It is no longer enough to just recruit in the UK, or even mainland Europe – now you need to go global, and here at Som3 this is exactly what we have done – driven by our very own Sales Director, Chris Finch.

From our modest offices in Aylesbury and Knutsford we support clients around the world both on a permanent and, tax rules allowing, contract basis (more on the exciting subject of compliance later). The clients we deal with are varied –  some are global consultancies who need specific niche skills in Europe, some are software companies expanding in to new countries and need to recruit new teams, some are already established outside the UK but can’t find the skill using their in-country teams, and some are Evil masterminds looking for sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads (sorry Dr Evil, we couldn’t agree to your Ts and Cs)…..

You would be right to ask why these companies can’t use recruitment agencies in-country, and why they call on us to assist. The reasons are varied, but usually comes down to how well our consultants know their niche markets and can find people that “regular” staffing companies can’t.

We also pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to working with different cultures, understanding the nuances of working different countries, ensuring nothing gets lost in translation. Of course, we are really lucky that other countries are much better than us at learning second languages, and typically that language is English – but its still tricky working with other cultures even when you both speak the same native language!

It is so interesting learning about how other cultures do business, and how to get off on the right foot – in Germany for example, it is polite to address with “Mr Powers” to begin with, until the person uses their first name, whereas in Sweden using the first name is the norm. Here in the UK candidates are quite happy to talk about current annual salaries, but in Eastern Europe current salary is seen as irrelevant to what the person wants in the next job. American candidates and clients are happy to be on quite friendly terms from the first call, talking about families, holidays, sports, whereas in Asia it is typically more formal for the first few calls until you know each other better. Knowing how to do business with different cultures is a key part of our international work.

Compliance and recruitment laws across countries can be a massive challenge and would be an article in itself – Labour Leasing Laws, Schengen visas, tax compliance for contractors, GDPR across the EU, VAT or no VAT on invoices, exchange rates – we don’t claim to know it all, but we ensure we find out before working in a new region.

So where in the world can Som3 find staff I hear you cry!

Well, in theory anywhere, and if we can’t help you due to regulations, we will let you know. To give you an idea we currently have working for us ServiceNow consultants in the USA and France, SAP Consultants in Spain and Germany, MS Dynamics in Switzerland, Pre-Sales Consultants in France, Business Managers in Holland, Solution Architects in Germany and Swedish Payroll Analysts in, well, Sweden!

If you are looking to expand your teams across the world – Som3 can unleash their recruitment Mojo and hunt out those skills for you!