One question we often hear from candidates is: "I’m willing to relocate for the job, so why am I not being considered for the role?"
While we love your enthusiasm and commitment, relocating for work is a big decision with many factors to consider. In this article, we’ll dive into why we take a careful approach to hiring candidates who need to relocate, and the long-term implications of such decisions.
Building Long-Term Relationships
To understand our approach, you need to know a bit about Full Circle. We specialize in providing full scope service and maintenance for wind turbines. Our customers rely on us for the long haul, with service contracts that often span several years. This sets us apart from manufacturers, commissioning companies, and other short-term project-oriented businesses in the industry. Because of this, we aim to foster long-term employment relationships. We want our team to be filled with ‘our own people’ as much as possible for as long as possible!
Employer Perspective: The Risks and Challenges of Long Commutes
It's not that we’ve never relocated employees (we’ve even moved some of our team members to other countries!) or hired colleagues with long commutes. However, combining being new to our company with the challenges of a long commute is a significant concern for us.
From an employer's standpoint, hiring someone who needs to commute long distances or relocate poses certain risks and uncertainties. Generally, long commutes take away valuable time that could be spent with family and friends. As said, we focus on long-term employment. We don’t hire for short-term projects; we hire for the long run so you can grow with us. Long commutes can lead to fatigue and stress, which aren't conducive to a sustainable future together. Luckily we live in a time with increased focus on a healthy work/life balance. Long commutes do not contribute to that. They actually achieve the opposite: less time for family and friends which increases the chance of disengagement.
Costs and Personal Growth
Yes, financial considerations are also at play. Travel time equates to working time (for Field based/Service Technician roles that is), and relocation involves additional costs. However, our primary concern is your well-being and happiness. We prefer to invest in your personal growth rather than your travel expenses. We believe that employees are happiest in their own environments. Relocating solely for work can lead to loneliness and separation from your support network.
Individual Differences: Not One Size Fits All
Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone. Some people thrive on the excitement of moving to a new area, and certain roles, like truck drivers, might even enjoy long commutes. We do have employees who relocated or commute long distances. However, these situations become riskier when combined with the fact that you are new to our company. Let’s be honest; would you move for someone you met for just one hour during a date? Because that’s essentially what a job interview is—a brief encounter.
Long-Term Perspective: Finding the Right Fit
Do we make it difficult for ourselves with this approach? In the short term; perhaps. Especially since you’ll be working in pairs, and we need to find you a teammate living nearby. However, as mentioned in our previous article about entering the industry, it takes a couple of years to become fully trained on the job. We prefer to wait for the right opportunity for both of us rather than risk losing you within six months because the commute or the new house didn’t work out. If it’s meant to be, it will be!
At Full Circle, we are committed to finding the right people who will grow with us and contribute to a sustainable future. We believe that considering location is a crucial part of this process. Stay tuned for more insights into our hiring practices and industry perspectives in our upcoming articles.
