongside? Does the programme itself need to be consistent and co-ordinated centrally? Is it about deploying the same attraction or assessment techniques?


Barclays is a business striving to elevate its brand to a global level. They have ‘revolutionised’ the way they attract, develop and manage talent via their


12 00 Graduate Recruiter | www.agr.org.uk


suite of early career talent development programmes. Whether they are attracting school leavers in the UK via the ‘Life Skills’ initiative, minority groups in the US or interns in Asia Pacific, there is consistency in employer brand messaging across all of their careers sites. As a candidate, this generates the impression that regardless of whether you are applying in Singapore or the US, you are applying to an organisation that is joined up in their thinking and striving to create cultural standards that cross geographic borders. As an outsider, it looks consistent but at the same time localised to accommodate differences such as educational terminology and timing of the academic year.


We have worked with a major oil and gas company and have some insights into their achievements. An organisation with over 70,000 employees globally, recruiting hundreds of graduates in over 15 countries has meant they have taken a long-term approach to achieving global standards in relation to candidate experience, selection, assessment and on-boarding. Given the complex nature of their business, they have aimed for a “global standards with local implementation” approach, utilising a ‘centre of excellence’ for specialist toolkits, specialist research reports and wider governance to maintain standards. They have had to take a consultative approach with stakeholders to rolling out this initiative, which has had the commitment from senior business sponsors.


A leading insurance business is an example of a smaller graduate recruiter who is growing their programme with


a global strategy in mind. Recruiting across multiple regions, the business has aimed for consistency around candidate profile, regardless of the role they are looking to fill. Their objectives and process are intrinsically linked to the company’s global values, which maintain consistency throughout; from the methods of attraction to the assessment of applicants. When graduates join, the global framework continues; a graduate can expect the same induction, investment in their development and opportunity for rotations both domestic and international. Graduate employee feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with comments from the business on the international mind-set of those on the programme.


When tackling the challenges of global graduate recruitment, it is important to establish your purpose. Implementing anything at a global level is time intensive and costly so what you are trying to achieve, and why, needs to be clear.


What does ‘global’ mean to you? Is it about creating a unified employer brand? Is it about giving candidates a consistent experience through the recruitment process and programme? Is it about creating a global mind set with a geographically mobile workforce?


Global programmes are not right for everyone. However, by defining the purpose of your programme, you will work out whether a global programme is appropriate for your organisation.


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