Recruiting Tactics: Would You Move For A Better Job?

(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by Allied Van Lines, proud sponsor of the “2012 Workforce Mobility Survey”, designed to capture the voice of HR on topics related to workforce mobility. Allied has more than 75 years of experience in corporate, household and international relocation.)

What would it take for you to move in order to accept a new job?  Have you ever relocated in order to take a new job?

As an HR executive, I have had the good fortune to live in a city that afforded me opportunities to progress in my career without having to relocate my family.   There was a time, years ago, that I was offered the opportunity to relocate to the west coast.  The package was not too bad and the pay would have been good for the role in that market, but no one ever mentioned that I was a mother with young children.  Children that were nearing school-age.  For me, that was the only factor that kept me from making that move.

According to the 2012 Workforce Mobility Survey, “Two factors are most likely to increase a candidate’s willingness to relocate- higher salary (reported by 82% of HR professionals) and career advancement (reported by 79%).  Three factors are most likely to limit or restrict willingness to relocate:  spousal employment situation (80%), children’s plans/ schools (72%), and selling a home/ mortgage (69%).  (Chart 5)

Last week, following the release of the research, Kris Dunn shared his thoughts in How To Tell Whether Your Relocation Package or Your Closing Skills Suck.  It made me think back to the time when I did not make the move and why I chose not to move.  It was a combination of the HR pro not closing the deal and some of the missing pieces around how things would be handled with my family.

• Would my husband leave his position he had held for his entire career?
• How would we find him a new job that he would love?
• Where would my children go to school and how would I find the perfect environment for them?
• How would I find good quality child care, pediatricians, and a church?

HR professionals need to know that it is questions like these are running through your candidate’s head and that may prevent them from taking your job offer. In order to create a relocation package that sets your company apart, one of the key factors is considering these types of questions and providing the support the candidate needs.

Stand out from the crowd

• Since only 2% of companies help with spousal employment, you can make your relocation package unique by offering unemployment assistance or job serach assistance for the candidate’s spouse or significant other.
• While 16% of companies are offering to assume a loss for a recruit’s underwater mortgage, you can boost your chance of landing a candidate for a hard to fill position if you take the step of offering that type of assistance.
• If only 39% of companies are offering information about the local community and schools, you can provide a packet of information or links to sites that support various communities in your area that a candidate would be interested in.  For families, focus on the school district and any extra-curricular activities available.  For families or singles who like to participate in activities like running, working out, etc., include community information on parks and trails they would find appealing.

Are you ready to make the difference to your organization’s ability to both attract and close the deal with your top candidates?  Start today.  To learn more, continue to check in to the Allied HR/IQ website for more results from the 2012 Workforce Mobility Survey.