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Unit 5: Recruitment and Selection for International Assignments

Self Assessment Notes

Fill in the blanks:
6. PCNs may be the best people for the job because of special skills and ………..
7. Adaptation to ………. country may take a long time for PCNs.

8. Language and other barriers are eliminated for ……….
9. ………. is the process by which the organisation chooses from among the applicants,
people who are perceived to best meet the job requirements.

10. An emerging trend is the use of foreign-born nationals, recruiting from …….. groups
living abroad.

5.3 Selection Criteria

Selection is a two-way process between the individual and the organisation. A prospective
candidate may reject the expatriate assignment, either for individual reasons, such as family
considerations, or for situational factors, such as the perceived toughness of a particular culture.
The factors involved in expatriate selection, both in terms of the individual and the specifics of
the situation concerned are as follows:

1. Technical Ability: Technical and managerial skills are an essential criterion for selection.
U.S. companies seem to focus their selection efforts on one single criterion – that of
technical competence – despite the importance of all the other criteria co-related to
interaction successes.
Reinforcing the emphasis on technical skills is the relative ease with which the multinational
can assess the potential candidate’s potential, since technical and managerial competence
can be determined on the basis of past performance. Since expatriates are usually internal
recruits’ personnel evaluation records can be examined and checked with the candidate’s
past and present superiors.

Figure 5.1: Factors in Expatriate Selection

2. Cross-cultural Suitability: The cultural environment in which expatriates operate is an
important factor in determining successful performance. Apart from the technical ability
and managerial skills, expatriates require cross-cultural abilities that enable the person to
operate in a new environmental. These include: cultural empathy, adaptability, diplomacy,
language ability, positive attitude, emotional stability, and maturity.

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