Where is it? How long will it take? How will I get there? These are all questions that flash through people’s minds when they are heading out to a meeting, may it be an important business function or catching up with some friends but this is an area that does not get a lot of consideration when it comes to searching for a new career.
It can be a major sticking point for your job search if you do not clearly define at the start how far you are will in to travel and what modes of transport you will use. It has been known for people to pull out of an interview at the last minute as they realise that the long journey they are taking to get to the interview could become their daily commute and they suddenly think twice about the distance.
Before applying its worth sitting down and working out how far you are willing to go and how much cost is involved in your chosen mode of transport. A large number of people who turn down a new job offer because they decide the commute will be too much for them. If when asked by a recruiter or hiring managing how far you would be willing to travel have an idea in mind. If you tell a recruiter you will be happy doing an hour journey each way then when the recruiter looks at his job list he will take you at your word and approach you with roles within that specified radius. When you keep turning roles down saying they are too far away your CV runs the real risk of ending up on that pile of paperwork that is for the shredder and any other opportunities that you might have been approached about may be lost to you.
Not settling on their mode of transport or having a clear understanding of the location they were attending can be a serious mistake. One candidate realized this to their cost as their Satnav who they had put all of their faith in on the day took them the wrong way and tried to make them go down a one way street!! The result was they arrived late at the interview, which was for their dream job, and they were very well qualified for only to learn that the hiring manager was not happy about the late arrival and the lack of communication as the candidate had not informed the recruitment agency or the company they were running late. Suffice to say the interview was cut short and the candidate was not brought back for a second interview.
A number of people, we at Robertson Sumner have spoken to have told us that they will do a reconnaissance visit to the company they were interviewing at so they have a clear idea in mind of the route they will take the parking or even the walk from the bus stop/train station.
