Recruiting from abroad

[valcon23]

What have recruiters experiences been with recruiting from abroad? Is the 457 Visa worth the hassle? I know a very general query but interested to hear about peoples experiences with using the system.

[Glen Callaghan]

We have hired a number of people on 457 visas for specialist skillsets difficult to source locally. We have had mainly successful outcomes but one or two that did not work out, nature of hiring I guess!
Main things I'd say you need to consider are cultural differences hiring overseas employees, the employees motivations to live & work in Australia are sound and they have a genuine long term interest in working for your company and not just looking to get their foot in the door to work in Australia.
Ensure you have a stringent recruitment process with eg. practical assessments as I've found some candidates are not what they appear on paper .
The most recent visa I applied for took 4 months so you also need to be prepared to wait so not ideal if you need immediate starts.

[valcon23]

Thanks for the response.

[CJ66]

I appreciate what you're saying Glen. However I believe another way of looking at recruiting from abroad is understanding that an individual is also taking a huge risk with a company and that they cannot simply move companies as an Australian resident could. They might even be more committed to your organisation, as you have given them the opportunity to live in a wonderful country and, in the long-term, may be more loyal.