Trust the key to candidate engagement, says Lawrence

Fri, 27 Jan 2012

Trust is key if sourcers are to successfully engage candidates when working across multiple cultures in a world where talent knows no boundaries, says Adam Lawrence, global head of sourcing at Alexander Mann Solutions in the video below:

That is also the key message that Lawrence will give in his presentation at next month’s SourceCon event in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lawrence will join some of the world’s innovative and well-known sourcing experts, who will address delegates from across the international sourcing community. Other speakers at the event, which runs from 8-10 February, include Shally Steckerl, Amybeth Hales, editor of SourceCon, and Eric Jaquith.

At the event Lawrence will explain how to build that trust in a world where cultural, economic and societal differences can make sourcing candidates internationally increasingly complex and challenging

Speaking ahead of the event, Lawrence tells Recruiter that while “a lot of technology exists to help sourcers find talent, some of the more challenging elements are how you engage with individuals”.

He continues: “The topic of trust is at the heart of it. If you can’t engage with candidates because you can’t understand them you have lost the battle or you have handicapped yourself.”

Lawrence explains that trust can be seen on different levels: governmental, corporate and individual. Rather than expect others to comply with their own norms, Lawrence says sourcers must first recognise, then acknowledge, and finally adapt to economic, cultural and societal differences.

For example, in a first meeting it is unwise to ask a candidate in China, Japan or India about salary, though this is perfectly acceptable in the US. Making this mistake not only does not build trust, but can also erode it, he says.

Don’t rush in with your western mindset, Lawrence advises. He says he has learnt this from his own experiences in opening up new markets in China, India and Japan where “I was sorely surprised by the responses that I got”.

Research the market you are going into and its culture, he advises. “There is so much information on how to work to work in different cultures and countries across the globe available on the internet.”

Any Recruiter reader wishing to attend the event should quote the following code:SC12RECRUITER to obtain a 10% discount. Bigger discounts may be available for groups. Email ryan@ere.net for more details.