Language Skills There is a logical

Language Skills
There is a logical consensus with regard to the positive relationship between language skills and international assignee adjustment (e.g., Abe & Wiseman, 1983; Church, 1982; Cui & Van den Berg, 1991). There is some disagreement, however, to the relative importance of language compared to other factors, such as personality characteristics (e.g., Benson, 1978; Cui & van den Berg, 1991; Dinges, 1983). The disagreement in the importance of language skills has its roots in whether interpersonal contact between people from different cultures leads to increased cultural understanding. Those who support contact theory believe that language skills, given that they are necessary for communication, are critical for cross-cultural adjustment. Others (e.g., Cui & Van den Berg, 1991) suggest that merely interacting with host nationals is not enough to produce cross-cultural adjustment. They suggest that cross-cultural adjustment only occurs when international assignees have the cultural empathy to be open to different norms and fully acceptant of their host cultures (Cui & Van den Berg, 1991). In other words, one could both speak the host language fluently and know the "correct" behaviors to display, and yet only superficially be immersed in the host culture (Cui & Van den Berg, 1991). Since it would be difficult for the opposite to be true (i.e., that one could be immersed in a culture without language skills), basic language skills should, at very least, be a minimum precondition for success as an international assignee. At a minimum, in most circumstances an attempt should be made to find a qualified candidate with language skills – while for some positions the language skills may be more critical than with others.

Prior International Experience
From a social learning perspective, the more contact international assignees have with host nationals and the host culture, the greater their cross-cultural adjustment (Bochner, Hutnik, & Furnham, 1986; Bochner, Mcleod, & Lin, 1971; Brein & David, 1971; Brislin, 1981; Guthrie, 1975). For example, past research has found that having friendships with host nationals greatly improves international assignees' ability to learn culturally appropriate social skills and behaviors (Searle & Ward, 1990). From this perspective, more prior experience with the host culture should produce greater cross-cultural adjustment. On the other hand, the social cognitive theorists contend that prior foreign experience with the host culture is positively related to adjustment provided that the experience does not serve to reinforce previously held stereotypical beliefs or foster negative, unrealistic expectations of the foreign culture. Social cognitive proponents agree that there is a direct relationship between foreign experience and cross-cultural adjustment when the experience provides an accurate and realistic representation of the host countries' norms, customs, values, etc but the empirical evidence is inconclusive – the relationship between previous international experience and cross-cultural adjustment is more complex as is commonly believed. There is some evidence that previous experience abroad does not always facilitate adjustment to a new expatriate environment (e.g., Black & Gregersen, 1991; Cui & Awa, 1992; Dunbar, 1992; Selmer, 2002). A recent study by Takeuchi, Tesluk, Yun, & Lepak (in-press), however, found support for unique moderating effects of past international experiences on the relationship between current assignment tenure and general and work adjustment.

Process Issues for Selecting International Assignees
There are three key process issues in the research literature regarding international assignee selection. The first is the application of realistic previews to international assignments to help create realistic expectations during (or prior to) selection. The second is the concept of a formal self-selection process which enables international assignee candidates to determine whether the assignment is right for his or her personal situation, family situation, career stage, etc. The third is traditional candidate assessment that would include many of the dimensions identified in the previous section (personality, language skills, and past experience) in a structured organizational selection program. Each of these three international assignment process issues are discussed in greater detail below.

Realistic Previews for International Assignments
Preconceived and accurate expectations prior to an international assignment have been shown to influence the international assignment in many important ways (Caligiuri & Phillips, 2003; Searle & Ward, 1990; Weissman & Furnham, 1987). Studies comparing international assignees expectations prior to going abroad and their actual experience after relocation suggest that having moderately accurate expectations facilitates cross-cultural adjustment (Searle & Ward, 1990; Weissman & Furnham, 1987). Caligiuri and Phillips (2003) found that providing realistic previews prior to international assignments did not change candidates’ interest in possible assignments, but did increase candidates’ self-efficacy for an international assignment. This self-efficacy, in turn, could influence the outcome of the international assignment.
Both research and practice suggest that in the selection phase (or prior to it) it is useful for firms to provide information, even informally, to assist candidates in making realistic decisions on whether an assignment is right for them and to help them form realistic expectations about a possible international assignment (Black, Gregersen, & Mendenhall, 1992; Caligiuri & Phillips, 2003; Tung, 1988). Many firms have pre-selection programs which pair repatriates with international assignee candidates to give international assignees the opportunity to form realistic expectations (Black, Gregersen, & Mendenhall, 1992).

Self-Selection
Given that the demographic profiles and personal situations of the international assignee candidates will vary, self-assessment (or self-selection) has been found to be an effective method for encouraging realistic previews in a tailored and self-directed way (Caligiuri & Phillips, 2003). For example, an unmarried person who is a candidate for an international assignment might have a different set of concerns, compared to a married candidate with a family (Caligiuri, Hyland, Joshi, & Bross, 1998). Likewise, given the many personality characteristics related to crosscultural adjustment, people who possess different personality characteristics may be differentially suited for certain types of international assignments (Caligiuri 2000a; 2000b; Dalton & Wilson, 2000; Ones & Viswesvaran, 1999, 1997).
Self-assessment provides a structured method for international assignment candidates to actively self-assess their fit with the personality and lifestyle requirements of the international assignment (Caligiuri & Phillips, 2003). Effective self-selection tools enable international assignee candidates to critically evaluate themselves on dimensions, such as personality and individual characteristics, career issues, and family issues (including issues of spouses and children). Self-selection instruments, in a structured way, help employees make a thoroughly informed decision about whether to accept an international assignment (Caligiuri & Phillips, 2003).
Firms using self-assessment tools have found that this step fosters the creation of a candidate pool of potential international assignees. This candidate pool can be organized to include information, such as the availability of the employee (when and to what countries), languages the employee speaks, countries preferred, technical knowledge, skills, and abilities, etc. The information retained based on self-assessment should be repeated and continually updated as much of the information (other than personality) can change over time. For example, language skills can diminish if not used, family situations change, etc.