Staffing in Europe: Cultural Differences Affecting the Hiring Process

Cultural differences play an important role when hiring candidates from different regions. Therefore, it is essential to understand and consider those differences for the optimal onboarding experience of candidates belonging to different countries. Understanding these differences makes the staffing process more powerful and boosts the success rate of hiring candidates.

Understanding Different Work Cultures

Let’s talk about Europe. Out of 51 countries in the continent, each country follows a different culture. 28 countries out of these belong to the European Union where people also work on out-of-office premises. Now, hiring the right candidate for the right job is not an easy process in a culturally diversified continent like this as each country has its own job board with different expectations from the candidate. If you use the same approach for all candidates in all countries, it is difficult to achieve maximum results.

Belgians expect to meet the manager level of a person from a company during their interview. While the Dutch believe in keeping in touch with the person that had interviewed them first throughout the entire interview process.

The cultural differences between candidates also influence what information they give during the job interview. In Scandinavia, applicants even put the name of their pet or children on their CV, whereas candidates in Germany are much more formal and send a whole bundle of information,” says Jolie den Boer, APV recruitment Continental Europe & Africa at Cognizant.

Cultural Norms Influence Power Distance

Due to different cultures and histories, candidates in Europe carry different values and beliefs. So, when we analyze the belief for power distance in different zones of European countries, people in the southern and eastern regions follow a high level of power distance among the employees in the company. This means organizations operating in this region will have a minute level of the hierarchy. Employees in this region have to rely on the decision of the boss before moving ahead with any assignment.

In the Netherlands and Sweden, there is a lower power distance. Everyone in the organization is approachable and there is an informal atmosphere on the floor.

According to the international study by The Global Talent Acquisition Monitor, in countries with high power distance, such as Slovenia or the Czech Republic, or Slovakia, over 63% of people will carry out any assignment without asking any questions. Whereas, Northern and Western European countries emphasize a flat hierarchy in the workplace and therefore employees ask questions without any hesitation.

Wrapping Up/Concluding…

From the above insights, we can conclude that there are two ways to hire the right candidate for the right job.
● Be versatile and well-acquainted with different cultures of European countries
● Partner with staffing solution provider and hire candidates based on temporary, permanent, or software factory setup staffing.

Want to hire the right candidates that fit best your job description? We Are Here for You!

At TecBridge (A Gateway Group Company), we suggest you with professionals who have experience of working exclusively with European clients. It helps them to cope with the work culture of all European countries and understand different aspects of business dealings with ease. Collaborate with us and get the right workforce for your next project! For more information, visit www.tec-bridge.com.