Hiring internationally opens up new workforce markets and talent pools. You gain access to experts from all over the world when your hiring capabilities expand. However, one of the most common challenges of international hiring is comparing resumes.
In other countries, different certifications, educational histories, and even the titles of familiar roles are different. How can you compare qualifications between candidates from different countries? As an experienced EOR service, BrightR can provide you with a handy CV translation guide to help you when comparing resumes.
Years of Learning/Training
The first thing you should do when comparing resumes is to evaluate education and certification courses in terms of training years. How much time has each candidate focused on training the skills you are looking for? While the credentialing systems and degrees might be different, time spent training can provide you with a one-to-one metric for comparison.
Years of Hands-On Experience
The same can be said about work experience or hands-on experience using the skills. Job titles and experience notation methods may vary. However, you can add up the months and years that candidates have spent actively using the skills you desire.
Consider a combination of personal projects entrepreneurial efforts, camps, competitions, and years in professional roles that use the relevant skills.
Researching Role Equivalents by Responsibility
Applicants from other countries may have listed roles that are unfamiliar. However, the role itself may be named in another language, or the translation doesn’t match the role’s name in your home country.
Do your research when comparing resumes. Determine how each role compares in terms of responsibilities. What tasks are involved in each role? What skills and duties did the employee perform during those professional years? This will help you compare international work histories with more clarity.
Comparing What Credentials Really Certify
From there, you want to determine the weight behind specific credentials. As you may already know, some certifications and licenses may represent greater capabilities than college degrees. Some degrees are more powerful than others of a similar name. Each one represents a person’s true capabilities, but you may not have the context to know which credentials are the most prestigious.
Determine what each listed credential certifies: The skills and performance required to achieve each credential. This will provide insight into each candidate’s accomplishments and their proven ability to perform based on their certifications, degrees, licenses, and international equivalents.
Skill Testing
When you have a list of highly qualified candidates with comparable capabilities, a skill test is a great way to determine their capabilities. Automated cloud-based tests and activity platforms can give you additional perspective on how international candidates will perform on the job.
Tips:
- Remember to choose tests that reflect the work, not specific educational standards taught in your country. This is a common problem in tech between college-educated vs. self-taught technicians.
- Consider crafting custom tasks and scenario questions that recreate job-related challenges as part of an interactive interview process instead of relying on timed tests and academic puzzles.
- Do not ask for work product. A common pitfall of interview testing is asking candidates to give you live work samples which could qualify as unpaid labor.
Hiring Evaluation Systems That Translate Across Countries
The key to international hiring is to create candidate evaluation standards that translate well between applicants of different locations and origins. After all, you’re looking for professional skills and capabilities. Exact credentials and previous job titles are just a way to translate those skills in a scannable way.
By understanding the experience and abilities behind credentials and work history, you can effectively start comparing resumes and determine who will be the best new additions to your team.
If you are looking to hire new talent in Canada, BrightR is your EOR of choice. We can help you source valuable talent and act as your HR liaison within Canadian borders. Contact us today to learn more.
