Hiring managers and program managers face a variety of challenges that affect the success of their field operations. The management of human resources, and in particular of local staff, ranks among the most important — and complicated — of such challenges. Here are five tips for the successful recruitment and management of local staff.

1. 5 Tips for Recruiting Local Staff
for international development recruiters

2. Hiring managers and program managers face a variety of
challenges that affect the success of their field operations.
The management of human resources, and in particular of
local staff, ranks among the most important — and
complicated — of such challenges. Here are five tips for
the successful recruitment and management of local staff.

3. Strategies differ markedly within the aid community on the size
of local staff and how to recruit for it.
1. One size doesn’t fit all
Candidates are being sourced in a variety
of ways — through newspaper ads, radio,
in-country networks and local recruitment
agencies as well as the Devex Jobs board,
for instance. But how best to recruit
depends on the location, internet
connectivity and how locals view the
presence of a particular organization or
foreign groups overall.

4. 2. Recognize the pitfalls of decentralized hiring
When hiring is decentralized, inconsistencies emerge in contracting, remuneration, the classification of
posts, rigidity of the screening process and interview practices.
Many aid groups depend on
their field offices to
spearhead the hiring of
national staff, but this can
lead to inconsistent local
hiring practices. This calls for
officers at headquarters and
in the field to collaborate on
staffing. The trick is to have
headquarters coordinate, not
make the decisions.

5. Diversity means more than having local professionals
work with internationals — it’s in how you mix people of
different genders, ethnicities and backgrounds.
3. Build a diverse team
Ensuring that an office’s staff reflects the
region’s diversity can be tough. There have
been field offices that didn’t employ any
member of the indigenous group they served,
for instance. For home office staff, traveling
to the field is often crucial to understanding
in-country cultural differences.

6. To keep employees engaged and creative, it’s important to provide meaningful skills and career
development opportunities.
4. Engage employees
For local hires, engagement can be
tough when promotions are
infrequent.
But with an increasing emphasis on
“going local,” aid groups are
increasingly putting national staff in
positions of authority and offering
career counseling, international
exchanges, training and participation
in conferences and other events.

7. A lack of cohesion between local and international staff can
jeopardize project success.
5. Create cohesion between local and international staff
Local staffers often represent an element of continuity
in field offices, while international representatives come
and go. One way to show inclusion and promote
sharing among staff of all levels is to arrange regular
meetings, including staff retreats to discuss the past
year and upcoming priorities.

8. Recruiting and retaining skilled local staff is
particularly complicated. Read the full story with
more opinions from HR representatives here:
The Challenges and Opportunities of Hiring Locals