Barona: “Hiring Internationally Is Not Difficult. You Just Have to Decide to Do It”

The benefits of hiring digital talents from foreign countries are considerable, but the barriers can appear insurmountable. The international recruitment bureau Barona is here to make it easy to get started.

The fintech industry needs employees – digital workers especially – and much is hinting that recruitment of international talent is the way forward if the ambitious companies are to solve the challenge both short-term and long-term. International recruitment comes with several barriers that keeps many from getting started. It is precisely these barriers that the recruitment firm Barona has specialized in overcoming; from the company’s international headquarters in Finland, the company finds candidates across the world, while the team in Denmark handles all practicalities of getting the new employee securely to their new workplace in Denmark.

“Not being able to bring aboard new people is an enormous hindrance to the growth of these companies. That is why we take care of all the practical issues – including relocating and finding a home. We take care of the whole process in one invoice, so all the customer needs to worry about is picking their new employee up at the airport,” says Steen Damkier, Country Manager for Barona in Denmark, before adding, with a smile, that Barona can actually take care of the airport part too if needed.

A Loyal Driver for Growth

If recruiting international talent is that easy, why is everyone not doing it? According to Damkier, the language barrier makes some companies hesitant, though this is rarely the deciding factor in start-ups. Here, the question is rather whether there are economic means to committing to a fully salaried employee for an entire year while the business is still in its launching phase.

“There is also a certain moral obligation that follows when bringing in an employee from another country. Hiring someone from Brønshøj is one thing. Here, you are potentially affecting a whole family, and that commitment can be seen as something quite significant,” says Damkier.

The question is not whether you should do it. The question is when. Admittance to STEM educations is dropping, so we cannot maintain the talent pool on our own – we need to look beyond our borders,
Steen Damkier, Country Manager for Barona in Denmark

However, international employees do more than solve the work force shortage. When hired, they are also more loyal towards their employing company, as numbers from Barona’s recruitment from the last 10 years show. Additionally, they arrive with an international mindset that increases tolerance and diversity on the workplace, which is a core driver for international growth.

“We don’t just help our customers find the qualified workforce they long for. By hiring foreign talent they also avoid participating in the local hiring spiral, where competition leads to an increasingly high salary,” Damkier says.

A Bound Task

But while Danish fintechs seek digital talent from other countries, Damkier notes that Denmark has a very good brand globally when he is in contact with international candidates. Therefore, he believes that Danish companies can start the process from an advantageous position.

“Hiring internationally is not difficult. You just have to decide to do it. The question is not whether you should do it. The question is when. Admittance to STEM educations is dropping, so we cannot maintain the talent pool on our own – we need to look beyond our borders,” he says.

“Employer Branding” in the Process

Just as Barona helps removing practical challenges, they take pride in caring properly for all candidates on behalf of their customers. They quickly relay whether they are in the next phase of consideration for a position or not.

“We want to do something about the arrogance that faces these candidates. Within two days, we determine whether the candidate is a good fit for the position; whether they are advancing in the process, or whether it is a ‘no, thank you’. It reflects positively on the company’s brand that the candidate is taken seriously. And if applicants are treated well, they are more likely to turn into ambassadors for the brand – even if they don’t get the position,” says Damkier from Barona.