Person ↔ person: the other way to change cities

Lucía works as a data analyst in Madrid. She's been saying for two years that she'll go back to Seville, where her parents live, 'next year'. Álex works as a data analyst in Seville. He's been saying for two years that he'll go to Madrid for bigger projects 'next year'. Neither of them has moved. And not for lack of trying (illustrative, but we hear these stories every week).

The fear isn't moving, it's starting from scratch. When someone thinks about changing cities, it's almost never the move that holds them back. It's everything that comes after: searching for jobs in an unknown market, going through interviews, returning to a trial period, losing seniority and the trust that was so hard to earn. But also, starting in a city they don't know and without references to help them settle into their new life.

Research confirms it. Matthew Bidwell, a professor at the Wharton School, studied for years what happens when someone joins a company from the outside. His conclusion was that new people take about two years to perform at the level of someone who already knew the company. His way of summarizing it is simple: 'People don't hit the ground running on day one'.

That's the 'starting from scratch' that we all fear. It's not just a feeling: it has a real cost in time, money and peace of mind.

The usual way: Person → vacancy. Until now, changing cities worked like this: you look for a vacancy in your destination, compete with dozens of candidates and, if it goes well, you start again. It's a one-way, solo and blind path. While the person who has the perfect job for you, in your destination, is doing exactly the same, in the opposite direction.

The Caribou way: Person ↔ person. At Caribou Swap Jobs, we don't look for vacancies, we look to connect people. You want to go from Madrid to Seville. Someone wants to go from Seville to Madrid. If your positions are compatible, you swap. Each person arrives at a position they already know inside out, because it's the same one they were doing, in the city where they want to live, and the swappers (those who swap jobs) are in charge of making a high-level knowledge transfer to ensure the success of the swap.

In practice, the path is this:

1. 1.You register with your position, your current city and the city you want to go to.
2. 2.We'll let you know when someone with a compatible profile wants to do your journey in reverse, or you can check it in 'my swaps'.
3. 3.You get to know each other and decide if you want to go ahead. You decide who you connect with.
4. 4.You present the swap to your companies, who have the final say.

The final decision is up to the companies, but we help you prepare the presentation of the swap and send you our match certificate, with the compatibility details. Each swap has its own particularities, so it's important to work on the details of the swap.

What changes is the starting point: instead of jumping into the void, you arrive with someone who has done your same job and wants your life, just as much as you want theirs.

Why is it also convenient for companies? When someone valuable wants to move to another city, the company usually loses them. With a swap, they receive a person with the same experience who is already motivated to stay, and if it's temporary, they know they'll come back. LinkedIn data goes along the same lines. According to their Workplace Learning Report, after two years, someone who has made an internal move has a 75% chance of staying with the company, compared to 56% for someone who hasn't moved. Moving, when done well, isn't a way to leave: it's a way to stay.

The person compatible with you may already be registered. Every day there are people who want to go to the city you want to leave, the only thing missing is to find you. Find your match at caribounow.ai.

Change my life.

Sources: Knowledge at Wharton, 'Why External Hires Get Paid More, and Perform Worse' Chief Learning Officer, LinkedIn article on the Workplace Learning Report.