How do I apply for a job in another city? (job hunting, employment)

[hamlin6969]

I am currently living in Thunder Bay,Ontario and I am trying to find a job in Toronto. I am an accountant so I am qualified for basically every job I apply to but I am not getting any responses...not even a phone call. My cover letter states that I have family in Toronto and I am willing to cover all of my relocation expenses. What am I doing wrong? My friend told me the only way to do it would be to sell my house, save money and just move there and then start applying.

What would be the best way to find employment in another city?

[brocco]

i would just use your family's address on your resume and pretend like you live there

[Colts]

Lie on your application and say you live in Toronto. I mean, seriously. You do what you have to do to eat.

You may want to save up some cash and live down there so that you can be available to interview, though.

It's a lot harder to find work in other cities than it looks.

[kira kira]

You have several options:

1.) Don't include your address on your resume.
2.) Use your family's address
3.) Plan to visit the area. Follow up your application with a phone call letting them know that you will be in the area for several days and would like to schedule an interview with them.

I actually did option #3 several years ago. I was living in Atlanta but was interested in a job in Dallas. I contacted the company and told them that I would be in town and would like to meet with them. I paid for everything, but it all worked out because they liked me and flew me back for a second round of interviews. I eventually got the job.

It is much more difficult during today's economy, so you need to do what you need to do. If you don't have to provide an address, don't. But just know that you may have to go through multiple rounds of interviews, so be ready to travel with very short notice.

Best wishes!

[grubbyhubby]

The problem is Accounting is not that specialized. Big cities have hundreds of thousands of accountants walking the streets.
I understand you don't want to relocate not having secured employment, but like Colts suggested " You may want to save up some cash and live down there so that you can be available to interview, though."
I have been through the relocation prospect several times during the down turn, but I have a very specialized skill set that is rare. I live in the Midwest but have worked in the Northwest ( Washington state ) and Philadelphia, PA. , and interviewed for a position in Louisiana. In all three cases the prospective employers payed my air fare, accommodations and car rental.
The problem with your situation is any employer can get someone with your skills locally.
Good luck.

[jane_sm1th73]

In my opinion, the best thing you can do in this economy is to keep yourself from winding up in the "reject" pile.

As there may be hundreds of applicants for every position, employers are quite eager to make their jobs of weeding out the pile of resumes easier. Therefore, they will not want to even discuss relocation. And, even though you have a commonly understood skill set, they will want you to have experience in the particulars of that industry, to a ridiculous degree - because these days, they won't train, either.

Your job is to appear to be local by using the family address, and getting a cell phone with the Toronto area code that you use just for job hunting. And, frame yourself as a cross cutting specialist.

Surely that industry has particular problems - know what they are and how to problem solve to maximize the company's profit. Timber? Understand that the way you adjust your earnings is by adjusting the percentage harvested from old vs. new stands, or however it's counted. As an accountant, you know that hitting the "whisper number" is key, and there are many strategies available for doing that in any given industry.

Same thing happens if you are a regular CPA type accountant, only in this case you are striving to minimize taxable income for individuals or small businesses. Every profession has its tricks. Make sure everybody knows that you know them.

So, use a local address and local phone to avoid being rejected on account of the relocation decision rule. And speak knowledgeably about the particular problems of the industry you are approaching so that they know you know their problems. That frames you as a problem solver instead of as somebody who may not hit the ground running.

Best of luck.

[hamlin6969]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. We were thinking about selling our house and moving in with my parents for a few months to save some cash, find an apartment there or stay with my family, and hope we find jobs. Is that too risky?