How to Decide Whether to Relocate for a Job
Half of your weekday waking hours are spent at work. Your feelings about your daily tasks, accomplishments, colleagues, and managers reverberate through all the other parts of your life, too.
What happens when you’re presented with the opportunity to make a big change? What would you decide if you got an offer to relocate for a job?
In our recent Brightwing Talent Insights Survey, over half of our survey respondents said they would be open to relocating for the right opportunity.
Meanwhile 14% of people simply aren’t sure if they’d be open to relocating, and 32% are decidedly happy to stay right where they are.
Relocating could widen your horizons and get you closer to your career goals or else it could be a shortsighted maneuver in need of hasty reversing.
How do you know if it’ll be worth it? Here’s are three considerations that will help you make the decision.
1. Scope out the bigger picture.
How does the move fit with your career ambitions and the market?
“Twenty-two percent of people who relocated for work did so for promotions, while 51 percent cited “personal career development,” according to a recent IMPACT Group survey of more than 3,000 workers.” (source)
If more pay ranks high on your list of reasons to relocate, consider how far your salary will go in the new market. For the short term, take a look at your relocation budget (and to what extent the new gig will cover expenses). For the long term, take into account the cost of living and professional growth prospects for your industry in the area.
Career paths are not linear. What can you gain from this opportunity that you couldn’t get anywhere else? What doors would this move open for you?
2. Dive into the details.
Will the new job and location make you happier?
See what you can predict about your work life. “Company culture” is of course a significant factor, but who you work with and how you work with them day-in and day-out will make a bigger impact.
People matter. 75% of people quit not their “jobs,” but their bosses.
How much do you know about your prospective new manager? Your new team? Your team’s mission and goals?
When your boss, team, and purpose align with you and your values, you’re far likelier to be happier.
3. Consider the ripple effect.
What kind of returns will you see on happiness?
Happy employees tend to be healthier and about 12% more productive. On the flip side, workplace stress has been linked to accidents, disease, and death.
Beyond work, what pressures will you face away from your established professional and personal networks? If you have a family, what does moving mean for your spouse’s career? For your children’s education?
As you make your decision, consider what it takes to find new friends and build a new social life. Moving doesn’t mean you cut off your connections with your old crowd. It means you grow your network. Depending on how you execute, “a bigger network leads to bigger happiness” according to one Yale study.
The decision to relocate is a big one, but attacking the decision from these 3 angles should help you focus your sights on the right answer.
If you’re thinking of starting a job search in a new city, give one of our Brightwing recruiters a call today. At Brightwing, we’re committed to becoming your career advisor, getting to know you on a deeper level so we can match you up with the perfect opportunity.