From IT specialists to CNC operators, companies in Estonia from a wide variety of sectors are becoming more international, looking outside Estonia’s borders to hire the much-needed talent.
Hiring specialists from abroad is becoming a more usual practice in Estonian companies. Whether it is to bolster innovation, creating export possibilities to new markets or simply not finding a suitable candidate from the local labour market, recruiting internationals is definitely one of the main options for companies to consider when growing their teams. Nonetheless, hiring specialists from abroad may present some challenges, especially for those companies that have not done it before or have less experience in this area.
This is why the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with Work in Estonia, organize Foreign Recruitment Meetings. Approximately every month a meeting takes place at a different location, where the host company introduces its own experience in international recruitment, why do they do it and how they do it. Seminar participants, from HR managers and recruiters to CEOs, get first-hand experiences on the best practices on international recruitment and have a chance to ask any questions in a relaxed environment.
Because each company is different in its own culture, goals and ways of operating, foreign recruitment can also have many differences – which is why we try to share the perspectives of companies that operate in different industries, from IT software development to industrial production. During the first half of 2018, companies such as Helmes and Saku Metall have shared their experiences:
For Helmes hiring from abroad means a wider talent pool – ‘I actually felt really lucky because the market where you could look for people and applicants was a lot bigger than just Estonia ‘, which is why they have such a multicultural workforce.
For Saku Metall, the first experiences were challenging – ‘Explaining to them [workers] what they have to do, and how to do it, and in what order which documents they need to put together was a pretty big challenge in itself’ , nevertheless they now have clear processes and places where to get help. ‘I only have great words about the Police and Border Guard Board, their migration advisors have been really helpful’.
We have also created short videos that quickly present the perspectives of the host companies towards foreign recruitment – so you can review some of the ideas that were discussed during the previous seminars. In the meantime, you can sign up for the next seminar:
- Vitalfields 12.06.2018 from 15:00-17-00. Please register yourself here:: https://www.koda.ee/et/sundmused/vitalfieldsi-kulastus
We are planning to continue with new meetings during autumn. Whether you want to share your experience, or learn from others, feel free to get in touch with us!
