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Fact of the matter is to most employers, it is less risky to hire a person that's local than it is to hire one that's non-local. The non-local would be less likely to ask for a relocation package, would be less likely to have transportation problems as they may have other means of getting to work on time living closer to the job and would be less likely to have something go wrong that leads up to them not being able to relocate at all once offered the job.
It has nothing to do with taking away jobs from local people.
I'm not agreeing that the logic is sound, but that is the norm.
This is all compounded to the 5th degree in a god awful economy like this where there are likely tons of local candidates who are just as qualified for the open positions as there are non-local candidates (with a few exceptions of course).
And as far as your friends in who live in different states, I can see an exception to that as well in places like the NE United States, where the transit infrastructure is good and it's simply cheaper for everyone to live outside the big cities (I.E., people who work in Manhattan living in/commuting from Connecticut or New Jersey).
Actually the friends I was thinking of are as follows:
One who lives in Kansas, working in Maryland
Two who live in Florida working in LA
One who lives in Missouri working in Texas
like i said, i HAVE to understand why employers are doing these things so i can respond to them. i've applied to a lot of different types and sizes of employers and i haven't seen any patterns as to who asks about my location and who doesn't. the vast majority of them do. and i don't know how many of my resumes got tossed because of my location before anyone spoke to me. THAT is stupid but i don't think anyone you're arguing with right now is advocating that.
i also happen to have a very solid plan to move that i am very sure about. i know that, but potential employers don't. for all they know, i have no idea what the areas i'm targeting are like, i haven't given thought to the logistics of moving, i don't know what the cost of living is in the area therefore i don't know what kind of lifestyle i can live on the pay, etc etc. of course they want to clear these things up before they consider me. of course i wish they would just trust that i've thought things out but really, why should they? they don't know me. but once i'm over that hurdle, i should be over it. no "oh you were more qualified but we disqualified you because of this factor we already knew about and you already addressed."
What do you say when they ask you about why you want to move to their location?
Actually the friends I was thinking of are as follows:
One who lives in Kansas, working in Maryland
Two who live in Florida working in LA
One who lives in Missouri working in Texas
Interesting.
Do they work from home?
If not, I imagine they must live in both of those states part of the time while working at home part of the time.
i say that i grew up in the area and/or have family near there (i am looking in a fairly large radius around where my parents and inlaws live) and that i want to be closer to them. they also generally ask me what kind of notice i would need to start and i tell them that i have a place to stay lined up locally (this is true for everywhere i am looking), so i can give 2 weeks notice at my current job and then move while my husband sorts things out at home and then moves to join me. i tell them i would prefer 3 weeks to do this but can manage it in 2 if need be.
i try to clear up for them:
- that i am really serious about moving, that i have a concrete, feasible plan, and i will be sticking around.
- that i can start as quickly as anyone else (who has a job).
- that it will generally not be more of a pain for them to hire me than a local candidate.
If not, I imagine they must live in both of those states part of the time while working at home part of the time.
Nope, they don't work from home. They fly or drive home on weekends or during vacation periods. All save one have families. One has an old farmhouse that they inherited about 1.5 hours from the work location where they live during the week and van pool in. Two live in corporate apartments. One (seriously) sleeps on sofas. None have had issues with getting to work. One has so much leave because he never calls in he had a month he had to use or donate.
Nope, they don't work from home. They fly or drive home on weekends or during vacation periods. All save one have families. One has an old farmhouse that they inherited about 1.5 hours from the work location where they live during the week and van pool in. Two live in corporate apartments. One (seriously) sleeps on sofas. None have had issues with getting to work. One has so much leave because he never calls in he had a month he had to use or donate.
Fair enough.
They must work in one of those very important/highly qualified positions where they can afford those type of commutes (or the company's willing to pay for those type of commutes).
i say that i grew up in the area and/or have family near there (i am looking in a fairly large radius around where my parents and inlaws live) and that i want to be closer to them. they also generally ask me what kind of notice i would need to start and i tell them that i have a place to stay lined up locally (this is true for everywhere i am looking), so i can give 2 weeks notice at my current job and then move while my husband sorts things out at home and then moves to join me. i tell them i would prefer 3 weeks to do this but can manage it in 2 if need be.
i try to clear up for them:
- that i am really serious about moving, that i have a concrete, feasible plan, and i will be sticking around.
- that i can start as quickly as anyone else (who has a job).
- that it will generally not be more of a pain for them to hire me than a local candidate.
Are you targeting one geographic area or several?
When I was in a situation like this years ago, I started to get frustrated and I decided to just be sickeningly enthusiastic about the new location during the interview. I went on and on about all the stuff I liked about the area, how it was a great change from where I had been, asked the interviewer questions about how long they had been there ("born and raised" was the most popular answer) and even chatted about neighborhoods I wanted to live in. Eventually that worked. I was coming from a large city to a much smaller one and I met with some real resistance because it seemed I couldn't possibly understand the "slow pace" and new way of life. There was some real distrust that was able to be overcome with enthusiasm.
my brother had a similar arrangement, his home and work were about 2 hours (well 2 hours by train plus an hour or so to get to the train via subway) apart.
but not everyone is prepared to live with this kind of arrangement, or they might have expectations the company can't fulfill. they might expect their employer to pay for travel and lodging, or they might not. they might expect to be able to work from home a certain percentage of the time. i don't see the harm in talking about how they plan to make long distance employment work during the interview, to see if their expectations are reasonable and how they line up with what the company is willing to do.
They must work in one of those very important/highly qualified positions where they can afford those type of commutes (or the company's willing to pay for those type of commutes).
Still, it's not the norm.
In one case that is true. In all others, there are just no jobs where they come from that they can afford to feed themselves on. It happens a lot.
When I was in a situation like this years ago, I started to get frustrated and I decided to just be sickeningly enthusiastic about the new location during the interview. I went on and on about all the stuff I liked about the area, how it was a great change from where I had been, asked the interviewer questions about how long they had been there ("born and raised" was the most popular answer) and even chatted about neighborhoods I wanted to live in. Eventually that worked. I was coming from a large city to a much smaller one and I met with some real resistance because it seemed I couldn't possibly understand the "slow pace" and new way of life. There was some real distrust that was able to be overcome with enthusiasm.
several, and i do generally talk about why i want to live in that particular area and how much i love it. i also try to give them the impression that this is the only place i am looking, without straight up lying about it. i grew up in both ny and ct and i am looking in both, and i definitely play the "i grew up here!!" card in both. thanks for the advice though.
i don't know that my geographical location has lost me jobs. i've only had a couple of places tell me what the issue was, and that wasn't it. i do have a suspicion i have been screened out without an interview because of my address, but i don't know that for sure either. i'm just responding to bande's experience when i complain about employers interviewing people and then eliminating them because of a factor they knew about from day 1. it may have happened to me but it may not, there's no way for me to know.
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