Placement consultants for overseas jobs execute many of the same functions as their domestic counterparts. They work with clients to establish hiring needs, qualification requirements, and compensation packages. They use that information to advertise for and screen appropriate candidates and arrange for virtual and in-person interviews. Most reputable consultants are paid by the hiring company rather than the employee. They may be self-employed or may work for placement services.
Before they can begin to recruit workers, placement consultants for overseas jobs must work with client companies to uncover staffing needs. If the placement consultant is independent, this might include sales and marketing activities to gain employer clients. Large placement firms often have sales staffs that assume this responsibility.
Once the client is in place, the consultant discusses open positions along with mandatory and preferred qualifications. Such qualifications can include education, experience, and specific skills such as craft or technology abilities. Clients may require that overseas candidates speak the native language of the employer company and may require other language fluencies as well. Consultants also ask about job duties and compensation.
When all job parameters are identified, placement consultants for overseas jobs create comprehensive job descriptions that can be used to recruit candidates. They may place ads on job boards and may also circulate the descriptions throughout a network of contacts such as universities, career centers, and private individuals. As candidates respond to the job posting, the consultant reviews submission documents such as resumes and letters of interest, compares the candidates' qualifications with the job requirements, and creates a short list of individuals to interview.
In most cases, placement consultants for overseas jobs conduct the first round of candidate interviews themselves. This may occur on the phone, over the Internet, or in person. Consultants generally have a list of questions designed to identify the most promising candidates. Questions often focus on education and experience but may also be intended to identify why the individual wants to work overseas and if he or she is truly prepared to do so.
Resumes of best-fit candidates are then submitted to the client company for review. Placement consultants for overseas jobs may also submit notes from their own interviews or recommendations based on those conversations. They then set up virtual or in-person interviews between the top candidates and the employer. Once the client selects a final candidate, the consultant may prepare and present the offer of employment, participate in salary or other negotiations between the parties, and facilitate any preemployment testing or reference checking required by the client. The consultant's job usually ends when the employee actually begins work.
