Relocation - Is it a good move?

The majority of the candidates we contact about opportunities say they are not open to relocation.  I get this.  I would not move my family at this point unless we were forced to through a double loss of job.  We just bought a house we love.  Kids are doing great in school.  Close to aging parents.  We love the seasons and being outdoors.  These are our main reasons.

We hear a wide variety of reasons that people don’t want to move.  People from large metropolitan areas are not interested in smaller cities.  People in smaller cities are not interested in large metropolitan areas.   Sometimes there is a second career to consider in the household that prevents a move.  Children in school, family, friends, lifestyle activities (“I have to surf” “ I have to ski”) and climate are all often reasons people are not willing to move.

There are some world class employers for our industry in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Seattle, Georgia, Nebraska, Colorado, Florida…literally almost every state.   I can’t count the times I speak with talent from very large cities who will not even give consideration to a smaller city.  Often this mindset is based on the unknown and what they “think” the area will be like.  I have even been laughed at when I say an opportunity is in Wisconsin. 

Many of our candidates have successfully relocated to Wisconsin who lived in NYC their entire lives.  People who told me initially they would NEVER leave the city and CERTAINLY not to Wisconsin.  The triggers for these candidates were all different; bad day at work, bad day in the city, a change in the family situation.  Whatever the reason, once these candidates were open to exploring the option and actually came and looked at the area they had a whole new perspective.  Some still ultimately decide the move is not right for them.  Other candidates took the leap, loved it and never looked back.  Some make a move for a few years and then move on to other locations based on having experienced a move, making new friends and finding they are more open to new locations.

The thing that concerns me most is missed opportunities based on perceptions of what a region is or isn’t like without having been there to check it out.   My daughter hates cheese (yes in Wisconsin).  Today I made pumpkin whoopee cakes they have a cream cheese frosting in the center.  She was defiant that she would NOT like them because they had “cheese” in them.   After much discussion about how important it is to try new things or you might miss out on something wonderful…..she took the teeniest bite.  Her eyes lit up and she said I LOVE these!  She gobbled it up and declared it her new favorite desert.  Don’t miss out on a wonderful new adventure because you are sure you won’t like something you have never tried!

You can see the cities we currently have job opportunities in at www.apparel-resource.com .