Small towns, big wins: working beyond the big city

There’s a lot of talent in Tallinn. Never heard of it? Perhaps you’re more familiar with the product a trio of tech wizards in this Estonian community developed: Skype, the world’s preeminent video chat app. In fact, that’s how Estonia’s commander in chief describes himself: president of the country that created Skype.

High-tech in humble places

The New York Times called Tallinn “a sort of Silicon Valley on the Baltic Sea” (it is a sister city to Los Gatos, California, which is in Silicon Valley). Estonia’s capital is a high-tech hub, with ubiquitous free WiFi, as well as free bus and train transportation for local residents.

But Tallinn isn’t just a tech mecca; it’s also beautiful, with breathtaking architecture that makes it one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. The same can be said of Ljubljana, Slovenia, which boasts a 12th century castle, and watercourse bridges to rival Venice. Best-selling Brazilian author Paulo Coelho set one of his novels in Ljubljana. And each year, the city hosts over 10,000 cultural events, so technophiles can replenish their creative juices.

Now you might be thinking, well, Tallinn and Ljubljana are capital cities; even in small countries like Estonia and Slovenia, they must be well populated. Yet everything is a matter of scale. At 300,000 and 440,000 residents, respectively, Ljubljana and Tallinn are a third to half the size of San Francisco, a seventh to fifth the size of Paris, and a sneeze in New York City’s or London’s 8.5 million inhabitants. So comparatively speaking, Tallinn and Ljubljana are small. And residents who relocate there from as far away as Asia or the USA adore both cities.

Why small towns can mean big wins for employers

Forbes magazine found that “small cities are becoming the main engine of economic growth” stateside, with small and midsized American metropolitan areas (populations under one million) adding jobs at the fastest rate.

This is happening in part because job seekers today want change and adventure, along with stimulating work. For digital nomads, cultural sharing opportunities between East and West abound. For example, while one can find a pub almost anywhere, chewing the fat with multicultural colleagues in real time can be much more engaging than social media.

After all, recruitment is all about your vision, your product. If you have a global vision and act globally, you’ll attract top talent from around the globe.

Priorities shift with age

Another factor to consider is the age of your hires. While many people just starting their careers thrive on the energy and excitement big cities offer, these attractions tend to fade with maturity and a shift in priorities. Instead of painting the town with pals after work, by their thirties your talent may be ready to nest in a safe community, where they can start a family.

A smaller, “boring” town or city can be quite attractive for this reason, especially if there is a fast commute to a fantastic job. Perception is in the eye of the beholder, and his or her life goals.

Familiarity breeds comfort

We have Jobbaticalers moving from big, “fun” cities such as Los Angeles, Barcelona and Hong Kong to small cities like Malaga and Penang — and vice versa. There are Jobbaticalers moving from Kiev to Hong Kong, Sardinia to Dublin, etc. What one person sees as too familiar, another embraces as comforting. The question of whether a location is “boring” or not, attractive or not, is highly subjective.

So if your business is located in “the middle of nowhere,” take heart: this may be precisely where your most sought-after talent wishes to live, because it ticks all the boxes at this point in their lives and career. And who knows: perhaps your new tech hire will develop a breakthrough product that catapults your obscure city to the world stage.

Originally published at jobbatical.com