As a recruiter, one thing that we always question is, what locations you are happy to travel to when it comes to finding the right job? Understandably, we want to ensure that we are calling you about the right positions and that they will suit what you are looking for and your individual situation. Now, something I have noticed is that what suits one person, won’t necessarily suit another. Some job seekers are happy with quite a lengthy commute and others not so much. So what is important, is that all parties involved in the recruitment process should avoid ‘length of travel’ bias and consider job seekers equally. Conversely, job seekers need to carefully consider the amount of travel required to access your new job and really assess whether it is feasible, long term. Are you willing to travel that distance, twice a day, five days a week?
There have been multiple times where organisations will not consider anyone who has a greater travel distance which is over one hour in duration. On the flip side, some employees are keen to move on from their current roles as they have been travelling extensively for an extended period of time and are now looking to secure a new role, closer to home. Here in Brisbane, a lot of job seekers will not even consider a role if it requires more than a 30 minute commute time.
Now, I probably should state that I have been with people2people for almost two years. Three months ago, my partner and I decided to move to the Sunshine Coast. I make the hour and a half commute each way to Brisbane City for my work. I drive 30 minutes to the train station and am on the train for another 50 minutes. A lot of people think I am absolutely crazy and they cannot fathom why I would do it; but I really enjoy my job and it works for me. Interestingly, I live 100km away from the city and it takes me one and half hours door to door. My colleague who lives 15km away from Brisbane city can at times, have up to an hour commuting each way.
So how can you be sure that the location of your new role is right for you?
I always recommend looking at the location on Google maps or doing a quick drive by, so you know exactly how long the commute will take you. Do a practice run. There is nothing more frustrating than when we have gone through the recruitment process and cover off the role, only to be told at the end of the process that the job seeker is withdrawing their application due to lengthy travel.
What works for one may not work for another and that is a personal choice to make. If a job seeker is happy to travel, why should it be a problem if they live 20 minutes or an hour away? If they are willing, let them! Trust that they will do whatever it takes to make it work. A word to jobseekers, if you are looking at a role, no matter how wonderful the fit, make sure that the travel is not going to be an issue. Really think about it before you apply and before the recruitment process gets started.
