Expanding business: Meet America

Expanding business: Meet America
Mon, 22 Feb 2016 | Lee Biggins

FROM MARCH 2016'S RECRUITER MAGAZINE

In the world of recruitment, the challenges posed by international borders need to be tackled head-on as both businesses and workers increasingly look overseas for their next opportunity.

At CV-Library we recently launched a US brand, Resume-Library, in the first step toward becoming a global business. Aiming to open up opportunities for our clients and candidates in the US, our first venture into international business relations has come with its own unique challenges.

The idea you can create a carbon copy of a UK business and make it a success anywhere else in the world is wrong. Here’s what you need to know about taking a business global, and tackling recruitment in the US.

International expansion
Be honest about your history: Looking back on CV-Library’s launch, my biggest regret was around the specialist programming language we used to build the website. So instead of copying it for Resume-Library, we started from scratch with a more commonly used language. Putting this historical ‘lesson learnt’ into action was critical in deciding how to get started with the US brand.

Consider the cultures: The US seems a natural choice when expanding from the UK, mainly down to the relative lack of language barriers. But speaking the same language and understanding cultural nuances aren’t the same thing. What’s more, researching and understanding the market won’t make a lick of difference if you’re indifferent to cultural disparities. Due diligence in this area is essential to building up a reputable brand overseas.

Use what you have: Being successful in the UK is no small feat — use the knowledge, experience and the network you have built up in the UK to support your international expansion. There’s power in harnessing the knowledge of your team, and sharing that across international borders. Having proven experience behind the launch of a new brand can make or break its success.

Recruitment in the US
Understand the industry’s history: While recruitment agencies and online job boards are the norm in the UK, it’s a different story in the US. Speaking to candidates, we’ve uncovered that many job hunters have had negative experiences with job sites in the past, creating a huge obstacle to overcome for Resume-Library. Understanding the industry’s local history and bringing something fresh to the table is key when looking to expand internationally.

Cultural differences? Start with the details: Americanisms! There’s more than spelling changes to consider — there’s a different tone of voice, different meaning for common words and a big one that’s easy to forget: there’s more than one language. If you’re joining the recruitment game in the US, you should: have Spanish-speaking experts to hand; be clear about which time zone you’re working on; and have American linguistics down! These seemingly small details are very important.

Add some pizzazz: When venturing into the US, having the knowledge isn’t always enough — a bit of a sparkle is needed too. But it’s also important to strike the right balance. At the end of the day, the culture is different, and you simply need to be aware of how business operates in the US.

Every region of the UK has its own unique characteristics, so imagine the anomalies across the 50 US states. Immerse yourself in the culture, bring in experts and adapt your existing practices to take your business across international borders. It may not be easy, but it’s certainly exciting.

On a final note, as a business leader looking to grow and expand, it’s important that your current business is in a strong position, and that you’re prepared to let go of some control. Invest time in developing a senior management team that you trust entirely — you’ll have to step back from the day-to-day details of the business for a while as you focus on expanding, so you must be confident that things will keep going in the right direction when you’re away
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Lee Biggins is founder and managing director of CV-Library

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