Today I came across these visuals of the economic footprint of cities in England and Wales which I found truly fascinating.
Having grown up in the West Midlands, I was shocked when I moved to London and realised the lengths of some individual's commutes. Very few people back home would consider travelling for more than 30 - 45 minutes, but now I find myself surrounded by people who are travelling up to 2 hours each way - every day!
Now, as much as I would love to think that this is just recruiters showing their dedication to the cause, I know there are deeper underlying reasons. How do I know this I hear you ask? Because I have built a career on learning about peoples motivations, values and most importantly their personal expectations.
Everyday candidates will question why I need to know x, y or z? It's simple. Everyone is different and what some consider 'normal' others would never dream of becoming their reality.
These graphs are a perfect explanation of why I need to ask for detailed information and understand the flexibility on your expectations. Everyone is different and for the right role, these graphs show just how far people will go to get what they want from their career.
Questions is, how far would you go?
{ Where does a city begin and where does it end? Alasdair Rae at the University of Sheffield analysed point-to-point commuter data from the ONS in an attempt to build a truer picture of the economic footprint of cities in England and Wales, one which goes beyond simple local authority boundaries. He tweets @undertheraedar
