International itinerants, although being referred to as self-managed professionals with a tendency to change employers quite frequently, are an important source for staffing. In line with more traditional expatriates, international itinerants can bring great value to MNCs, and can offer some advantages to employers that could not be offered by traditional assignees.
The key to successful expatriation lies more in developing appropriate skills than in possessing favorable personality traits? Some evidence.
Does the key to successful expatriation lie more in developing appropriate skills than in possessing favorable personality traits? A recent study by Shaffer and colleagues (2006) indicates that both stable personality traits and more dynamic cross-cultural competencies are important predictors of expatriate success.
The first challenge of expatriation is finding the right candidate
The annual Brookfield global relocations survey consistently reports that finding suitable candidates is one of the main relocation challenges for companies. Specifically, the recent 2011 survey findings highlight candidate selection as the third most important challenge, topped only by assignment costs (1st) and career management (2nd).