Moving Out!
How we negotiate with the candidates who are hesitant to relocate
The Customer
We collaborated with a Cyprus-based taxi and delivery service. Our client contacted us in 2019, when their company already had a Russian-speaking management team. The company wanted to search for non-management employees in Russia, but had no experience in relocating them.
The Challenge
We've been asked to hire a number of developers. In the search process, the client requested to formulate a negotiation strategy that would be effective with candidates. This was necessary to avoid eligible candidates turning down a job offer solely because of the potential difficulties of relocation and fear of change.
Our Help
At that time, the company's salaries were 10-15% above the market average. Despite the high technical requirements, we were able to quickly create a pool of candidates using standard search channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, job boards). During the first two weeks we conducted interviews, and the following week the company made the first job offer.
The candidate lived in Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia. He likes snowboarding and owns a large dog that is quite resistant to the cold but can't withstand heat well. Moving to Cyprus meant serious changes in the candidate's life, in both terms of climate zone and social environment. Last but not least, he has to come to an agreement with his wife: while for our candidate it was an interesting job opportunity, his wife feared that she won't be able to fulfill herself in a new country.
First, we abandoned the formal approach. Our founder, who lives in Cyprus with his family, created the most trusting atmosphere by sharing his personal experience of moving and settling. We also told the candidate about the not-so-obvious perks of living in Cyprus. For example, during the summer season, it's colder in the mountains, and it can even snow in winter. Moreover, this region is more affordable for rent than the places by the sea.
When the first doubts were resolved and the candidate agreed to move to Cyprus, we consulted both the company and the candidate on the preparation of documents and the relocation process, sharing both our knowledge and personal experience.
To get a work visa, it was necessary to correctly fill the paperwork confirming the candidate's work experience. We also helped with the papers and the certified translation.
During our work with another customer based in Cyprus, we compiled a comparative table for the future candidates. Applicants filled in their usual expenses in Russia, and we compared them with how much they're going to change after moving to Cyprus. We used this knowledge as well.
Once the candidate relocated, we stayed in touch with him, helping him to settle in a new place and checking his experiences and impressions during the probationary period.
The candidate lived in Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia. He likes snowboarding and owns a large dog that is quite resistant to the cold but can't withstand heat well. Moving to Cyprus meant serious changes in the candidate's life, in both terms of climate zone and social environment. Last but not least, he has to come to an agreement with his wife: while for our candidate it was an interesting job opportunity, his wife feared that she won't be able to fulfill herself in a new country.
First, we abandoned the formal approach. Our founder, who lives in Cyprus with his family, created the most trusting atmosphere by sharing his personal experience of moving and settling. We also told the candidate about the not-so-obvious perks of living in Cyprus. For example, during the summer season, it's colder in the mountains, and it can even snow in winter. Moreover, this region is more affordable for rent than the places by the sea.
When the first doubts were resolved and the candidate agreed to move to Cyprus, we consulted both the company and the candidate on the preparation of documents and the relocation process, sharing both our knowledge and personal experience.
To get a work visa, it was necessary to correctly fill the paperwork confirming the candidate's work experience. We also helped with the papers and the certified translation.
During our work with another customer based in Cyprus, we compiled a comparative table for the future candidates. Applicants filled in their usual expenses in Russia, and we compared them with how much they're going to change after moving to Cyprus. We used this knowledge as well.
Once the candidate relocated, we stayed in touch with him, helping him to settle in a new place and checking his experiences and impressions during the probationary period.
The Result
We've developed three areas of work with those candidates who are hesitant to relocate:
Today we offer similar support to our candidates when working on the positions that require relocation. With this, the companies can minimize the number of resignations during the first year after the employee's moving (due to unsuccessful adaptation to a new country).
- personal involvement (we use this when searching in other countries as well: even if we have zero experience of living there, we ask the candidates about their concerns and provide necessary information to dispel them)
- legal assistance (although we don't do the paperwork for our candidates, we always consult them on what needs to be done, supervise candidates throughout the entire relocation process so that the employing company, if necessary, could provide their help as well)
- financial adaptation (comparing the key living expenses in the candidate's home country and destination country)
Today we offer similar support to our candidates when working on the positions that require relocation. With this, the companies can minimize the number of resignations during the first year after the employee's moving (due to unsuccessful adaptation to a new country).