A startup is built around an idea and involves a lot of dreaming. By definition, a startup is launched with a small number of people who are very dedicated to the project and do their best to come up with original solutions to create a new business model. Unfortunately, only half of US startups manage to stay on the market for five years and only 1 in 200 makes it to the next stage of growth, becoming a scaleup. What do you need to grow your business? A good business plan and lots of new people. One way American startups can achieve that is to tap into new markets and bring in people coming from diverse cultures, such as Australia.
Let’s see what are the benefits of scouting top talent in Australia and what you need to do when you find someone that fits in well with your organisation.
What are the advantages of looking for top talent in Australia?
First of all, Australians have a fairly similar education system and graduates there have the same skills as US graduates. On the other hand, the two school systems are not identical, so they may have additional skills you won’t find among US graduates.
There is no language barrier between the two countries. An Australian employee won’t have to take an English proficiency test like someone hired from a third-world country with a different mother tongue.
In terms of pay, an Australian employee will probably cost you less than an American one, especially if they will be working remotely. Both countries use dollars as their national currency, but the Australian one is weaker than the American one.
Last, but not least, Australian professionals can bring a fresh perspective and this is essential in the world of startups.
How do you go about finding Australian employees?
You can contact a local recruiting agency, but in most cases this won’t be necessary. You can always post an ad on an Australian job board and you can easily meet job applicants via Skype or Zoom.
If you like a candidate and decide they would make a great addition to your team all the pre-employment screening checks can be done online.
First of all, you can order a police check on an Australian national using a local online background check agency from an Australian based service like the one here. These are private companies but they are fully accredited with the national government and they can deliver national police checks that are 100% valid. And quite accurate, too. You can order a criminal history check no matter where your offices are located, in Australia or in the US. The best thing is police checks obtained online are inexpensive and you get the result in 1-2 business days.
At the same time, you can use the Internet to check on their references and their educational background, by accessing, for instance, the website of the university where they got their degree.
Another type of pre-employment screening check you can totally do online is reviewing their social media accounts. You can check their Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account, and you can also google their name to see if anything interesting comes up.
Bottom line, all the necessary checks you’d normally use to hire an American can be done online if you’re getting an Australia-based professional.
