How to Get Hired by a Multinational Company in 2024

Apart from those wishing to become entrepreneurs and freelancers, it's almost everyone's dream to work for multinationals. Yes, it’s true some would prefer start-ups or small family owned organizations, but overall international companies are the go-to, don't even bother denying it. And due to the amount of people wishing to go towards that direction, getting hired for a desired position isn't always the easiest goal to reach because of the competition. But don’t worry, this is why today we´ll go over how to get hired by a multinational company in 2024 with some out-of-the-box tips.  

Before we begin, let's understand why is it that so many job seekers want to work for multinationals:

• Dynamic and fast-growing environment: Typical from companies on a global level to be able to survive.   

• Access to other countries: By being a multinational, the contact with other countries and their other worldwide headquarters are imminent. 

• Vertical growth: Career growth opportunities are not horizontal or flat as in start-ups, and many tend to strive for that title recognition. 

• Benefits: Of course it depends on the company, but many offer health insurances, meal allowances, gym memberships, meal vouchers, and so on.

• It looks good on the CV: Other companies tend to acknowledge when someone has worked for a multinational company, so having that on your CV is always a positive. 

Obviously this is only one side of the coin, working for a multinational does have its positives, but also its negatives, like everything else in life. It's the matter of understanding where you wish to be in terms of environment, the experience you want to gain, and the career path you want for yourself. 

Now, are you ready to receive some useful tips on how to get a job in multinational companies? The topics that will be discussed below might be your key to a position in your dream company. 

1. Apply to specific positions within that company, not all of them.

2. Write a killing CV and cover letter

3. Keep up with the lingo

4. Network with current employees

5. Show your proactiveness 

6. Rock the interview

7. Master the hiring process

Were you able to guess all of these tips? Some might sound obvious, but let's dig in deeper to understand exactly what they all mean. 

Be Selective When Applying to Positions

When applying to jobs in multinational companies in 2024, it’s important to keep in mind that you must have an idea of what you’re looking for. What does that mean? It means that if you have  a specific organization in mind, applying to all of their available offers will only make you seem desperate and will show them you don’t know what you want and that any job for you is okay. It’s true that shooting everywhere might help you land a job, but not in this case. All right, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply to more than one position, it just means that you should be selective. 

If you have more than one company you’re interested in pursuing, you may apply to more positions. However, in each company, you should apply to specific ones. It will show them you know what you want and what you’re good at. 

Another tip on how to get a job in multinational companies in 2024 is to avoid jumping from sector to sector when submitting your application. For instance, if the company is offering jobs in Marketing, Sales, and HR, you will not be applying to all three as it would evidently show you don’t know what you are actually interested in. 

A very unconventional way of viewing this advice is to think of relationships. How would you feel if someone didn’t know what they wanted and therefore couldn’t commit to you? Doesn’t seem so nice, does it? This is a similar approach companies take when hiring future employees, they look for dedication, assertiveness, passion, skills, and so on.   

Write a Killing CV and Cover Letter

A way to differentiate yourself from all of the other thousands of candidates when looking for a job in international companies is to write a killing CV and cover letter. These will have to be unique and drafted specially for each position you wish to apply to.  

You might already know it, but every CV must be drafted based on the position you’re submitting your application for. 

Here are some points to keep in mind:

• Add a short description (2-3 sentences) of what you’re looking for and what you’re passionate about. 

• Only include the most relevant experiences for the role you’re applying to.

• Make sure to add the skills the offer is requiring!

• Don’t forget to display your contact information and your LinkedIn profile. 

• Very important: add keywords throughout your resume. In this case, keywords are specific words related to the position. They can be found in the title of the offer and throughout the job description. Using these will increase your visibility, especially for the companies using machines to scan CVs. 

Now, when speaking of cover letters, here is your chance to present yourself in a less structured way (like your CV). You can be more creative and show your personality. Although it’s true that many companies don’t even read them anymore, some still request them. 

Some things your cover letter should include are:

• Unique information about yourself. 

• The title of the position you’re applying to and the name of the company.

• Show why you wish to work for them and how you relate to their mission.

• Explain how your skills and experience match the role and will benefit the company. 

Keep up with the lingo

Here is a fun and out-of-the-box tip – Keep up the lingo!! Do you know what this entails? It means you should speak and write as if you were already inside of your dream company. Okay, but how can I do that? How can I get a job in a multinational company like that? Firstly, don’t freak out. This step is a matter of doing some research online. Look up the company on YouTube, LinkedIn, Google, their own website, and anywhere else you might find information about them and from them. This will give you a base on how they like to communicate and even speak about themselves. 

Once you’ve done the research necessary, it’s time to use your findings to your advantage. Make sure to select top words used and apply them to your own LinkedIn profile, CV, cover letter, and use them when writing emails to them or being interviewed by them. Trust me, this will separate you from the competition and will show the company you’re well informed and in the loop. 

Network with current employees 

Continuing on the LinkedIn topic, networking with current employees is a way to get a step closer if you wish to get hired by a multinational company in 2024. Do you feel lost? Here is how you can start:

1. Look up the company on LinkedIn or even on their website.

2. Find employees that work in your sector or are part of the recruitment team.

3. Connect with them and send a nice message along with the invitation.

4. Start a conversation and try to build a relationship. 

Remember to always be respectful and smooth. You won’t want to seem forceful or aggressive. Sending a message asking for jobs is also not the best way to go. Perhaps, starting with broader questions and introducing yourself is the best ice breaker. 

Nowadays, especially due to covid-19, it’s more difficult to network face-to-face and in conferences. However, as soon as restrictions are over, this will be another opportunity to meet people and build relationships, even through small-talk. 

Show your proactiveness 

How to get hired by a multinational company in 2024? Show you’re being proactive! You don’t ever want to come off as a lazy person or someone who procrastinates, sitting around doing nothing while waiting for the perfect job. Show, instead, that you’re always trying to improve yourself, become better at what you do, and achieve certain objectives in your career. This could be a masters degree, or a conference you attended, an opportunity you had to share your experiences, and so on. 

A great place to share it all, apart from your CV and cover letter, is through your LinkedIn profile. Recruiters usually interact and look for candidates that are the most active. Additionally, once you’ve applied to positions, companies will start to check your profile and contact you, so keep an eye open.  

What are some other ways to show proactiveness? According to Deloitte, you can also show dedication by “trying to take on different roles”, “asking for feedback and acting on it”, “not being shy by asking questions”, and “taking initiative”. 

Rock the interview

Nailing the interview is probably one of the most important steps along the way. Entering and leaving the room satisfied with your answers and interaction with the interviewer is priceless. 

How can you rock the interview? There is no huge secret here, prepare, prepare, and prepare a bit more. You can never be too prepared for an interview with a multinational company. They will come up with the most interesting questions you will ever hear of, such as:

• Describe your ideal work environment.

• Describe the color orange to someone who can’t see. 

• How would you describe your best friend? 

• What traits would you like for your supervisor to have? 

These are pretty interesting questions, huh? To some of them, there is no way you’ll be able to prepare, but if you have done a lot of self-reflection and company/role research, the right answers will come out naturally or you will be able to improvise on the spot. 

In order to prepare for your interview, make sure to: 

• Re-read the role you’re applying to;

• Self-reflect;

• Research the company;

• Make sure your CV is coherent;

• Practice as many questions as you can. 

What to bring to the interview? Here is a quick checklist:

Master the hiring process

Mastering the hiring process will obviously depend on all the multinationals you’re applying to. However, most of them have a strict selection process due to the number of people submitting their applications.

If your profile matches what they are looking for, here are some things you can expect: 

• You will be contacted by a recruiter either by phone or by email to ensure your interest in the position;

• If that goes as planned, a first interview will most likely be scheduled (face-to-face or virtual);

• Afterwards, it’s common you might be asked to do a personality test;

• If that goes well, a second interview will be scheduled;

• A technical test might be what follows (it depends on the sector you’re applying to), this step is used by companies to see how well you perform and if it’s what they are looking for. 

• Afterwards you will have a 3rd interview and maybe a proposal. 

*Be aware that the interviews can be done by different people across the culture (recruiter, team lead, director, and so on, which is why it’s important to always ask who you should follow up with in case of any doubts.*

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These were some out-of-the-box tips on how to get hired by a multinational company in 2024. What are your thoughts on it? Have you encountered some difficulties when going through an organization’s hiring process? 

Hopefully, you will now be able to distinguish yourself from other candidates with the same goal as you. Don’t give up on your dream to work for multinationals, get better at playing the game to be able to win and land your ideal job.