Global mobility refers to the function of an organisation that enables employees to move from one location to another. It assists a business to achieve their goals by expanding their operations and services into new locations worldwide. In return, businesses can enter new markets and gain access to new talent and resources.

When companies have a global workforce, they can have employees who live in another country, frequently travel to different locations, or even have short-term and long-term contracts with other companies. If utilised correctly, global mobility can be a powerful and helpful tool for organisations to build their operations. However, it is important to understand the opportunities and challenges that come alongside the process.

Opportunities

Looking at candidates on an international basis can help a company expand its talent pool. Many benefits come from having an extensive talent pool. One of these is being able to expand operations into new countries. Plus, it ensures a company hires the right person for the project, without location being a barrier.

Alongside this, global mobility provides the opportunity for employee development. When an employee relocates to another country for work, they are provided with the chance to enhance their skills and experience. This is beneficial for both the company and the employee.

Finally, as team members can be simply moved elsewhere once their project ends, there can be a direct correlation with employee retention rates. By using global mobility to optimise an international talent pool, an organisation can save money and ensure they retain skilled workers.

Challenges

Like anything, global mobility can bring challenges. Whilst the world is becoming more connected, it doesn’t mean that it is getting less complicated.

Every country has its own set of immigration policies and sometimes there can be challenges obtaining visas. As well as this, policies are subject to change and constantly evolving.

Alongside this, relocation logistics can sometimes bring issues for individuals. Many aspects need to be considered: finding appropriate housing, schools for children (if the whole family relocates), and transportation.

At Visuna, we ensure moving abroad is a seamless process and offer relocation support to ensure the candidates move is as smooth as possible. We have over 20 years’ experience providing workforce solutions around the world and move people to and from over 100 different countries, handling all aspects of immigration, tax, work permits, payroll, travel, and more.

Our specialists won’t just find you the right person for the job, but we will also get them where they need to be. We pride ourselves on providing excellent global mobility services and connecting the right people to the right opportunities.

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In this article, you will find 8 interview tips from recruiters to help you make the best impression.

An interview is a chance for an employer to see if you are the right person for the job. But, it is also a chance for you to make sure the job and company are a right fit for you.

If you have had an unsuccessful interview in the past, the important thing to do is learn from past mistakes.

Do Your Research

Without a doubt, this is the best piece of advice you can receive. Demonstrating your prior knowledge about a company and role can make you stand out from the rest. As well as this, it can highlight your interest in the position.

Some key areas for research include: company mission, values, or any recent news or events that the organisation has been involved in. Doing so will help you understand the culture of the business. Also, this can shape your answer about why you want to work for the company.

Dress Appropriately for the Position

When deciding on an outfit, go beyond the traditional smart attire and focus on the small details, such as ensuring clothes are free of wrinkles.

Following the above step and researching the company can help you decide whether it is better to wear something casual or more formal.

Ask Appropriate Questions

Having a pre-planned list of questions to ask the interviewer makes you look interested, enthusiastic, and engaged- which are all qualities that the employer will be looking for.

A good candidate will ask questions beyond the standard topics of salary and employee benefits.

Some useful example questions include:

• What does a typical day look like?
• Where do you think the company is heading in the next 5 years?
• What do you enjoy about your job?
• Can you tell me more about the team I would be working with?

Familiarise Yourself with the STAR Method

Whenever you are answering an interview question, you want to make sure that there is a structure and the takeaway message is clear. Using the STAR method can assist this.

Situation – briefly lay out the scenario using just enough detail that the interviewer will understand the context of your answer.

Task – talk about your specific role within the situation.

Action – discuss what you did and the reason behind this.

Result – discuss the outcome and what lessons were learned.

Body Language is Important

The interviewer will be aware that nerves will be high going into the interview, so it is important to outwardly project your confidence. Be aware of what you are communicating.

One of the most powerful non-verbal communication tools that can be used is a smile. Giving a genuine smile on arrival will make the interviewer feel as though you are pleased to meet them and looking forward to the interview.

If you are offered a glass of water, always accept (or bring your own water bottle). If you are nervous, this can give you something to do with your hands. Plus, taking a drink can give you a few seconds to pause and consider your answer to a question.

Prepare for Small Talk

When done correctly, interview small talk can build a strong rapport. Many benefits can come from this: making the hiring manager remember you, make you stand out even more, and help make an okay interview into a great one.

When meeting someone for the first time, it is generally not the best to bring up topics that may be perceived as offensive, uncomfortable, and inappropriate.

Some good small talk topics include: the weather, sports, entertainment, food, company news and events, and hobbies.

Be Polite

It goes without saying, always be polite.

Always be polite and friendly to the reception staff or the person that signs you into the building. This could work hugely in your favour as the hiring manager will often ask them for their first impression of you. Something so simple can make a huge difference.

Follow Up After the Interview

Finally, always follow up with a thank-you. A thank-you email is a great opportunity to demonstrate your excitement about the role and show appreciation for being considered for the position. It is recommended to follow-up within 24 hours of the interview.

Visuna are here to help and support your journey. Read more recruitment advie, such as CV tips, or relevant news within the energy and tech industry.

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Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) offers businesses the opportunity to transfer all, or selected elements, of its recruitment processes to a third party service provider.

What can you expect from an RPO partner?

The external provider acts as an in-house recruiter for the business and is responsible for managing recruitment within the organisation. This includes all elements of attracting, screening, interviewing and onboarding candidates.

The RPO partner will also take a consultative approach to offering strategy and innovative solutions across the whole recruitment process. They’ll be hands-on, guiding you through the process and providing recommendations. In addition to sourcing candidates for immediate vacancies, they’ll also help you to build a talent pool for long-term hiring needs.

In some instances, one or more members of the recruitment partner’s team would be based onsite at the client’s office to fully embed themselves into the organisation.

The right RPO provider will tailor a bespoke solution to each client’s requirements. They would work in partnership with you to reach the agreed objectives.

What benefit does recruitment process outsourcing bring?

Finding and nurturing new talent can be a lengthy and expensive process, which diverts resource from other areas of the business. Outsourcing hiring requirements can bring many benefits to an organisation.

Flexibility

Using an RPO model allows organisations to scale resources up and down as recruitment needs fluctuate. The third party provider is adaptable to the changing demands of the organisation. An RPO partner can take on as much or as little within the recruitment process as needed. They can act as an extension of your internal HR team, or they can be fully integrated as your recruitment department.

Efficiency

RPO specialists have wide networks to reach new and diverse talent. Positions can be filled more quickly with an RPO provider. They’ll use tried and tested processes, identifying barriers, and ultimately being accountable for the deliverables. Outsourcing also relieves internal teams of the administrative work associated with hiring processes.

Cost Effectiveness

You only pay for what you need at the time, so you can meet hiring demands without the need to pay in-house recruiters.

Technology and Data

Access to recruitment technology, such as, an RPO providers applicant tracking system (ATS) can facilitate a better candidate experience. This consistent and streamlined hiring and onboarding process can lead to a decrease in turnover. RPO provides access to industry data for competitor benchmarking, which allows intelligent decisions to be made based on trends.

Expertise

Organisations gain access to instant recruitment expertise without the need to invest in internal resources. RPO providers are subject matter experts and are usually specialists in a particular industry or role, so are likely to find more skilled candidates, particularly for niche disciplines, than you would on your own.

Compliance

RPO’s are experts in their field so will offer compliance support with regards to employment law, in line with changing regulations to help you minimise risk.

What types of RPO are available?

A number of recruitment process outsourcing models are available. The hiring challenges and long-term goals in your business will determine which is the best option for your organisation.

Fully Outsourced

In this situation, the provider takes complete control of their clients full end-to-end hiring process. This ongoing solution is best for organisations that will have regular and ongoing recruitment requirements over a long period of time.

Project Based

An end-to-end approach applied to a defined project. This model has the benefits of a fully outsourced solution but on specific roles over a particular period of time, for example, the opening of a new branch or department.

Hybrid

This method sees the RPO provider fill only vacancies for certain specialisms or departments, while internal teams fill the remainder.

Selective

With selective RPO, a company chooses which elements of the recruitment process they’d like to outsource. For example, if a company has some internal resources already in place, they may ask the RPO provider to handle the sourcing and screening of candidates only.

On-Demand / Contingent

This solution can be turned on and off for short periods of time or even for single roles. A good example of this would be to cover seasonal recruitment demand, when the internal team may need additional resources to help fill multiple roles.

Total Talent Management

A relatively new type of outsourcing that also incorporates MSP to allow one provider to fill all roles at an organisation, whether that is full time, part time, permanent, temporary or contract.

At Visuna, we will work with you to agree the best solution for your business needs. Speak to the team today to find out more about our staffing services.

An energy recruitment firm has raised funds to buy life-saving equipment for its North East office.

Staff at Visuna, which is based at Wynn House, on the Hertburn Estate in Washington, held a number of fund-raising events to pay for a defibrillator to be installed on-site.

The company employs 50 people on Wearside, where it has had a presence for more than 2- years. It also has bases in the US, Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Chief executive of Visuna Ford Garrard said: “The closest defibrillator to our Washington office is one mile away, so it’s likely this would be too far to save a life in an emergency situation.

“The team decided they’d like to purchase a defibrillator for the office. They received some funding from the London Hearts charity to help with this, as well as hosting their own fund-raising activities.

“This life-saving device will be situated outside the UK office. Team charity activities have funded this and will be a public access defibrillator. This means that in the event of an emergency, anyone in the local area on the estate will be able to make use of it.”

The fund-raising events included a Pancake Day buffet, an Easter Egg decorating competition and hunt around the office, and a raffle with a star prize of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s signed gloves. Along with a donation from the company, the team raised £1,335 for the defibrillator.

Ford added: “I’m extremely proud of the team and have loved seeing how passionate everyone has been about this worthy cause.

“At Visuna, a key part of our ethos focuses on supporting and organising charity events. We approached the team for charity suggestions ensure we choose causes that are close to our people’s hearts.”

Other Fundraising

Other charity initiatives the company has taken part in include a Macmillan Coffee Morning that raised over £630. We donated goods to the Washington Community Food Project. Finally, we supported Norah’s North Pole, which ensures as many children as possible wake up with a gift from Santa on Christmas morning.

As part of the Visuna rebrand, we are wanting to make a difference. Sustainability is everyone’s responsibility and Visuna want to help drive forward this agenda. The three pillars of our ESG pathway are People, Planet and Policy. All of this is underpinned by our business vision and culture.

Our approach to ESG mirrors the way we do business – it is proactive, honest, agile and reliable.

Read more about our ESG commitments

Saudi Arabia is located in the Middle East between the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea. It is divided into 13 provinces, and each area is headed by a governor or European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR).

With a third of the world’s oil being produced in the Middle East, there is no denying that oil and gas jobs in Saudi Arabia are increasing rapidly over time.

Here are some of the most popular roles in Saudi Arabia currently:

Well Testing Operator

Well Testing Operators are responsible for all areas of well testing operations, including planning, execution, data analysis, and reporting. Their work occurs on offshore oil rigs, as well as land base rigs. Within the workplace, it is important that Well Testing Operators continuously develop their skills to maintain a competitive advantage.

As companies are becoming more conscious of their impact on the environment, there is an increase in demand for Well Testing Operators with experience working in environmentally sensitive areas. Well Testing Operators can capitalise on this trend by becoming certified in areas, such as waste management.

Coiled Tubing Engineer

To begin your career as a Coiled Tubing Engineer, there is a requirement to have a bachelor’s degree or diploma in petroleum or mechanical engineering. Alongside this, due to the frequent field visits, Coiled Tubing Engineers are required to have first aid and H2S training.

During their daily activities, Coiled Tubing Engineers run simulations for each proposed operation, monitor the operation, and provide technical support.

Within the role, there is the opportunity for progression to become a Senior Field Engineer or a Lead Field Engineer. Therefore, this is a position that can provide growth opportunities and aid career development.

Pumping Operator

A Pumping Operator is a skilled worker who operates, maintains, and controls pumps and other equipment that is used to move liquids or gases from one place to another. Work locations can range from: chemical plants, power generation facilities, or oil refineries.

During daily operations, Pumping Operators tend to work in teams, and need to practice effective communication with other team members, engineers, and managers to ensure efficient operations.

Traditionally, the work environment consists of travelling and primarily outdoor work.

Electronics Technician

An Electronics Technician performs all maintenance on equipment as well as providing supervision to lower-level technicians. Alongside this, they are responsible for calibrating pressure gauges and metering equipment.

Being able to comprehend complex technical manuals, as well as following them accurately is essential in becoming a good Electronic Technician.

Here at Visuna, we can held find your next role, and assist with your smooth relocation to Saudi Arabia. Contact us today, or look at our most recent jobs in Saudi Arabia.

In a competitive market for talent, having a good workforce solutions partner has never been more important. Skills shortages, global workforces, changing legislation and economic uncertainty all present additional challenges. This makes a workforce solutions supplier a good option for many organisations.

What is a workforce solutions provider?

A workforce solutions partner is an outsourced service provider who manages the talent acquisition process for an organisation. This can be the staffing requirements for all permanent and contingent roles; including full time team members, temporary employees and independent contractors.

By offering a full end to end solution for all talent needs, the workforce solutions partner can encompass the work of both recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and managed service provider (MSP) models.

What are the benefits of using a workforce solutions partner?

Consistency

Having one blended solution for both permanent and contract recruitment facilitates a more consistent hiring journey for candidates. It also simplifies processes for internal departments. A smooth and streamlined candidate experience during the recruitment process helps a business to stand out from competitors.

Cost and Time Saving

The process efficiencies brought about by using one supplier for all staffing requirements can save a business time and money. Taking a holistic view of the current situation allows a workforce solutions partner to fill roles quickly with the person holding the best skills, regardless of whether that talent is permanent or contract.

Expertise

Outsourced staffing services provides access to market insight, relevant technology, regulatory compliance, support and advice,. This is in addition to a wide network of skilled talent. A workforce solutions provider will handle candidate attraction, screening, background checks, preliminary interviews and more.

Flexibility and Optimisation

A blend of permanent and contingent workers provides organisations with flexibility for changing priorities. A consolidated pool of all available talent allows for a wider and more strategic view of all options to fill a vacancy.

Working with a workforce solutions partner, like Visuna, gives your business access to experienced staffing specialists who will ensure the best outcome for your recruitment requirements. Your organisation can benefit from sector experts without the need to invest in HR resources, whilst scaling support up or down as needed. By outsourcing your staffing services, you can gain access to a wide network of quality talent and use your time and budget efficiently in a competitive and fast moving market.

Contact us today for your workforce solutions, and follow our LinkedIn for more industry information.

As pressure increases on high carbon industries to work towards cleaner processes, using offshore wind to power oil and gas operations is becoming a more popular and viable option.

Connecting offshore wind assets directly to oil and gas platforms provides many economic and environmental benefits.

Why is using offshore wind to power oil and gas operations effective?

Running offshore oil and gas facilities is a high cost and high carbon task. Since gas is readily available, the electricity required for offshore oil and gas rigs is usually provided by gas turbines. Generally located on the platforms, these gas turbines, are expensive to run and produce substantial volumes of CO2 and NOx. Offshore wind turbines provide a much more economic and environmentally friendly option to power oil and gas operations.

Reducing emissions is high on the agenda of governments, investors and other stakeholder groups. Producing hydrocarbons more responsibly is a step in the right direction to allow oil and gas activities to continue during the transition to cleaner sources.

This additional investment in floating wind for oil and gas projects brings accelerated development for the offshore wind industry. Benefits come in the form of reskilling the workforce, support for new supply chains and more. As oil and gas companies have significant expertise in offshore environments, they are ideally positioned to champion best practice and innovation across the offshore industry.

The notion of using renewable energy to power fossil fuel facilities isn’t a new trend. In fact, solar power has been used at oil fields since at least the 1990’s. Solar does require fairly large areas to be effective. This means it is a less attractive option than turbines for offshore rigs, since wind energy can be generated easily out at sea.

China’s First Deepwater Floating Wind Platform

China’s first deepwater floating offshore wind platform was installed by MingYang Smart Energy. It is located 136km from the island province of Hainan in water depths of 120 metres. This 7.25MW typhoon resistant wind turbine will power an oil and gas field in the South China sea.

Once operational, the power generation capacity will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 22,000 metric tons per year.

One of the UK’s First Wind Powered Oil and Gas Production Facilities

Once the project is complete, Ping Petroleum’s Avalon facility, situated in the North Sea will be powered primarily by floating offshore wind. Following an agreement between the oil and gas operator and a renewable energy developer, production is due to commence in 2025. The initiative will remove up to 20,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions every year from the offshore facility, which is the equivalent of taking over 4,000 cars off the road!

Floating Wind Microgrids to Power Oil and Gas Rigs

In Norway, being carbon heavy is particularly expensive due to additional taxes applied to high emitting companies. For this reason, Odfjell Oceanwind have developed WindGrid technology for microgrids. These mobile offshore wind units are available to rent in the Norway area of the North Sea to power oil and gas rigs, subsequently lowering their carbon emissions. Leasing such assets are an attractive option for oil and gas operators who have limited renewable energy expertise to meet emission targets. In addition to avoiding large carbon taxes.

World’s Biggest Floating Offshore Wind Farm

The 88MW Hywind Tampen is Norway’s first and the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm.

Located 140km off the coast and consisting of 11 turbines, the project provides power to neighbouring oil and gas platforms in the Norwegian Sea. At full capacity the wind farm will meet approximately 35% of the Gullfaks and Snorre fields electricity demand, which would reduce CO2 by around 200,000 tonnes every year.

At Visuna, we’re committed to supporting organisations with workforce solutions, no matter where they are in their energy journey. Find out more about oil and gas recruitment or offshore wind recruitment.

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A CV, sometimes referred to as a resume, is a short summary of an individuals’ key skills, experience and qualifications. Hiring managers will only spend a short period of time – just seconds – reading a CV, so it is crucial that it catches their attention first time.

Here are some of our top CV tips to help you stand out.

Make It Specific

Conducting research into the job can help you stand out from other applicants. It is important to treat every job application as unique. Therefore, assess each job advert before applying and make sure that your CV highlights the most important traits for the role.

One easy method that can be used is looking at the job description for key words, and distribute these throughout the document. If possible, include facts and figures about your previous achievements as evidence of relevant experience.

A Good Structure for Easy Navigation

It is important that the CV can be read and understood easily, or some employers might disregard it straight away – especially if they are busy.

Always remember the CV hotspot – the upper middle area of the page. This is where the recruiter’s eye will naturally fall, so make sure to include the most relevant information here.

One easily forgotten aspect is using the right font and size. Throughout the document, the font should be consistent and professional. Some of the most common fonts are: Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri. Sizing can be changed for titles, subheading, main body, etc.

Key Skills

Key, soft and hard skills can come through in the employment history section, but including a ‘key skills’ section can highlight areas that could be missed. Within the competitive job market, it is likely that this will be one of the first sections an employers looks at the save time.

Employers will look for a variety of skills. This includes skills that are on the job description, as well as personal skills that will decide if the individual can fit into the company culture.

Include a Personal Statement

Including a personal statement can help explain to the employer why you are the best person for the job. This should be a short paragraph located under the CV header so it grabs attention.

Within the paragraph, there should be an obvious statement of career objectives, communicating the value that can be brought to the position and company, and well as a brief summary of experience.

Proofread It

An essential CV tip would be to proofread the document. Majority of the time, a CV is the first impression of a candidate. Therefore, you want to avoid any mistakes with spelling or grammar. Show it to someone of trust who will give constructive feedback.

Many benefits can come from proofread before submitting an application. The most obvious one is that it will be free of mistakes. Alongside this, it allows you to put yourself in the employer’s shoes for a minute. Enabling you to see yourself in a different light.

Keep Updated

A crucial step is regularly reviewing your CV and adding in any new skills or experience.

Undergoing regular check-ups can highlight gaps within personal skills and experience that needs to be developed for a certain industry. Being able to fill these gaps is another way that can help you stand out.

Be Concise

When it comes to a CV, it is important to stick to the two A4 page rule. As you gain new skills and experience, you can remove older information as it becomes outdated. An example of this could be clubs joined in school, or part-time jobs at the beginning of a career.

References

It isn’t essential to include references on a CV. Usually, a statement along the lines of ‘references available upon request’ is sufficient.

Think Outside the Box

If you’re moving into a new sector or just starting out in your career, think about how experience you have gained could demonstrate the skills needed for the role.

Depending on the job you’re applying for, and if you really want to stand out from the crowd, you could consider including a link to a video CV or webpage. This is a unique way to showcase examples of your work.

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Our research has revealed the top locations searching for wind turbine technicians.

The huge growth in wind energy in recent years has led to a high demand for wind turbine technicians. As more countries around the world realise the potential of wind energy, the need for specialists to ensure the smooth running of these operations will increase.

Benefits such as an average annual salary of £25,000 – £47,000, excellent opportunities for progression and the chance to travel, make wind turbine technician a popular career choice.

We have researched which locations around the globe have the highest number of internet searches for ‘wind turbine technician’.

The top search locations* are as follows:

1. Ireland
2. United Kingdom
3. United States
4. Canada
5. Australia
6. India
7. Indonesia

*Based on data from Google Trends for the period 25/04/2022 – 25/04/2023

The research has also revealed a 60% increase in searches for wind turbine engineer salary in the last 12 months. In addition to a 50% increase in the number of searches for offshore wind turbine technician in the last 12 months.

The Top Three

Leading the way as the top search location for wind turbine technicians is Ireland. According to Wind Energy Ireland, in 2020, wind energy provided 38% of Ireland’s electricity, which is the equivalent of powering all of Munster and Connacht.

The UK is the windiest country in Europe, so wind energy has flourished here. Therefore, it’s not surprising to see the nation high on the list of locations searching for wind turbine technicians.

Taking third place is the United States, who have great potential for offshore wind energy with their long coastlines and strong, consistent winds. Indeed, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics claim wind service turbine technician will be the second fastest growing occupation between 2021 and 2031, at a rate of 44%.

Visuna have been successfully providing people solutions to the energy sector for over two decades. Our team of wind recruitment specialists will take the time to get to know your individual project needs and match you with a world-class workforce. You’ll also benefit from our global coverage. This means we understand both the legal and cultural requirements for projects in different locations.

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