How to Attract Talent Across Different Geographies

One of the key components of effectively designing and delivering on your employee value proposition (EVP) globally is segmentation. It goes without saying that employees in different parts of the world want different things from a job. However, our research shows that there are in fact seven attributes that are essential for every major talent segment.

The things that almost all job seekers value, regardless of geography, age band, or other demographic differences, are:

• Future career opportunities
• A culture of respect
• High quality managers
• Compensation
• Organizational stability
• Development opportunities
• A collegial work environment

You’ll notice that a strong company brand is not on that list. You don’t necessarily need high compensation and a global brand to attract the right talent. In fact, development opportunities, job-interests alignment, respect, and people management are as effective or more effective in bringing people to your company, and keeping them there.

It’s unlikely that your company can honestly include all seven of these attributes in your EVP. However, consider this list and ask yourself these questions:

• Which attributes are consistent with our organization’s strategic objectives?
• How capable are we of delivering each attribute?
• How much will it cost to improve our delivery of each attribute?
• How well do our labor-market competitors deliver each attribute?

How to segment – vary across geographies
When looking at the large global talent pool, it can be daunting to think about segmenting your EVP across geography, level, age, function, gender, and ethnicity – to name some of the more common segments. And a “one size fits all” EVP can lead to missed opportunities. Therefore it is critical to segment where the preferences differ substantially. Our research shows that geographic segmentation is most critical and gives you the highest return.

Here are some tips for segmenting across two of the most important talent markets:

• Segmenting for India. The Indian labor market will happily trade-off compensation for the opportunity to work at an innovative, high-growth company. Your EVP in India should focus on the company’s market position, a culture of innovation, and growth opportunities for the individual and the company. Additionally, in communicating the EVP, organizations should leverage channels that candidates in the Indian labor market turn to, such as printed media and the organization’s own web site.

• Segmenting for China. The local talent market in China is becoming increasingly crowded with multinationals looking for the best and the brightest. Therefore, it’s critical for organizations to understand what Chinese employees want and find ways to differentiate themselves. The Chinese labor market places a premium on development opportunities and benefits. Your EVP in China should focus on health benefits and opportunities for career and personal development. When marketing your EVP, use the channels that are highly trusted by the Chinese labor market. In contrast to India, this means less focus on printed communication and greater use of interpersonal channels and networks.

A word of caution – the next post in this series will address some of the pitfalls organizations face when executing on their EVP, including over-segmentation. Organizations with too many segment-level employment value propositions risk being perceived as inconsistent in their delivery of the EVP. Successful organizations develop a brand management infrastructure to guide trade-offs between global consistency and segment-specific customization.

Also read Part 1 – Attracting Global Talent, Part 3 – Avoid Common Pitfalls when Marketing Your Company to Global Talent, and Part 4 – The Role Your Employees Play in Attracting New Talent