Choosing the right profile for an expatriation is not always easy, as there are many factors to consider.

Hearing about globalization these days is nothing new; it’s a phenomenon that has been occurring since the arrival of the internet and companies’ interest in broadening their horizons and expanding into other markets.

Globalization also gives rise to global mobility, which not only involves companies establishing themselves in other cities or countries, but also bringing with them their most important resource: human labor.

However, choosing the right profile for this task is not always easy, as there are many factors to consider, in addition to those previously believed. Nowadays, it’s not enough to simply assess an employee’s years of seniority and experience; there are many more skills that human resources departments sometimes overlook.

During an expatriation process, two or more cultures will always come into contact, which can lead to confrontation rather than understanding. This phenomenon is described as culture shock and occurs when a person moves from a familiar culture to an unfamiliar one. This often results in confusion and anxiety for those experiencing it, and can even lead to resistance to change due to having to adapt to an unfamiliar social environment or a foreign language.

One of the most important challenges for human resources during expatriations is the ability to identify the most suitable profile for international assignments. Those who not only have the required knowledge but also possess a certain degree of cultural intelligence.

Cultural intelligence is the ability to understand, accept, and adapt to unfamiliar environments. Experts assure that we all possess this type of intelligence, although some are more developed than others. Ignoring cultural differences or not knowing how to manage them can make an expatriation unsuccessful.

The first thing we recommend is to thoroughly understand the host culture, as through its customs, experiences, beliefs, and rules we can understand how its people interact. Knowing the culture will also provide a better understanding of why its people think or act in certain ways.

To minimize this impact as much as possible, many companies choose to integrate intercultural training into their relocation packages, which provide a comprehensive view of the culture of the country to which the transfer is made.

Although it may seem obvious, sometimes expatriations occur without the assignee having complete command of the language of the host country, or even English, which is considered a global language.

It is important that, in addition to taking technical skills into consideration, the employee’s ability to communicate effectively in the host country is also assessed.
A high capacity for adaptation plays a crucial role, as it largely determines the success of the assignment and the employee’s future attitude toward accepting the environment and differences they will face.

Today, the challenge for human resources departments is ever greater, as when selecting talent for internationalization, they must evaluate more than just technical skills.