12 tips for employers hiring for the same role in multiple locations

Hiring for the same role across multiple locations can be a daunting task. To help employers navigate this challenge, twelve experts, including CEOs and Talent Acquisition Managers, share their best tips from forging relationships with educational institutions to understanding the cultural norms of hiring locations.

Forge Relationships with Educational Institutions

I’d recommend establishing relationships with colleges and universities in the areas you are hiring, which have the programs to develop students for the roles you are hiring for. It will take time, but the goal is to create a talent pipeline to funnel students to your company. 

Attend career fairs on campus and applicable club events, build connections with professors, and get directly into classrooms for presentations. Furthermore, utilize alumni who already work in your organization and reward employee referrals.

Mathew Fox, Talent Acquisition Manager

Establish Strong Local Networks

Establish strong local networks by connecting with community groups and educational organizations in each target location. Creating these alliances enables employers to tap into a local talent pool, facilitating the hiring of candidates with pre-existing community ties and relevant regional knowledge.

This strategy not only streamlines the recruitment process but also enhances staff retention, as employees with community roots often have a stronger commitment to their locale. Moreover, such partnerships demonstrate an employer’s investment in the local area’s prosperity, which can boost the company’s image and employer brand.

Nuria Requena, Talent Acquisition Manager, Spacelift

Utilize LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator

Tools like LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator are beneficial. As a hiring manager, I prefer passive recruitment, where I reach out to people who are not actively looking for a job or who are currently employed. 

Sales Navigator allows me to search for people based on their position. It also provides a filter for location, enabling different searches for each required location. There are many ways to use this tool. It’s possible to search by previous and current company and years of experience. It can be used to narrow down your search depending on your requirements.

Mark Damsgaard, Founder, Global Residence Index

Combine Centralization with Local Customization

You should centralize your recruitment process while allowing for local customization when you are hiring for the same role across dozens of locations. Develop a standardized job description as well as a list of credentials, but don’t forget to consider the specific requirements of each location. Work together with the local managers or regional representatives to make sure the function is tailored to meet the requirements of the relevant market.

By using a combination of centralization and localization, recruiting criteria can be made more consistent while yet being able to accommodate regional differences. If you are in the business of installing pools, taking this method will not only help you streamline the recruitment process but will also assist you in finding people who are the ideal fit for each of your locations.

Jerry Theobald, CEO and Owner, AZ’s Best Pool Service & Repair LLC

Create Separate Job Ads per Location

I’ve seen a lot of companies use the same job ad when hiring for multiple locations. This single ad has all the locations listed. However, the recruiters have to go through each application and separate them according to location. This is a tedious process that can waste a lot of time and money. Instead, I suggest making separate job ads for each location. This is easy enough to do on platforms like LinkedIn and College Recruiter.

John Hughes, CEO and President, ElectricianShield

Embrace Automation in Recruitment

Multi-location hiring is a challenging process, but you can simplify it by automating some tasks. This will allow you to reduce the time to hire and relieve location managers of manual work. 

Also, it can help avoid unwanted turnover. To do this, you can use recruitment software. For instance, College Recruiter, WizeHire, and ZipRecruiter are some good options. Using software can not only help you streamline your job postings but also offer evaluation and onboarding tools.

Jasen Edwards, Licensed Real Estate Agent and Coach, Agent Advice

Standardize Job Descriptions Across Locations

It’s critical to streamline the process and ensure consistency and quality across all hires. One way to do this is to create a clear and comprehensive job description that can be standardized across all locations, ensuring it aligns with company-wide roles and responsibilities while allowing for local adjustments as necessary.

Kelli Anderson, Career Coach, Resume Seed

Consider Location-Based Compensation Packages

Unlike hiring in the same location, you will need to consider the possibility that employees from different locations will have vastly different expectations for compensation packages. 

For example, an applicant in London may balk at anything under $50k USD, but someone in a rural area may find that rate wildly attractive. Hiring across different locations, especially for remote roles, will require you to opt for higher rates across the board, or else you will need to invest more resources upfront to create custom compensation packages according to location. Both approaches are viable!

Nihan Çolak Erol, COO, Wingie

Adopt Virtual Interviewing Techniques

With the rise of remote work and digital communication, it has become increasingly easier to conduct interviews with candidates from different locations. Employers should embrace this technology and utilize virtual interviewing techniques, such as video calls or online assessments, to efficiently screen potential candidates for the role. This will save time and resources while also allowing for a more diverse pool of candidates to be considered. 

Additionally, virtual interviews can give employers a better sense of a candidate’s communication skills and adaptability, which are important qualities in today’s globalized workforce. By utilizing modern technology and virtual interviewing techniques, employers can streamline the hiring process and find the best-suited candidates for their roles in multiple locations.

Zach Shelley, Founder and CEO, A-List Properties

Implement Standardized Hiring Process

I emphasize the importance of a standardized hiring process. Use a consistent job description, but tailor the cultural or location-specific nuances as needed. Implement a centralized tracking system, like an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), to monitor applications. And crucially, invest in local recruitment partnerships or platforms specific to each region; they provide invaluable insights and access to localized talent pools. Uniformity with flexibility is key.

Ranee Zhang, VP of Growth, Airgram

Leverage Free Job Boards and Forums

An often-underrated strategy is taking to free job boards and forums to target candidates with the right expertise in the location you’re looking for. Platforms like Reddit have various niche subreddits catering to specialized expertise and technical roles. Engaging in these forums allows you to directly connect with candidates who possess the specific skills you’re seeking. And don’t forget about leveraging industry-specific associations and groups. 

Many professional organizations like Dice and GitHub Jobs have online job boards or forums where members actively participate. This not only broadens your reach but also ensures that you’re connecting with candidates who are already invested in and knowledgeable about the industry.

Riley Beam, Managing Attorney, Douglas R. Beam, P.A.

Understand Cultural Norms of Hiring Locations

Your employees in different regions will act differently. Understand that the locations you are hiring for have different cultures and norms. Treat each place you are hiring from differently. 

Often, it is better to hire local employees, as they will understand the people in that place. It is better to hire someone who understands your customer. What seems like “the right way to do things” may not be universal. Whether it’s the way you greet the customer or how you market to them, there will be differences. Likewise, your employee will behave differently based on the norms of their culture. This may be exactly what makes them the best fit for the role.

James Owen, Co-Founder and Director, Click Intelligence