Though it might sound like an overblown claim, the job market has transformed more dramatically in just the past few years than at any previous time in modern history.

Economic uncertainty has created something of a stop-start hiring environment, for example, while technological innovations like AI have added both uncertainty and opportunity to the employment landscape. Meanwhile, workplace trends like quiet quitting (and even quiet firing) have redefined what work looks like in the 2020s.

And of course, no one can forget the global health crisis that characterized the early part of the decade, forcing companies away from their offices and proving that productivity wasn’t necessarily dependent on colleagues sharing the same physical space — a mantra that many companies (but not all) have continued to embrace since.

An upshot of this location-agnostic approach to work is that borders between countries are much less of a restriction when it comes to sourcing and recruiting talent: why limit yourself to hiring within a 30-mile radius of your office (where the pool might be finite in scope) when you can theoretically hire from anywhere in the world?

Looking to break down geographical barriers and access a global pool of talent? Here are our top tips for attracting top-tier employees in an international market.

Target talent hubs, not just countries

It can be tempting to think of each country as a singular mass of people — a distinct, unified talent hub with an overriding culture and shared expectations.

But that’s a shortsighted and oversimplified view. 

Every country has its own regional ecosystems and subcultures, where work styles, cultural values, employee expectations and — most crucially — dominant skill sets differ. So instead of casting a wide net over an entire country (or countries) in your recruitment drive, you should be prepared to get a little more targeted. 

For example, Lviv in Ukraine remains a go-to tech hub in Eastern Europe, despite ongoing geopolitical challenges — so partnering with a staffing agency in Lviv could open you up to talented software engineers fluent in Java, Python, DevOps, or QA.

Similarly, Lagos in Nigeria sits at the heart of Africa’s burgeoning fintech sector, and is home to tech-focused unicorn companies like Flutterwave and Paystack. Many would-be employees in this city are highly mobile and hungry for upskilling.

The broader point is: don’t treat each country as a monolith. Berlin will have a different talent profile from Munich. Bangalore and Delhi won’t necessarily share the same values. So get specific, and target cities and micro-regions that align with your precise needs.

Offer borderless benefits

Just as a blanket approach to talent sourcing can cause you to miss valuable opportunities, a one-size-fits-all benefits model is nothing more than a one-way ticket to candidate disengagement and attrition.

A weekly Zoom “happy hour” can’t be considered a benefit in any country (so don’t attempt to sell it as one), but your actual perks — the things that really matter to potential employees — need to move in line with the values and expectations of each country you’re hiring in.

For example, if you’re hiring in the United States, health insurance is pretty much non-negotiable since the US has no universally-accessible healthcare system, while in countries like India, training stipends and certifications are considered vitally important, so be prepared to offer these. 

An Employer of Record (EOR) is essential here, because it acts as the de-facto local “employer” of your overseas talent. Using a platform like Deel (or Remote, widely considered the best Deel alternative) makes it far easier to offer tailored, localized benefits like healthcare, pension contributions and paid leave rather than catch-all programs.

Even well-intentioned perks can backfire by being irrelevant, tone-deaf, or worse still, legally noncompliant — so specific and local is the way to go.

Use competitive intelligence wisely

When it comes to assessing competitors in the market, many companies stop at salary benchmarking. But when you’re planning to hire in another country altogether, this only scratches the surface of what you need to know.

Platforms like levels.fyi allow you to dig deeper into your competitors’ talent value propositions, so you can truly understand what it takes to be competitive (or better yet, irresistible to candidates) in specific markets.

Don’t just look at how much other companies in your industry are paying in certain regions — analyze their job offers in detail.

For instance, what soft skills are they emphasizing? Are they selling flexibility, stability or a strong company “mission”? What tools and frameworks are they referencing? Are they remote-first? Do they offer 4-day weeks, “work from anywhere” benefits, or operate an asynchronous work model? 

Once you really know the landscape, you can outmaneuver the market rather than just match your competitors. 

Don’t rely on job boards alone

Sure, job boards like Welcome to the Jungle provide a great way to connect with prospective employees, but top talent doesn’t simply hang out there. If you want to court the finest global minds, you need to think a little more creatively.

Rather than simply hitting “publish” on your job ad and waiting for high-quality applications to flood in, it pays to be both proactive and persistent.  

Why not tap into international universities’ alumni networks, for example? Institutions like ETH Zurich (for engineering) or NUS in Singapore (for tech) can be goldmines of emerging talent in key markets and sectors, and by sponsoring events — or even creating scholarships — you can position your company as an attractive would-be employer to students and recent graduates.

You could also consider attending remote-first conferences and niche events. Conferences like Remote Work Summit or Web3 Summits, for example, often double as unique networking opportunities, and your presence signals that you’re serious about the future of work and the communities that drive innovation.

The lesson? Don’t limit yourself by fishing in ponds where the biggest fish don’t swim. The best candidates are building their own networks rather than passively scrolling listings, so you need to show up where they gather.
Ultimately, global hiring isn’t the same as recruiting someone from your own country. While EOR platforms make it inherently easier, recruiting and onboarding talent from overseas is nuanced — and has its unique challenges. Crucially, you must be prepared to tailor your hiring process to the norms and expectations of each country you’re hiring in. Don’t assume a general-purpose approach will cut it.