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I landed an interview for later this week here in Columbus, with the help of a recruiter!
The interview is with a company located just 15 minutes away from my home. The company allegedly has great work/life balance and has been around since the 1960's. They are also in the same niche industry as my former company in Stamford, CT was in. The industry is so niche that my former CT co-workers would die laughing if they found out that I got a job with this company!
****ALSO!!!****
I have just received a response from another company just 20 minutes away from me. They said that an HR specialist will contact me soon!
One disappointing aspect of my job search, however, is that employers want to know why I am searching for opportunities in their city. They ask questions such as, "do you have family here?" It is so damn annoying. All of my family is in Hartford, CT, which has virtually NO jobs for me. So, it's highly unlikely that I'll find an opportunity near my family anyway. Even the employer who invited me in for an interview later this week here in Columbus has asked my recruiter if I have any "local support," meaning family, friends, etc. WHY the hell is this a prerequisite for getting a JOB?! I am an independent, introverted person who is NOT family oriented. Employers place way too much emphasis on the whole family thing. People are looking for JOBS, not necessarily to be near family. Otherwise I would have stayed in Hartford, CT in the first place. Duh.
So now I'm in a position where employers here in Columbus are concerned if I'm going to stay in Columbus. And employers in other cities want to know if I have any "roots" in their city. My answer is NO, unless it's in greater Hartford, CT. But there are no jobs there! So, I'm screwed.
One disappointing aspect of my job search, however, is that employers want to know why I am searching for opportunities in their city. They ask questions such as, "do you have family here?" It is so damn annoying. All of my family is in Hartford, CT, which has virtually NO jobs for me. So, it's highly unlikely that I'll find an opportunity near my family anyway. Even the employer who invited me in for an interview later this week here in Columbus has asked my recruiter if I have any "local support," meaning family, friends, etc. WHY the hell is this a prerequisite for getting a JOB?! I am an independent, introverted person who is NOT family oriented. Employers place way too much emphasis on the whole family thing. People are looking for JOBS, not necessarily to be near family. Otherwise I would have stayed in Hartford, CT in the first place. Duh.
So now I'm in a position where employers here in Columbus are concerned if I'm going to stay in Columbus. And employers in other cities want to know if I have any "roots" in their city. My answer is NO, unless it's in greater Hartford, CT. But there are no jobs there! So, I'm screwed.
How should I handle this?!
Tell them the truth, it's a city you want to live in. I've encountered the same thing various times...often they are just curious.
Tell them the truth, it's a city you want to live in. I've encountered the same thing various times...often they are just curious.
Yeah I agree. I've been telling the truth. I'd rather tell the truth and have them be on board with me and my reasoning than lie and say that I have family in the area.
What I tell them is that I'm willing and able to relocate for the right opportunity, regardless of location. However, I told this to one company recruiter who reached out to me via email, and she never responded after that. Ugh.
I do think broadening the search will yield results.
We all have location preferences, but sometimes things just don't work out that way. Sometimes you have to go where you get an offer. Most reasonable people can make any location acceptable.
I also hate the "why do you want to move here?" question. Frankly, it's none of the employer's damn business why I want to be in one town over another. I had an interview when I went to Tampa on vacation last month and they asked why I wanted to live in Tampa - I was straight with them and said warmer weather, lower tax environment, and year-round outdoor recreation, but that really has no bearing on my ability to do the job.
Yeah I agree. Employers pry for reasons why you want to move to their area, even though it has no bearing on your ability to perform the job.
With that said, expanding my search has definitely started to yield more results. I now have a recruiter assisting me in NYC, Philly and tomorrow I have a Skype call with a recruiter in Chicago. I have also heard from an employer in Rochester, but as I said in a previous post, she didn't seem to accept my answer as to why I want to move to Rochester, and stopped communicating with me. Sigh.
Yeah I agree. I've been telling the truth. I'd rather tell the truth and have them be on board with me and my reasoning than lie and say that I have family in the area.
What I tell them is that I'm willing and able to relocate for the right opportunity, regardless of location. However, I told this to one company recruiter who reached out to me via email, and she never responded after that. Ugh.
It is frustrating to get this type of question, but having pre-existing ties to an area is not really a prerequisite to getting a job - after all, you were able to obtain offers in Columbus before residing there. The hiring company may want to ensure that you are serious about committing to their location for the long run before investing time with the interview process.
If the company truly has a need to fill their positions and they can't find the best candidate among local or locally connected applicants, they may consider "outsiders". In the event they probe for more details it would also be truthful, based on your posts, to state that your family resides in an area lacking sufficient opportunities in your field. That is a perfectly valid reason to look elsewhere for jobs.
Congrats on the upcoming interviews in Columbus - hopefully (if you want to) the chance to stay in the area will work out for you. It's hard to know for sure but sometimes the lower degree of competition in less major cities may compensate for the smaller number of openings.
It is frustrating to get this type of question, but having pre-existing ties to an area is not really a prerequisite to getting a job - after all, you were able to obtain offers in Columbus before residing there. The hiring company may want to ensure that you are serious about committing to their location for the long run before investing time with the interview process.
If the company truly has a need to fill their positions and they can't find the best candidate among local or locally connected applicants, they may consider "outsiders". In the event they probe for more details it would also be truthful, based on your posts, to state that your family resides in an area lacking sufficient opportunities in your field. That is a perfectly valid reason to look elsewhere for jobs.
Part of the reason, when you really get down to it, is employers tend to want people who have personal ties to an area. If the employee doesn't like the company, they're far more likely to stay if they have significant personal ties to the area. Someone without a lot of deep roots in an area is much more likely to find another offer and move.
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It's hard to know for sure but sometimes the lower degree of competition in less major cities may compensate for the smaller number of openings.
