​In recent years there has been a significant shift in the employer/candidate dynamic that has seen potential employees take more control of the hiring process. A shift that has also seen employers somewhat restricted in what they can ask a candidate in the interview process. 

And while this has resulted in employers often focusing more on talent and experience as opposed to a candidate’s personal circumstances, it has also placed recruiters in something of a quandary. 

You see, to fully understand if a candidate is suitable for a role, a recruiter needs to know certain things before they can put them forward for consideration. 

And we’re not talking about skills, experience, or education — after all, those details are right there on a candidate’s resume. 

We’re talking about those personal details that aren’t really related to a candidate’s skills but that could nevertheless impact their chances of successfully taking up a role. This is particularly true of overseas candidates who will need to relocate. 

So with that in mind, we’ve listed a few things that you might consider discussing with your recruiter if you’re planning to apply for a position overseas. 

Do you live with your partner?

Okay, so you’re probably wondering what on Earth does a candidate’s living arrangements have to do with a new role? 

It’s a good question because it really shouldn’t affect their ability to do the job, right?

For local hiring, this isn’t really something that a recruiter will worry too much about. But for recruiters who interview overseas candidates like we do here at Software Placements, it’s a very necessary question. 

This is because an overseas move is a very big deal and we need to know that if a candidate is attached, their partner is on board with the potential move. 

We have had instances in the past where a candidate has gone through the entire interview process and received an offer only to turn it down as their partner wasn’t interested in moving to Ireland. 

Needless to say, taking things that far only to turn down an offer for family reasons doesn’t reflect too well on the candidate. It suggests that they didn’t really take the application process seriously enough and that fact alone could very well affect their future prospects with the same employer or the recruiter in question. 

So if you’re applying for a role that involves a great deal of travel or a move overseas, then it’s probably a good idea to let your recruiter know that your partner or family are on the same page with regards to relocating. 

Your out-of-hours availability

In some cases, asking a candidate’s availability at the weekend can be considered an invasion of privacy. It could lead to questions about family, religion, or personal commitments that should have nothing to do with your ability to fulfill a role. Fair enough.

However, for some roles, out-of-hours availability is a genuine requirement. This could be for overtime, attending work-related events, or working on time-sensitive projects. 

A good recruiter will make sure that any job description will highlight the need for such availability, but even so, you should still ask about the need for out-of-hours attendance. Particularly if it’s something that you can’t do. 

Oh, and be honest. If you can’t or don’t want to work weekends, just tell your recruiter. There’s no point in wasting your own time or that of the recruiter.

Your citizenship

As we all know only too well, a person’s nationality, race, or colour should have no bearing on their chances of employment. So before you jump to any conclusions, just hear us out. 

As we mentioned earlier when we spoke of living arrangements, this is of absolutely no concern to a recruiter or employer who is hiring local talent. 

However, as you may know, we’re now in the midst of a global talent shortage. By 2030 the shortage across all sectors could reach a staggering 85.2 million people. This means that more and more employers are looking overseas to find the best and most suitable talent for upcoming vacancies. 

But what does this have to do with citizenship? Well, if an employer is hiring from overseas, it’s understandable that they’ll need to know their legal obligations with regards to work visas and any required sponsorship. 

While the recruiter will no doubt know where a candidate is located, their citizenship status is private information that no candidate will put on their resume. 

So if you find yourself applying for an overseas role, it could speed up the process if you let the recruiter know your nationality. 

Again, we’ll just remind you that the reason for doing this is purely so a recruiter and employer will have a better understanding of their legal obligations and how long any application process will take. 

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We’ll just point out that as a candidate, you are under no legal obligation to offer the information we’ve listed above. But as recruiters of overseas talent, we understand only too well that this information can really help speed up the hiring process a great deal. 

The truth is that recruiters and employers these days really don’t care where you are from or what your marital status is. All they care about is that you are the right person for the job. But trust us when we say that giving your recruiter as much information as you can will help you in the long run. 

If you’re looking for a new challenge and would like to know what kind of opportunities are available here in Ireland, then go ahead and get in touch with us today. 

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