How start-ups in Pittsburgh (USA) can scale their business operations to Australia

The number one reason start-ups are so successful is that they think outside the box. They come up with new products or services or new business models. 

The problem is that once they reach a certain level of success, start-ups need to find ways to expand, to scale their business operations. And why not do that by doing what they know best? Thinking outside the box. A start-up based in Pittsburgh has several options when it comes to scaling their operations – look around in Pennsylvania or go bold and scout for new talent thousands of miles away. 

Who knows what or who you might discover in Australia? And, no, the fact that an employee is based in Sydney is not a problem these days, with most of the world working from home anyway.

How to scout for talent in Australia

If you’re the HR manager of a Pittsburgh-based start-up you can advertise for vacancies in your organisation wherever you see fit. You can post an ad on a local job board or talk to recruiting agencies in Pennsylvania. But then, so do your competitors. If the offer is good, you might get to steal a graphic designer or an IT expert from your main rival, but is that the best you can do?

Why not look elsewhere and find people with a fresh perspective and a new idea?

Australia is one of your best bets. There is no language barrier, which is very important for good communication. They have the same high educational standards in Australia, people there have the same attitude and work ethic. Hiring an Australian employee won’t create any problem as they can easily integrate into your organisation.

If need be, they can easily come to Pittsburgh, but for many positions that won’t be necessary. You can use Skype or Zoom to talk to them every day!

What type of pre-employment screening tools can you use?

The problem with remote workers is that you cannot call them in for a job interview. That deprives the HR manager of a lot of information they can gather during a face-to-face meeting. You can of course use Zoom, but you should include additional checks.

For instance, you should require background checks. The fact that you’re in a different country doesn’t matter at all. You can always use one of Australia’s online character check agencies to carry out a national police check. Actually it’s better that way, because this puts you in control. You don’t have to rely on the new employee to get a police check and send it to you. For all you know, that document might be completely fake!

Instead, you can go online and contact one of these agencies specializing in background checks. You can input the identity information and upload a photo of the employee in a couple of minutes. The police check result will be sent to your email in a couple of days, so you’ll know it’s genuine.

Don’t forget to ask for the employee’s consent, otherwise doing a background check on someone is illegal.

Also, you can check your Australian employee’s social media accounts and google their name to make sure they will fit in with the rest of your staff and their views align to your company culture. 

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