The first step in setting the stage for a successful overseas assignment is selecting the best candidate. Recruiters are pressured to "fill the job," but a savvy organization realizes that getting the right match can make or break an assignment.
Recruiters should use every available tool to help create a true picture of the assignment, outline the type of individual characteristics and skills needed, and develop ways to screen candidates against this framework. CVs can list extensive credentials and pertinent work assignments, but these may not always be indicators of success. Knowing how to ask the right questions, how to sift through references, and how to spot warning signs is a skill crucial to effecting smart hires. Being forthright in describing the working and living conditions, security issues, access to services, and cultural or gender issues will be helpful in applicant screening, but it will also go a long way toward fostering organizational trust when new hires reach their assignment post.
If you are involved in hiring humanitarian staff, the following resources can be helpful in assessing candidates' resiliency and may also point to some key areas in the recruitment process that merit special attention.
This resiliency quiz gives a good estimate of a person's ability to "bounce back." The test-takers evaluate the different support systems and coping mechanisms that they use, and take a closer look at their own qualities that contribute to resilience. This quiz is appropriate for many settings: use it while screening a new recruit, take it yourself, or make it available in the office for your current staff members.
Every overseas assignment comes with its own set of stressors. Having a good set of coping skills could be the key ingredient in the avoidance of stress and burnout. Try these questions when screening a candidate to see how they respond to stress. Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services
Principle two of the Antares Foundation's good practice guidelines deals specifically with the agency's responsibilities regarding screening and assessment of potential employees.
This tool provides a simple framework for airing and addressing staff concerns which, left unspoken, might aggravate already stressful situations. Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services
This 2003 article by People In Aid's Jonathan Potter examines the risks of aid work that stretch from terrorism to those less obvious but more common—stress, overwork and "burnout", through to disease, accidents, and even loneliness or depression—while tackling a crisis a long way from home. Rising pressures on staff have prompted a growing number of aid agencies to share information, set standards, and take practical steps to ensure that the training, support, and management they offer will keep workers safe so they can deliver the best results.
This report describes the findings and recommendations resulting from an investigation into the support and management provided to workers in relief and development. Methods included a survey of 200 returned workers and discussions with employing agencies.
This article discusses the need for improvements in pre-departure training within agencies employing locally recruited staff in management positions. In particular, it address how we can do more to multinationalize and multiculturalize training through involving all recruited staff together in training programs.
This 2001 research article published in the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning examines and supports the claim that controlled exposure to challenge can enhance one's psychological resilience. The study uses (and shares with the readers) a resilience measurement tool—a 25-question self-answer questionnaire which could also be useful in an aid work setting.
This 2003 article takes a realistic look at why people want to do relief work, what it takes to do the job, and what type of person the agencies are looking for. Does the applicant have "experience" and what does that mean? Is the applicant resilient and how does one screen for that?
This brief article highlights that disaster workers are a population whose emotional health is especially at risk. A description of these risks is followed by a discussion of the importance of coping and accompanying suggestions for coping mechanisms.
Do you know of a good resource for this page? Please contact us. Thanks for helping us to improve this website.
