One hour 40 minutes using two different types of vehicles it took to get into work today and it got me thinking about just how important it is to decide just how far you are willing to community on a daily basis before you starting looking for a new job. When talking to recruiters the majority of candidates won’t want to risk losing any opportunities and will be open to a longer community then they really want. The result could be reality sinking in whilst you are traveling to that first interview with a company you thought sounded great only to realize that it would be impossible to get there on a daily basis.

When this happens – and it does happen – the interview is swiftly cancelled by the candidate just before it was scheduled and now the candidates is starting to earn an unwanted reputation among recruitment agencies and hiring managers. If you drive or rely on public transport sit down either on your own or with your significant other if you are so luck and consider the following points:

• How much money do you want / can you afford to spend on transport each week?
• How much more time are you prepared to add to your working hours on commuting?
• What methods of transport do you have access to?

Without know the answers to the above questions you cannot make a decision about what areas you would consider commuting to. It is better to set yourself some realistic limits at the start of the job hunt rather than stick to looking in your immediate location and as you get more desperate end up widening the locations you would consider.

Everyone is trying to get to work at the same time and it could be worth – if you have the time, or are not currently working – to do a few trial runs to find out what the rush hour traffic is like in particular areas – or if like me you are too lazy to do that you can always ask some friends who live in the areas in question…

For those that were wondering the two vehicles mentioned at the start was a car and a motorbike – It turned out to be quicker and easier to turn around after sitting on the motorway for 40 minutes going nowhere to turn around, go home, and pick up the motorbike…