03 Aug
‘Are you willing to relocate?’
Why are recruiters asking this?
Location can be flexible, depending on your situation. You may be faced with a 2+ hour commute for the perfect job. Or you may be in London and prefer to live in Dubai. Or maybe the role you’re interviewing for requires 80% travel.
Understanding why this question is asked is key. Mostly, it is to exclude candidates.
If you want to relocate, you’ll need to emphasize your flexibility. Feel free to elaborate, but never provide too many details especially early in the process.
If you think the role is flexible and you’d rather not relocate, then be vague in your reply to keep your options open as long as you can, until you learn more about the role.
It is possible to explain that you’re not willing to relocate without taking yourself out of consideration, but it requires additional verbal gymnastics.
In the case of extensive or frequent travel, you may want to avoid giving too many details of your personal life until you learn more about the position (such as the salary) which might offset any added costs of child or pet care.
Approach “location” questions with care, especially early on in the process.
Checklist for a great answer
- Keep your options open until you feel comfortable replying (for instance, having children shouldn’t exclude you, unless you want it to)
- Don’t lie outright. If you’re not interested in relocating and never will be, it will be hard to negotiate if you had previously stated you would relocate.
Examples
I understand that many sales roles require 75% travel as I have experience in this field. I’ll be interested to learn more about support from the home office to help streamline these sales trips.
*See more examples for how to answer “availability” questions
Other similar questions
- Are you willing to relocate?
- Are you willing to travel?
How do I get better at these questions?
PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
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