4 min read
Again and again, placements that are otherwise a good fit fall through because the candidate's personal circle does not come along. From more than twelve years of experience, we know that the final decision for or against changing jobs is rarely made in the interview alone. It is made at the dinner table, in the living room and in conversations with partners, children and close family and friends.
Companies that want to succeed in the competition for experienced specialists and executives must actively take this life context into account. After all, candidates today ask themselves not only "Is this the right job for me?", but above all "Does this offer fit our life?"
Why recruitment is more than matching profiles
Traditional recruitment often concentrates on professional skills, job titles, salary ranges and benefits. These factors remain important, but they fall short when a move involves deep changes to private life.
Typical examples from our practice:
- The dream job is a two-hour commute away, but the family is firmly rooted somewhere else.
- A management role requires considerably more travel, the partner also works full time, and childcare is in short supply.
- The career step would be a financial upgrade, but at the same time it means moving to a region with a higher cost of living.
In all of these cases, it is the overall balance in private life that decides in the end. This is exactly where companies that work with a professional recruitment agency gain a real competitive advantage: they gain insight into candidates' real-life circumstances and can tailor their offers more precisely.
The role of partners, children and wider circle in the recruitment process
Particularly for experienced specialists and executives, changing jobs is rarely a purely individual decision. Partners, children, relatives in need of care or the partner's own career situation play a central role.
Important factors include:
- Place of residence and social ties: friends, family, club life or the children's school provide stability that people do not give up lightly.
- Childcare and education: the availability of nursery places, schools or international schools can become a dealbreaker.
- The partner's job: can the partner also work at the new location, or commute sensibly?
- The family's way of life: how do we want to organise work, leisure and family time, and does the new role fit with that?
A professional recruitment agency has to raise these topics sensitively but clearly in order to avoid unpleasant surprises later. The aim is not to intrude on privacy, but to understand the circumstances that are decisive for a sustainable placement.
Which questions companies should ask early
Many companies focus heavily in their conversations on qualifications, scope of responsibility and pay. At least as important, however, is looking at the personal circumstances. In cooperation with a specialised recruitment agency, these topics can be addressed in a structured and respectful way.
Useful guiding questions in the recruitment process:
- How does the partner feel about the planned move: is there support or are there concerns?
- Is relocating conceivable, or does a long-term commuting arrangement have to work?
- What are the expectations regarding flexibility, working-time models and the option of working from home?
- What role do childcare, schools or caring responsibilities play in everyday life?
- Are there career prospects that the partner would like to have at the new location?
The earlier these aspects are discussed openly, the better it is possible to check whether the position, the company and the personal situation really fit together. Recruitment thus becomes the interface between a company's requirements and the reality of modern family models.
How companies can make a move more attractive
The good news: companies can actively do a great deal to make decisions to move more family-friendly, and in doing so set themselves apart in the competition for talent.
Possible building blocks:
- Flexible home-working models: clear, reliable rules on remote working shares, flexitime and hybrid working arrangements.
- Support with finding housing and relocation: cooperation with relocation service providers, help with dealing with the authorities, information on neighbourhoods and infrastructure.
- Childcare: subsidies towards nursery fees, partnerships with childcare providers or emergency childcare.
- Temporary housing and company apartments: housing offered for a limited period, which reduces the pressure during the move.
- Language courses and integration support: particularly relevant for international moves or rural regions with a different dialect or language situation.
- Career prospects for relocating partners: support with networking, contacts with local companies or partner programmes.
Such measures are not just "nice to have", but can be the decisive factor in the competition for skilled professionals, especially in structurally weaker regions or for hard-to-fill specialist roles.
Conclusion: Recruitment takes the life context into account
Today, recruiting no longer ends with the signature on the employment contract. Successful recruitment, and successful employers, take into account the entire life context of new employees, from their family situation to regional infrastructure. In the end, then, what decides a move is often not only the position but the question: does this offer fit our life?
Companies that make this shift in perspective and create family-conscious, flexible conditions gain a clear lead in the competition for talent.
