I have been searching for other job opportunities and received a call from the recruiter.

15 Comments

1. AnonymousFebruary 4,2026 at 4:11PM UTC

   If you've done your due diligence and this is a legit recruiter with a legit company, you have nothing to lose by calling her back. Sounds like she wants to be very clear about the relo upfront. Abrupt? Yes. A bit of a temperature check on her and the organization? Yes. You have nothing to lose by having a conversation.

2. AnonymousFebruary 4,2026 at 6:07PM UTC

   Yes it is a fair request since they don't want to waste their or your time if you are not willing to self relocate. Know that if you make it a topic of conversation or try to negotiate that after you further engage you will likely be rejected. They are doing you a service by asking up front as they don't know before they speak to you that you had relocated before on your own. The costs to move for many are costly and clearly the company does not have the budget to pay those costs for this hire. Don't let that taint your interest should this be a company of interest and consideration. Reject them after you know more about the role, culture and expectations if those don't suit your interest. Good luck!

3. Dr. Patty GrossFebruary 5,2026 at 7:23PM UTC

   Personally, I would thank them for being up front about it. Sometimes it mentions it in the job descriptions, but I understand that if this were the first (or only) comment they made about the opportunity, it could take you aback. How much do you want this job? Is the relocation option a deal-breaker? I wouldn't let this one remark keep me from an opportunity I really wanted unless there was no way to pay for it. You are dealing with a recruiter, not the hiring manager so things could be completely different in the trenches.

4. GirlBossanova934974February 6,2026 at 4:22PM UTC

   I think you are asking the wrong question. The job market is not exactly on fire these days. Hiring is very slow etc. So why would a company be calling someone from out of state to fill a role unless the company was located in some tiny city/location OR it had exhausted all the local resources aka the locals told the company, "Forget it". I have moved to tiny small cities in the past. It is tough getting out of them and I am suspicious of companies who have to go across state lines to find help. In a red hot job market and they are offering RELO assistance, maybe....but not now.

5. AnonymousFebruary 7,2026 at 6:01AM UTC

   My company hires out of state employees all the time. We use reputable recruitment agencies.

6. AnonymousFebruary 6,2026 at 7:43PM UTC

   They are managing expectations. They don't want to waste everyone's time.

7. AnonymousFebruary 6,2026 at 10:06PM UTC

   To echo the other respondent, they are managing expectations. I can't tell you how frustrating it is for an employer to get all the way through an interview process and you go to offer and then the individual is like "I know I said this at the outset, but I think you need to pay me to relocate". Just like people accuse employers of bait and switch, candidates do it to. Whatever it takes to land the interview.

8. AnonymousFebruary 6,2026 at 10:28PM UTC

   Update: I called her back and provided my information. I told her I am open to relocation and I had relocated in the past on my own. She tried pulling up my resume and just said oh doesn’t seem you have much experience in this and that. She didn’t say anything else and said thank you. She didn’t say if you are still looking to move we have other opportunities available please continue to apply. End of the conversation. I did not receive a rejection email yet.

9. AnonymousFebruary 7,2026 at 5:59AM UTC

   I would not trust that recruiter. Move on.

10. Olivia JohnsonFebruary 9,2026 at 4:02PM UTC

    Hi there!

    Thanks for the follow up/update on this. Often don't get to hear what happens next.

    I would treat all outreach from third-party recruiters as golden! Of course, you want to do your due diligence to ensure that it is a reputable recruiter, etc. but once you've gotten past the vetting process where you feel comfortable I would look to provide as much information as you can to make the Recruiters role easier for you.

    A few suggestions would be to:

    • Review the job description before your call, if you have this, and be prepared to share why you do have the experience being requested. Otherwise, if you don't have direct experience but it is a role you are interested in, you can share the transferable skills that are applicable to the role instead.
    • I would also recommend when going into a call with a third-party recruiter who has access to several other clients, to take a look at their website and see if there are other roles of interest to you. This way once you jump on the call whether the role they reached out to you for works out or not you'll be prepared to share some other roles of interest and find out if they can assist you while you have their ear!

    The job search process can be frustrating on both ends but I truly believe if both sides work to make it easier for the other the process could be smoother. The less of the heavy lifting that is placed on the recruiter to find your perfect role the better, as Recruiters are inundated with candidates all wanting them to take the lead in placing the perfect role in front of them and unfortunately, there's not that much time in a day. So, help us out. It will benefit you in the end.

    So, here's an action item...Recruiters don't tend to take things personally. So, before you receive the decline, take a look at the website and see if there are any other roles of interest. IF so, reach back out and share this and why you'd be a good candidate. There's nothing to lose on this attempt.

    Hope this lends some additional perspective.

    Wishing for the best in your search!

    Coach Olivia

11. AnonymousFebruary 7,2026 at 2:51PM UTC

    Did they also share other details about the compensation? It might just be setting expectations but if they said, “We don’t pay relocation,” before even stating the salary range it’s a red flag.

12. AnonymousFebruary 8,2026 at 2:41AM UTC

    No nothing about pay. The pay range was listed on job post. It’s New York so I guess they post pay ranges. She just said we don’t pay relocation and it was the same message on voicemail.

13. AnonymousFebruary 9,2026 at 2:02PM UTC

    I think the recruiter was trying to get that out of the way to avoid wasting your time and their time. They liked your skills enough to reach out, which is the positive thing.

    Relo being paid or not depends on the role and the level it is. If it is a senior role, then it is reasonable for a candidate to expect relo to be included in the compensation package and reasonable for the recruiter to clarify expectations.

14. AnonymousFebruary 9,2026 at 3:28PM UTC

    Indeed because if you were looking for relocation being covered you do not have to waste your time. Wouldn't you rather learn this now than when an offer is made?

15. Olivia JohnsonFebruary 9,2026 at 3:40PM UTC

    Hi there,

    Hope all is well. First congrats on receiving some outreach. There are various stages of this current job search process and you should celebrate every stair your climb.

    Having filled this hat before, I would go with the Recruiter wanting to ensure that this is confirmed. Most people with relocation involved would prefer to have it included in compensation, so this could be a huge hard stop on negotiations.

    I would take this as a plus and since you are ok without relocation, it is not a blocker for you, and you can go full steam ahead.

    Hope this is helpful.

    Coach Olivia