the job opening-prefers locals (Santa Fe, Taos: for rent, how much, job market)

[inmt]

My husband and I are relocating...he is finishing up school and a job came up in santa fe. What I found interesting is that the recruiter said they prefer someone local, with ties to the area. That brought up some ?s for me.

-Is that because Santa Fe isn't that great if you aren't from there? (I have been there & loved it!)

-Is it very transient?

-Hard to keep employees?

-Keep relocation compensation low?

Any other thoughts? This is the first time I have outright heard of this, so it really got me thinking.

TIA! BTW-I really want to more to SF or Taos! I just love it-all of it. I grew up/live in MT and am ready for a change. We are not too naive as we have lived all over the world (not military).

[Dancingearth]

Originally Posted by inmt

My husband and I are relocating...he is finishing up school and a job came up in santa fe. What I found interesting is that the recruiter said they prefer someone local, with ties to the area. That brought up some ?s for me.

-Is that because Santa Fe isn't that great if you aren't from there? (I have been there & loved it!)

-Is it very transient?

-Hard to keep employees?

-Keep relocation compensation low?

Any other thoughts? This is the first time I have outright heard of this, so it really got me thinking.

TIA! BTW-I really want to more to SF or Taos! I just love it-all of it. I grew up/live in MT and am ready for a change. We are not too naive as we have lived all over the world (not military).

Wild guesses here but my opinion is there are so few jobs here so it should go to someone who is already part of the community. Also you take a chance of the new person hating the area when they get here or they get allergic to juniper and leave after two years when it kicks in Yes, someone I worked with did that.--went back to Chicago he was so miserable with allergies. Relocation cost is probably a big factor. When I came back they had hired many people in the five years I was gone all from the area. It was a disaster. They paid my relocation costs.

I doubt if this is unique to Santa Fe. When I was looking for jobs when I lived in WA I heard you should at least get a PO Box in the area you want to live so it's not so obvious.

Like anywhere, Santa Fe has its good and down sides. When I think of anywhere else I'd want to live I come up with Most of the time I love it.

[inmt]

that makes sense. but the job market is tight all orver the country...this is the first time I have seen this, in his field. Just curious! Thank you for your time!

[Fischer_girl]

Santa Fe is very transient here. but...when I was job hunting all over the US I ran into that A LOT! Infact, a lot of job ads would say you had to pick up the application IN person! It is really geared to help the locals and the economy. Generally, all "how to find a job" guides, books and fliers would encourage people to do whatever they can do NOT use an out of town/state address when applying for jobs.
I'm from ND...come on down..us midwestern kids love it here!

[santafescribe]

Aren't there laws against that kind of discrimination?

Anyway, they should be hiring the best person for the job, not the person who's living within 50 miles of the office. Call me naive, but that just leads to mediocrity, in my opinion. It's fair to say there's no relocation paid, but to outright say 'we only hire locals' is suspect....

[Dancingearth]

Originally Posted by santafescribe

Aren't there laws against that kind of discrimination?

Anyway, they should be hiring the best person for the job, not the person who's living within 50 miles of the office. Call me naive, but that just leads to mediocrity, in my opinion. It's fair to say there's no relocation paid, but to outright say 'we only hire locals' is suspect....

I'm fairly certain it's illegal but many don't seem to be aware or ignore all the illegal things they do. Some more subtle, like age/gender discrimination. For instance, you can't post a room for rent and say you want a female but you see it all the time unless craigslist is stopping it now.

My company hired locals who had no experience in my field. You'd have to get someone out of state for that. The job is typically not looked upon as that difficult by those in power--because it's extremely detailed, lots of problem solving, managing multitudes of people at vendors in other states. Women tend to do it--I have over 20 years experience. Usually I hear it's not rocket science because the manager gets frustrated and doesn't want to be bothered. It's been rare that I have had a supervisor who appreciated my attention to detail and what it means. Sigh...she's long gone. If things are running smooth it looks easy--like watching a potter throw a bowl on the wheel and then you try it! Needless to say I came back to a mess and after one year I'm still trying to get it running smoother. This economy makes it even more difficult.

Many forget how much can be saved by hiring someone who knows what they are doing even if it means paying something towards relocation. This year I've saved the company more than my salary and that's not counting the two positions they eliminated. Now the boss has reports he was trying for 3 years to get from having those people who didn't know what they were doing.

Convince them you're the right person for the job. Look at the tips on employment sites. Tell them you'll be in town ___ and would like to setup an interview. Get a PO box/cell phone with a local number especially if you are definitely moving here anyway. Good luck.

[rybert]

I'm all for it!

KEEP IT LOCAL!

[RamblinRoseRanch]

But what, for instance- the job Greg is interviewing for, there ARE no locals qualified for the position, Rybert? Should the company waste money training and employing someone who cannot do the job just to give it to a local person? Or would it be more cost effective to hire the out-of-towner if they're the best person for the job?

[rybert]

Originally Posted by RamblinRoseRanch

But what, for instance- the job Greg is interviewing for, there ARE no locals qualified for the position, Rybert? Should the company waste money training and employing someone who cannot do the job just to give it to a local person? Or would it be more cost effective to hire the out-of-towner if they're the best person for the job?

If, in that case, there is NOBODY in the whole state not qualified to work, then by all means please hire someone from elsewhere to perform the duties required. I seriously doubt that there are many positions like that available though. We're a fairly techie state rich with talent.

[RamblinRoseRanch]

I understand that. I also understand that not everyone qualified lives in or is willing to commute, to the area the job is in. I'm sure the ability to pass a drug screen hampers many as well. It sure does here.