Out of the office: Why field work is crucial for recruiters

The aid community in Malawi is tight-knit, Amanda Schwartz, Deloitte’s senior recruiter for emerging markets, recently learned while traveling. In search of an energy specialist, Schwartz placed advertisements in local newspapers that were most likely to be read by the specialist she needed to find — a well-known recruitment method in many developing countries. But after a few days, it seemed word of mouth took over as the catalyst for finding potential hires. “These are small communities where everyone is sharing information with one another,” Schwartz told Devex. “They are so tightly knit that word travels not only about projects coming in and about jobs, but also about reputations.” Schwartz said there are clear benefits to visiting the country where a development project is being planned — a notion that other recruiters and human resources experts share. Not only does it allow the recruiter to speak with high-level officials and get their take on who has done what and who would be successful where, but utilizing the most appropriate local means of recruiting, which is often done at the proposal stage, can be equally important. Even in the age of Skype, online platforms like Devex Video Interviewing and candidate tracking systems like DevHire, there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings. How to find the best local staff Given the current trend of including a maximum of just one or two expats on a proposal, local recruitment and best practices to find the best local staff remain hot topics within HR circles and beyond. When recruitment begins at the proposal stage, organizations often send out a capture team to assess the situation on the ground and vet local partners and experts. And although someone is usually assigned to lead the field recruitment, mistakes can happen if that person is not properly trained or focused on staffing. “Oftentimes, we send managers to the field to start loading a proposal effort, but in between the technical design and partnering, recruitment falls off,” Kathryn Erskine, talent acquisition manager for Creative Associates, told Devex. It doesn’t have to be a recruiter, but someone assigned only to recruitment should be part of a capture team or a live proposal development team, she said. Having dedicated recruiters in-country allows them to adapt to the most relevant recruiting means in that particular country. “If we are going to hire only locals, which is not unusual, we are only going to recruit locally, meaning we most likely won’t post on an online jobs board,” explained Erskine. “We’re going to find out while we’re on the ground the best places to post. Sometimes it’s a newspaper that you have to walk your handwritten ad to.” Adapt to each different reality People are better connected than ever before, said Leland Howard, a senior recruiter with Abt Associates. “There was a time when someone in rural Nigeria didn’t have access to the Internet, and there still are places, but that’s changing quickly, too,” he added. Howard recently returned from a recruiting trip to Nigeria where online job boards provided a wealth of qualified candidates. But methods always depend on where you are and getting a sense of what resource is going to be seen by your preferred audience. It might be a billboard, according to Jackie Oddoye, a recruitment consultant for Creative Associates. Or maybe a radio spot, suggested Inga Feldi, who recruits in Africa for DAI. The type of advertisement depends on the assignment and country. The measure for success can vary, too. If she ran an advertisement for $500 a day for five days and found two great candidates for chief of party, Robinson said she would consider it a success. The same goes for a $500-a-day ad that brings in 20 skilled local specialists in a country where Robinson hopes to win work in the near future. “But if I get 20 great candidates for one position and no more work in the future, then we probably paid too much,” Robinson added. Recruiting in the field The consensus among international development recruiters is that you’re losing out on an entire network of talent if you’re only searching through the computer or interviewing over the phone. When preparing your field trip, it’s important to determine the best use of your time. That usually means leveraging existing connections and setting up as many meetings as possible in advance, said Lisa Robinson, a talent acquisition, business and proposal development consultant based in Indonesia. If possible, Robinson places advertisements in the area she’s traveling prior to her arrival in order to review CVs and be able to spend as much of her three days or so on the ground meeting and vetting candidates in person. “If you are on the ground, you’re able to travel to different communities where people with certain technical backgrounds would be,” Oddoye said. “You’re able to meet with technical organizations that do the type of work you’re looking for, and they can refer you to others.” A recruiter may visit other aid projects in the region to solicit staff referrals or — if a project is about to end — consider some of the experts for upcoming assignments. This can all be orchestrated from headquarters, where you can scan and review CVs and set up interviews remotely. But recruiters from Creative Associates and other international development groups say they prefer to set up in-person interviews, perhaps at the hotel the recruiter stays at. Those face-to-face conversations make it easier to walk candidates through paperwork and engage on important questions, a process that can be unnecessarily time-consuming over Skype or email, according to Erskine. Visiting recruiters can seal a deal The trend for international development organizations to “go local” increases career opportunities for qualified local residents. For recruiters, it also intensifies the competition for talent. That’s why a visit from a recruiter can help seal the deal if a candidate ends up with multiple offers. “If you want an exclusive agreement, they are going to go with the person they have the personal relationship with,” said Erskine. “You have the much better ability to sign people that you wouldn’t have over the phone.” And at the end of the day, traveling to host countries has other fringe benefits for recruiters. “I love going to do local recruits,” said Schwartz, who travels abroad several times a year. “It’s not just a technical interview and then goodbye, it’s, ‘Why don’t you come to my family’s home for dinner tonight?’ I learn a lot about their culture.” That added knowledge, too, can help a grant proposal or bid succeed. Please leave a comment below, tweet @devexcareers or join the Devex LinkedIn group for recruiters.