Ask if relocation is available
If a potential new employeer doesn't offer/mention relocation is available, is it okay to ask for it? How does one go about asking for relocation assistance? My wife & I have a couple areas we want to relocate to anyways, and no relocation assistance wouldn't be a deal breaker, but the money would be helpful. Very few employers offer relocation and those that do only offer it to select employees. In essence, if they don' t mention it, it probably won' t be happening. Frankly, many employers won' t even interview out of town applicants so if you' re getting interviews, I wouldn' t ask about it. If you get an offer, you MIGHT mention it if you' re feeling brave, but chances are that if it is going to be on the table, they' ll tell you. Typcially relocation is reserved for sr management positions. It is not always advertised and I have asked for relocation during negotiations. In my last two moves I received decent basic relocation with 14-30 million dollar companies. My brother in law working at near VP level in fortune 1,000 companies has gotten huge relocation packages. It depends on the size of the company, the level you are hired at and the uniquness of the skills you bring to the table. Always ask. but don't hold your breath. Sure, you can always ask, but I wouldn' t do so until an offer is made. A lot of companies have stopped offering relo benefits, but when they are available, they are not always reserved for upper management level. My DH is a mid-level engineering person, and got a decent allowance from the company that relocated us to this state, and other positions he interveiwed for offered some relo benefits. You probably won' t get any help, e.g., with selling/buying your homes, or expense reimbursement for travel back & forth from old location to new, etc., but you might get a moving-expense allowance, When we relocated several years ago, almost every firm DH interviwed with offered help with moving costs, anywhere from $2500 to $6000. Even when no relocation policy was mentioned. When he asked, he usually was offered something. And, hey, even if they will pay part of the moving expense, that helps, right? It depends more on the job and industry than the size of company. I work in aerospace engineering, relo is standard, even for new grads. I presently work for a small business (as defined by FAR) and they paid pretty much everything. Movers, real estate fees, continuing cost of ownership, temporary lodging, they even paid the fees for my new drivers license and car title. They really had a better relo deal than a lot of big companies. Remember that a lot of it is taxable. They even came up with a sign on bonus to cover the taxes. I wouldn' t suggest raising this during a first interview because you haven' t been offered the job yet. But as it gets closer to your actually getting the job, or actually being offered it, then there' s nothing wrong with raising the issue. However, many company don' t offer much assistance. If you were currently working for them, then your chances would be better because it would be more of a job transfer. When I accepted my present job, the hiring director offer me a relocation package that included a two month stay in a local condomium project the company owned or the hotel/casino I would be working for. Then if I stayed on board, they would pick up the tab for me to move from S. California to Las Vegas. One truck load and delivery cost about $4,000. They also gave me a nice stipend to spend to furnish my new place too. But it is very rare that major companies would be willing to pay for relocation unless they are in dire need of a qualified candidate. Of the many employees I have hired, only a handful was offered relocation packages and that was because we recruited them from other hotels or from our competitors. | |
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Career Tips
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