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I plan to move to another city with a great deal of work in my field but am trying to figure out the logistics of getting a job. I worked for a hotel chain for many years and found it was easier to move to a new city then but I am pursing a new career field and am looking for entry level work .
Here is an article from a blog from a hiring manager which was taken negatively.What do you think?
Anonymous
January 30, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I disagree a little bit with AAM on this one. Very rarely will I interview an out-of-towner for a position. Relocation is often a hit or miss situation and I won’t offer relocation assistance unless it’s a high level position or exceedingly difficult to fill.
Take, for example the candidiate who applies for a position here in Boston, who’s from Texas and offers to pay their own way…it’s an entry level position so I’m thinking to myself two things:
1. This person has no idea how expensive and difficult it is to find housing in Boston and I question their judgment. They clearly haven’t realistically looked at what it takes to relocate.
2. Why would they pay $300 for a round trip flight for an interview? It reeks of desperation.
If, for example someone is already relocating to Boston for their own reasons, and states when they’ll be available for an interview (after they’ve relocated), I won’t hesitate to give someone a call. I think people often underestimate who difficult it is to assimilate in a new city AND a new job. There are huge risks involved and I don’t trust a candidate who willy-nilly is offering to relocate. As a candidate, you want to look confident and competant. Someone willing to pay their own way and relocate to a new city for this job that they know minimal things about is not necessarily someone who’s done their due dilligence.
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Dallas
February 8, 2012 at 11:11 pm
maybe its because they want to be in boston and they have always wanted to move there.
Amanda
June 8, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Nice attitude. Your co-workers must love you. Someone who offers to pay their own way for interviews and re-location is committed and serious, not desperate. You are just one of those typical HR people on a power trip who thinks they know everything.
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Anonymous
July 23, 2012 at 7:44 pm
Agreed!
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LJ
October 5, 2012 at 12:05 am
Also agreed!
AKEBELL
October 12, 2012 at 3:15 pm
@AMANDA I TOTALLY AGREED!!! GOOD JOB FOR PUTTING IT OUT THERE!
Sandra
February 24, 2013 at 9:38 am
I love your response Amanda!
Anonymous
August 6, 2013 at 10:23 pm
I TOTALLY AGREE!! I wouldn’t want to work for this jerk.
Anonymous
August 27, 2013 at 10:16 pm
Yea. Someone with 300 bucks to spend on a plane ticket isn’t desperate. Not yet anyway.
I agree. It shows more of a willingness to do what it takes than desperation. That person who posted that is a prick and seems very up his own behind.
I got a job interview in Saint Paul on Wednesday. Though I got hooked up with it after purchasing the tickets. I can relate to "maybe its because they want to be in boston and they have always wanted to move there."
Not all jobs will be willing to pay for relocation. A coworker of mine had an on the phone job interview for job in Las Vegas and if she gets it, they're offering to pay for her relocation. But not everyone will have that luxury.
That person also is assuming said individual hasn't already secured a place to live. I'm in the process of relocating to Minnesota and the first part of my agenda was transferring schools, second part was finding a place to live. Work comes after. I've got enough money to afford rent for a few months worst case scenario and I doubt it's gonna be that hard to find work. Why would that person assume the applicant is going to find a place to live AFTER they have gotten the job? I mean, such a scenario can work as well but it's a lot harder. I've actually waited until I have an address I can put in Minnesota before applying for work. That person is making a lot of assumptions about the applicant.
Utter nonsense. Anecdotally, I knew little about Atlanta before I moved there. I was living about four hours away but got an interview, got the job, and then I moved. I had about a month to get things in order but I made it work. Unless you have significant savings, it's better to find a job first.
Generally, employers will consider non-local candidates for a management or hard-to-fill job. But generally, employers want local candidates. They tend to want multiple interviews and someone who can start within a few weeks.
In all fairness, though, there's a lot more information about rents and cost of living available now than there was in 2009. If you do want to apply for jobs in other cities, I'd state why you want to relocate there, or what it is about the job that makes you willing to move. I'm not sure why an employer would be turned off by a qualified candidate who is desperate to work for them, unless they're overimpressed by confidence.
Best way to relocate sometimes is to transfer within the company you are in now. That would apply if you are with a big one who exists in multiple locations.
It makes sense to have a decent amount of savings to live off of just in case things don't work out at the new location. Even if you're offered the position in a new location it's possible you might not gel well with other employees and want to leave.
Also, the truth is you might actually have to deal with an HR person who has that same attitude if relocating. Of course, the best way to combat that is to seek employment at a different company within that city.
I'm not in management, so I've had my difficulties. While I don't blame them for preferring local candidates, I think the desperation comment is way off.
I've gotten an OOS job before, Texas to DC. I like desperate people and flying out on your own shows initiative, imo.
I agree. It shows more of a willingness to do what it takes than desperation. That person who posted that is a prick and seems very up his own behind.
I got a job interview in Saint Paul on Wednesday. Though I got hooked up with it after purchasing the tickets. I can relate to "maybe its because they want to be in boston and they have always wanted to move there."
Not all jobs will be willing to pay for relocation. A coworker of mine had an on the phone job interview for job in Las Vegas and if she gets it, they're offering to pay for her relocation. But not everyone will have that luxury.
That person also is assuming said individual hasn't already secured a place to live. I'm in the process of relocating to Minnesota and the first part of my agenda was transferring schools, second part was finding a place to live. Work comes after. I've got enough money to afford rent for a few months worst case scenario and I doubt it's gonna be that hard to find work. Why would that person assume the applicant is going to find a place to live AFTER they have gotten the job? I mean, such a scenario can work as well but it's a lot harder. I've actually waited until I have an address I can put in Minnesota before applying for work. That person is making a lot of assumptions about the applicant.
Hey looks like you finally left Denton? I have savings but I want a job before I leave.
I plan to move to another city with a great deal of work in my field but am trying to figure out the logistics of getting a job. I worked for a hotel chain for many years and found it was easier to move to a new city then but I am pursing a new career field and am looking for entry level work .
Here is an article from a blog from a hiring manager which was taken negatively.What do you think?
Anonymous
January 30, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I disagree a little bit with AAM on this one. Very rarely will I interview an out-of-towner for a position. Relocation is often a hit or miss situation and I won’t offer relocation assistance unless it’s a high level position or exceedingly difficult to fill.
Take, for example the candidiate who applies for a position here in Boston, who’s from Texas and offers to pay their own way…it’s an entry level position so I’m thinking to myself two things:
1. This person has no idea how expensive and difficult it is to find housing in Boston and I question their judgment. They clearly haven’t realistically looked at what it takes to relocate.
2. Why would they pay $300 for a round trip flight for an interview? It reeks of desperation.
If, for example someone is already relocating to Boston for their own reasons, and states when they’ll be available for an interview (after they’ve relocated), I won’t hesitate to give someone a call. I think people often underestimate who difficult it is to assimilate in a new city AND a new job. There are huge risks involved and I don’t trust a candidate who willy-nilly is offering to relocate. As a candidate, you want to look confident and competant. Someone willing to pay their own way and relocate to a new city for this job that they know minimal things about is not necessarily someone who’s done their due dilligence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BadgerFilms
It shows more of a willingness to do what it takes than desperation. That person who posted that is a prick and seems very up his own behind.
I agree. The problem is hiring managers are apparently not obligated to be reasonable. In my experience far more of them think this way than any of us would care to believe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BadgerFilms
I got a job interview in Saint Paul on Wednesday. Though I got hooked up with it after purchasing the tickets. I can relate to "maybe its because they want to be in boston and they have always wanted to move there."
Not all jobs will be willing to pay for relocation. A coworker of mine had an on the phone job interview for job in Las Vegas and if she gets it, they're offering to pay for her relocation. But not everyone will have that luxury.
That person also is assuming said individual hasn't already secured a place to live. I'm in the process of relocating to Minnesota and the first part of my agenda was transferring schools, second part was finding a place to live. Work comes after. I've got enough money to afford rent for a few months worst case scenario and I doubt it's gonna be that hard to find work. Why would that person assume the applicant is going to find a place to live AFTER they have gotten the job? I mean, such a scenario can work as well but it's a lot harder. I've actually waited until I have an address I can put in Minnesota before applying for work. That person is making a lot of assumptions about the applicant.
This is what I recommend to people. I'm not questioning your qualifications or readiness for the position you've applied for but, considering the unreasonable biases many hiring managers have, it's not certain you would have gotten your interview without the local address.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaskedRacer
Best way to relocate sometimes is to transfer within the company you are in now. That would apply if you are with a big one who exists in multiple locations.
Agreed. Many large companies are pretty lax about allowing employees to make lateral transfers to different offices in other parts of the country. This is something a person can use to their advantage even if they want to move to a new area and change fields:
Transfer with the present company to get to the desired area and get settled with income, then gradually transition to the next desired field of employment with that good ol' local address for the resume already acquired.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker
I'm not in management, so I've had my difficulties. While I don't blame them for preferring local candidates, I think the desperation comment is way off.
I've gotten an OOS job before, Texas to DC. I like desperate people and flying out on your own shows initiative, imo.
Yep. Desperation can be one of the greatest motivators. I'd be plenty impressed by a job candidate going all out like that for an interview. It shows they're willing to go the extra mile to get something done. What would these hiring managers prefer instead? Someone who's capable of going the extra mile but doesn't demonstrate it, lest they be accused of looking desperate? smh.
There are hot job markets out there (Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Dallas, Houston) where it may not matter that you don't live in the area. However, this is not the norm. Most out-of-town applicants are not the first choice in most markets, unless they have extremely valuable skills. But I agree with others here, if you choose to move to another market without a job make sure you have enough savings to last 6-9 months. Perhaps 1 year in more expensive areas.
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