How to Answer Interview Question: Are You Willing to Travel?
A lot of job roles require the employee to travel around from time to time. This could be within the same state, outside the state, or even outside the country. The reason for this could be to meet with other colleagues in other branches to have meetings that are beneficial to the company, or to meet clients in different locations to carry out business deals. Job roles that usually demand frequent traveling range from sales, consultants, flight attendants, cruise ship workers, international Aid workers, etc. Traveling jobs can be demanding, especially for married people or employees who have people to care for. This is because your spouse might not like the idea of a distance relationship or catering for the children alone. Also, you will miss important events in your children’s lives, which might affect your relationship with them. It is a decision you have to think critically, weigh your options before deciding the answer. Also, you have to check if it is something you would like to do personally. Some individuals have a phobia for traveling, others lack the capability to adapt easily to a new environment. Employers ask this question to make sure they are on the same page with the employee. No employer wants to waste valuable resources recruiting a candidate that can not carry out a task effectively or leave within few months of taking the job.
Before answering this question, it is important you understand what willingness to travel actually means and how you can negotiate efficiently.
Willingness to travel
Meaning: There are two major types of travel jobs. One is the seasonal job, which involves the employee traveling for a few months or weeks, within which the employee stays there the entirety of the period. While the second is the regular job, which requires the employee to travel from time to time to carry out one task or the other. The employee might be expected to make day trips, which the company expects you to come back that same day. In this kind of deal, the company will not be willing to pay you for an overnight stay, if anything delays you. The company might send you to a far place and will not fend for your feeding while you are there. The mindset is that the employee feeds himself every day while at home, so traveling should not stop you from taking care of that. But the fallacy in that theory is that the location you will be sent to might be expensive to live in. Also, you should note there is a huge difference between willingness to travel and willingness to relocate.
Now that you know what could be expected of you, it is time you learned how to negotiate a good deal or what to negotiate for.
- Traveling percentage: The first thing a candidate should have in mind when opting for a job that involves traveling is the traveling percentage. This is typically the amount of time you are required to travel. Is it a week? , A month?, How many days a week? How often?. These are the questions that should run through your mind. Why is it important you know the traveling percentage?. This is for you to know the amount of time you are willing to commit to the work. Some job roles require a high traveling percentage, ranging from 70% to 80%. This kind of work can be tasking, cause you will spend a great amount of your life abroad. 70 % traveling percentage typically means you will spend 7 days working or away from home for every 3 days in home town/office. The average traveling percentage is usually from 50% and below. Anything other than that is a huge task to take up. Different jobs will have different percentages, be sure to ask how the percentage you are given is calculated.
- Type of travel: It is important you ask about the means of transportation. Will, I have to drive there every day? Will I fly to the destination? How available is the route? Is the route safe to travel in?
- Destination: It is of utmost importance you enquire where you will be traveling to. This will help you determine if it’s actually a place you are comfortable staying in. For instance, the job role might require you to travel to some locations that are not safe, probably the residents are always going from one war to another. Some individuals are sensitive to some kind of environment. The individual might have some kind of condition, that might prevent him from staying in an extremely cold or hot region.
- Expenses: This is one of the most important questions to ask. Different companies have different traveling policies. The candidate is to enquire about what the traveling policy is for the company he is applying to. Some companies require the employees to foot the expenses themselves, while they are reimbursed after. Some other companies have a certain amount they give the employee for every trip. The employee is expected to use the money to cater for his needs during that period. While some companies might pay for the fees associated with transportation and accommodation, they might not provide for needs like feeding. So before saying yes or no to the question, ask the employer these questions.
Now that you are familiar with the real intention of employers when they ask the question “ Are you willing to travel”, it is time you learned the way to answer this question smartly.
Ask for clarification: This has already been covered above. Do not rush to say Yes because you are probably desperate for a job or the idea of traveling excites you. It is not your typical summer travel vacation for fun or a holiday. You will be required to carry out a lot of work and not explore the new place. So take your time to enquire what it entails.
Be truthful: When you have covered all the questions above and have made a decision. Truthfully communicate your response. If the job description sits well with you, then express interest in the job role. On the other hand, if the negotiation does not go in your favor, then decline the job.
Talk about previous travel experience: If you are genuinely interested in the work, it will take a lot more than a yes to convince the interviewer of your interest. So this is your opportunity to talk about your previous experience. You can point out that your role in your previous company also required traveling. Talk about how you excelled in the role and convince the interviewer that you can deliver if taken. It is not wrong to also point out that traveling is a hobby for you. Since a hobby is what you are happy doing, it will give the interviewer the confidence that you will enjoy the role.
Examples that work perfectly
I am definitely willing to travel. My previous role required me to travel from time to time, so I understand the importance of meeting clients face to face to discuss business. However, I will like to get more information on the type of travel required for this job.
I have never taken a role that requires me to travel before but I am quite passionate about traveling and seeing new places. So I believe this is the kind of role I will really enjoy doing, but I would love to have more details about the traveling requirements.
