Recruiters work hard to find people outside of their immediate location to work for their companies. Whether they’re headhunting—actively recruiting people from other companies, such as their competitors—or doing a broader outreach to bring in applicants, distance can be a major deterrent to potential employees.

While it may be difficult to recruit employees from across the country to take a job with a company so far away, it’s not impossible by any means. One particularly effective method when recruiting from outside your general area is to offer a relocation package designed to take the stress out of moving far from home. Potential employees are more likely to accept a distant job offer if the hassle of packing, moving, and getting everything settled is handled on their behalf.

Sign-on Bonuses

When a company wants someone to move from their current home to start a new job, they often offer some incentives to make the move seem worthwhile. One of the most appreciated incentives companies offer to new employees is a one-time signing bonus. Essentially, the company pays the employee a tempting chunk of money up front as an enticement to take the job. Sometimes this money is intended to make the move easier, and others it is in addition to any relocation costs. Not all companies offer such packages, but many are willing to offer a cash bonus to a new employee provided they hold up their end of the bargain.

One example might be a company willing to offer a $10,000 cash bonus upon signing a contract. This contract might state that accepting that cash offer means the employee is now responsible for relocating and must work in the position for a specific timeframe before they’re permitted to leave. The company wants to offer a bonus, but they also want to be sure the new employee is going to make the bonus worthwhile.

Relocation Packages

A relocation package is another enticing offer for many new employees taking a job far from home. The cost and the burden of moving are excessive, and this is an offer that allows you to go through the process with a little less stress. Often, companies will even have special deals worked out with service providers to keep their costs down. For example, an Arizona-based company may have worked out an arrangement with a major airline to purchase all of their employee transportation from that airline in exchange for lower prices. That same company may have a local team of Phoenix movers to help get employees moved and settled into their new place. By removing that stress from the employee, they remove some of the biggest downsides to moving. A relocation package may be comprised entirely of moving fees and the like, but often, the incentives can include other bonuses as well.

Some packages include assistance in finding a home, selling the worker’s current home, or even covering transportation costs. This might come in the form of a reimbursement for all the moving expenses you incur while you’re leaving your old home, or the company might offer you a lump sum to handle this on your own. Some companies will even go so far as to hire all the movers and purchasing transportation costs themselves.

The Benefit of Recruitment Packages

When a company wants to hire a prospective employee enough, they will likely need to offer incentives to be competitive. Most people are unwilling to go through the process of uprooting their entire families, selling their homes, moving to cities far from their homes, and finding somewhere else to live, all for just a few extra dollars each year. It takes something that makes it worthwhile for workers to take such a big leap. Employees are more willing to make such a big change when they feel they are being taken care of.

Relocation packages are by no means mandatory. No one is going to force you to accept this package or the job being offered. It’s merely a way they can entice you to move to their city and work for them. Be sure to read all the fine print associated with a move like this. It often requires a bit of additional work and extra promises on your part, and knowing what they are is imperative to your future. It might be an offer you cannot refuse.