What do talents want? Work expectations in India, China, and Germany

International talent management becomes increasingly important, because companies compete on a global scale for qualified employees. Finding highly educated talent, however, is difficult, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. This research investigates the work expectations of Chinese (N=404), Indian (N=588), and German (N=257) students, the talent group from which companies hope to recruit their future workforce. Incorporating their specific expectations is essential; if these expectations are not met, decreases in job satisfaction, commitment, and performance are likely. Using factor analytic techniques, we develop a scale that reliably measures students’ work expectations. A two-factor structure was established and generality was assessed across countries, age, gender, and study level. Findings show that students from all countries share more similarities than cultural differences might predict. Nevertheless the subtleties provide essential insights for international talent management and call for more targeted recruitment and retention strategies.