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What Multinational Companies Look Out For

Multinational companies look for candidates that fit well with their company culture, are flexible and able to adapt to changing environments. They assess leadership skills, problem solving abilities, knowledge of the company and industry, as well as communication and teamwork skills through interviews and tasks.

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24 views

What Multinational Companies Look Out For

Multinational companies look for candidates that fit well with their company culture, are flexible and able to adapt to changing environments. They assess leadership skills, problem solving abilities, knowledge of the company and industry, as well as communication and teamwork skills through interviews and tasks.

Uploaded by

writeanythingng
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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What Multinational Companies Look Out For

“I think there are more similarities than differences in the hiring process [between
indigenous companies and multinationals],” he says. “Ten years ago, hiring was all
about getting really clever people and the rest would take care of itself. Now the
process is much more nuanced, especially when it comes to how someone is going to
fit in.
“The clever bit is pretty much taken for granted and what matters is that difficult to
measure piece around how well suited the person is to the team as well as to the job.
What you’re trying to avoid is having someone who is very talented but is constantly
pulling in the wrong direction.”
Xilinx has been in Ireland since 1995 and employs 350 people at its facility in
Citywest. Libby Gribben is head of HR for the company here.
“Fit is definitely very important, as is the ability to collaborate,” she says. “Another
key attribute we look for is flexibility because the pace of change is so fast. We need
people who can adapt and are forward thinking.”
Xilinx’s selection process is based around six foundational competencies and it does
not use psychometric testing. The competencies include effective communication,
teamwork, external focus and ownership and accountability.
“In practical terms, competence means being able to demonstrate a skill,” Gribben
says. “Under teamwork we want people to show us concrete examples of how they
collaborated with others. As they are likely to be working with different nationalities
and in global teams, we also rate effective communication skills very highly.

Work experience
“If someone can show work experience in the US with a tech company, for example,
that tells us they are mobile, they have worked as part of a team and are familiar
with how US companies operate.

Learn more

“We also need people to demonstrate an awareness of what’s going on both in the IT
sector and the general business environment. They need to show familiarity with
what we do, our competitors, the economy and what’s happening in the world that
might affect our business.”
Google gets over two million job applications worldwide a year and its hiring
emphasis is on getting the right fit. The company does not use any form of
psychological testing, but those applying for technical posts may be given a task to
complete.
“We are looking for people who are going to have a long and successful career with
the company,” says Jane Weighton, head of staffing programmes for EMEA at
Google. “The working environment here is rapidly changing. As we grow and
continue to invest in new technologies and regions, we need adaptable candidates
who meet our core criteria.

Four criteria
“We assess all candidates on the same four criteria – leadership, right fit for the
company and the role, role-related knowledge and problem-solving ability. How we
look at how someone meets the criteria will vary according to the role. With a
university graduate, for example, it might be more about assessing their passion for
the online industry.
“Our recruitment process comprises a first conversation with a recruiter, a
telephone interview of up to 45 minutes and three or four on-site interviews with
their prospective team. We hire by consensus. No one person has the overall say.”
Weighton advises anyone interested in working for Google to log on to its job portal
where there is a lot of information, including YouTube videos on preparing for an
interview.
Medical device group Boston Scientific employs more than 3,000 at its facility in
Galway. It HR director is Elaine Boyd. She says the ability to thrive in a fast-paced
multi-matrix environment is crucial.
“We are a high performance-oriented company and the speed at which we work is
not for everyone. We tend to hire based on attitude and cultural fit assuming the
person already has the functional competency required.

Behaviours
“We have a number of competencies and behaviours we look for depending on the
role. For a managerial position, this would include how someone shows respect for
the people they manage, how they engage and communicate and how they make
decisions that affect other people.”
Boyd says the company is primarily looking for well-rounded people with relevant
experience and the expertise to do the job. Also important is a willingness to get
involved in the company’s other activities such as its active CSR programmes.
Boston believes in promoting from within and aims to fill 70 per cent of roles in-
house. “In a company of our size, there are many opportunities to broaden your
knowledge and work towards a more senior position. One of our most recently
appointed global VPs started here as a technician,” Boyd says.

What multinationals look for when hiring?

– A good fit with the organisation’s culture.


– Flexibility, adaptability, forward thinking.
– Good problem-solving abilities.
– Good communication skills.
– Ability to work in a team.
– Knowledge of the company and its products/services.
– Awareness of the wider business environment.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/so-what-do-multinationals-look-for-when-hiring-new-
recruits-1.3052791

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