Bringing international talent to the Nordics

As Nordic companies scale, they will inevitably have to look outside of the region to bring in the talent they need for the next stage of growth, whether to build out leadership capabilities or inject more of a global perspective.

Here are our top ten tips for attracting international talent, and (most importantly) retaining these key hires.

1. Be clear on your company’s mission. Internationally mobile talent are usually outgoing, adventuring types who will be attracted by a company’s mission and the potential for them to drive its international ambitions.
2. Avoid ambiguity. Be clear in what you need this hire to do, rather than just a vague desire to “be more international”. Outline how you think the candidate’s specific skills can be leveraged for future success.
3. Family matters. Your potential hire’s partner and children will be pivotal in their decision to move and will need to be convinced from the outset.
4. Education, education, education. Don’t leave decisions around schools as an afterthought. Instead, suggest options early as a selling point and help candidates find schools (international ones are often preferred).
5. Work life balance. Life in the Nordics has high focus on the family, explain to candidates what this means in practice — from days out to working environment. Arrange a trip to see where they would live as soon as early as possible in the process.
6. Money talks. Simply put, don’t let them bring home less after tax then they are used to. Nordic countries are just as expensive (if not more so) than many other European countries and US states.
7. Tax breaks. Whilst Nordic tax rates are far higher, most countries have special tax status for incoming talent which will often (more or less) equalise tax rates with other jurisdictions.
8. Culture clash. From Jante Law, to consensus-driven culture, Nordic companies and society can sometimes operate in quite different ways to others. It’s important to make sure your new hire understands these cultural norms (however outdated some of them may be).
9. Help them to integrate. It goes without saying that any new hire should be fully introduced to the business and people. Don’t leave them to fend for themselves.
10. Learn the lingo. Encourage and help to arrange language lessons. Your new hire will feel much more at home if they can understand the water cooler conversations.

Rupert Lion is Director, Nordics for The Up Group, and has first-hand experience of relocating senior executives to the region (including himself). If you’d like to discuss further, please drop him a line at rupert.lion@theupgroup.com