The daily commute; some of us can bike to work in 10 minutes, others take the train and travel from door to door within 20 minutes, while others spend up to 4 hours daily commuting to get home or to get to the office. This is the reason for one of the main questions we ask applicants: which city/town do you live in or plan on moving to?
Why do we care about your commute?
From the beginning of the hiring process, we want to make sure that if you’re invited for an interview, everything runs as smoothly as possible. The closer you are to the office, the less likely there will be complications to get to work. Especially now as the transport industry is facing strikes due to a lack of employees.
Culture shock can also play a large role, as some of us are not as adaptable as others. When you’re from a tiny village and you go into the big city, it could become overwhelming and vice versa. Though this is most unlikely to happen; due to the Netherlands being as small and dynamic as it is.
Another example is when candidates were hired before they relocated to the Netherlands but then were unable to find a home in the cities, due to the competitive rental market or high living costs. This in turn made them lose the opportunity and they were back to square one.
Why are Companies interested in your commute?
What about the companies? Why do they care about your daily commute? Even if you’re willing to travel from a land far away to work for them? Some prefer their employees to live nearby because of the commute costs, whether it be the subscription for the train or fuel costs; most employers pay between 50%-100% of a train ticket and a limited amount of kilometres travelled to and from work but it can be a bit pricey.
Other companies are very economically friendly and would prefer their employees not to leave such a big carbon footprint every day. Then there are companies who care a lot about their employee’s well-being and do not wish them to have to travel too long, during the (usually stressful) peak hours.
Last advice
As obvious as it may be, be well aware that where you decide to live will influence your job options. Sometimes it’s best to find a home first before getting a job, it will be much easier for you and it will help to convince companies that you are an ideal candidate, not only for your wits and expertise but also for your residential status.
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