Asking about a candidate’s drive into your office is a good way to make small talk before an interview. But that information can be of use in other ways, too.
One key is finding out how the commute to your company would compare with a candidate’s current and previous commutes.
If yours would be quicker/easier, than that’s a selling point to use if the candidate hasn’t fully decided to change jobs.
On the other hand, if the candidate would have to spend a lot of time on the road, you’ll want to make sure that won’t become a problem if that person gets hired. You can find out if candidates have ever had to make a similar trek and ask how they handled it. If it turns out they left a job because of it, that might be a warning sign of a potential retention problem.
However, as long as it’s not a deal breaker, a long commute can help you tailor your selling points so that an offer’s more likely to be accepted. For example, if the company gives (or can give) benefits like flex-time, compressed work weeks or telecommuting, make sure the candidate understands that. Even if those are things not everyone cares about, in some situations they can make a big difference.
