We’ve had difficulty convincing top candidates to relocate for positions at our headquarters. What strategies do you use to persuade candidates to relocate, and how do you address their concerns?

You will need to offer 100 support. Relocation expenses, bonus, housing, a very generous salary, etc. Moving right now is not in mosts best interest with the outrages cost of buying, renting and interest rates.

We’ve seen top employees to relocate only to be laid off months or a year later. It’s a huge risk in this business world and you need to establish trust. Or provide out of the norm benefits.

As someone who has been looking for more than 16 months, I would be happy to relocate, but the cost of living makes it impossible for what the company is offering, or based on what they are NOT offering.

I moved to a less than ideal small city twice (thanks cpg) and also ran MBA recruitment.
Though I was a single young woman with no ties to the area - I got a feeling both times that the company wanted me more than big city based companies and I was happy for the savings to pay student loans.

Do the final round interview in-person. Dinner the night before the interview with interview team at a local spot if possible.
Full relo is a must.
Offer an additional paid visit to the area with partner after the offer. Offer to set them up with a local real estate agent who does both rentals and purchases during the visit.
Set them up with a high performing peer buddy with the offer to help answer any questions and convert.

Policies:
At least 3w vacation and flexible wfh during holidays so they can travel to family.
Signing bonus with heavy 2y clawback so they definitely give it a chance.
If you’re recruiting women to move to a state without abortion, a company policy to address travel for medical care could help.

Make sure the interview team is intently listening throughout the process for signs of interest or concern.
It’s tough but possible to get top tier talent.

Where is your headquarters and what’s the industry?

Relocating can be a tough sell, but highlighting the benefits is key. Emphasize the career growth opportunities and company culture. Offer comprehensive relocation packages that cover moving expenses, temporary housing, and even assistance in finding local amenities. Address their concerns by providing detailed information about the new location, such as cost of living comparisons, community features, and quality of life improvements. Personalized virtual tours and meetings with future colleagues can also help them envision their new life. Keep communication open and empathetic to make them feel supported throughout the process.

Would you be able to share what is the blocker they have to move?

Interest rates and home prices are high. Offer a year of paid housing and storage. Relocation packages are not the perks they once were.

Do the job postings mention this? Most people won't apply for a job that requires relocation if they're not willing to relocate. In this market, you'll need to offer 100% location support and maybe even a contract of some kind. I wouldn't relocate for a job that might lay me off in a few months.

It’s definitely difficult, particularly in this day and age when people are looking for remote roles just so they don’t have to even drive to their current workplace, much less move to a different city for their jobs. Apart from their current ties to their cities, you may also run into the issue of candidate preferences when it comes to how big or small a new city is, climate, partner approval, aging parents being left behind, etc. Companies usually allocate large budgets for these types of mobility related assignments, a large part of which is obviously reserved for very top level candidates, or at least employees with extremely valuable or rare skillsets. So proper budgeting is key, along with the willingness to provide a wide array of support, anything from moving expenses to temporary housing to destination assistance. Even so only a few will accept, so don’t expect it to always produce a set number of moves per time period, or that those moves will always be successful and long lasting. Sometimes companies will hire people local to the location to avoid the mobility problem, or they’ll explore other options like making the jobs remote when possible or splitting the work between locations so that the move is temporary and rotational. That can work well psychologically for some candidates who are fine with working some weeks or months out of town, but not the whole year.

We offer housing, and transportation.. that's plus the net salary

I don’t know what the typical package is, but I was given expenses for moving, housing and a signing bonus. I did have to negotiate to have those expenses separate from the signing bonus. They originally expected me to use my bonus to move.