It is the only conclusion I can come to. Sydney is plagued by several magic barriers that people just refuse to cross. Some of the biggest are the Spit Bridge on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the perennial Sydney Harbour Bridge, Victoria Road and the m5 tunnel. So what am I talking about? As people2people’s recruitment consultants in the Sydney offices will confirm, getting to and from work can be a make or break situation when recruiting a position. Traffic snarls and congestion, seem to form magical barriers, preventing people from travelling.

The one I often use as an example to clients, is the Spit Bridge on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Not only does it keep locals north of the bridge local, it prevents companies accessing a wider talent pool that would otherwise travel to suburbs like Belrose, Mona Vale and Frenchs Forest. Of course, over the years, traffic reputations embed themselves in the culture and you will start to see prejudices creep into recruiting practices.

Using Sydney’s Northern Beaches again as an example, I have experienced companies refusing to hire staff simply based on their address. In most cases, they have hired people who have promised that they are willing to commute long distances or move to the area, only to have them change their mind and resign, based on the travel commitments, only a few months later.

This example begs the question, as to whether to include your address on your CV and my answer to this question is emphatically YES. If you are meeting with an agency or internal recruiter as a first step, make sure you discuss how you get to and from work. It seems like a small thing, but location and your consequent commute, is a very important part of your working life. So from a distance, and if you didn’t know Sydney traffic, you would be convinced that the netherworld has imposed its magical ways on key Sydney landmarks, such as the Harbour Bridge!