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Location: Moose Jaw, in between the Moose's butt and nose.
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I'm just wondering. I've applied for several jobs around Seattle (live around Portland) and I've only gotten 1 interview in 5 months. Do hiring people not even bother with that since they figure they have so many (usually) apps/resumes from people in the same town, that why even bother since someone moving to wherever is one less thing to worry about.
The clients that I work with right now will not even consider people from out of state. They tell me that there is enough of a resume base in our area that there is no need to go out of state. This is even if the candidate is willing to do the relocation on their own dime and fly in for interviews at their own expense too. They won't even consider them.
The clients that I work with right now will not even consider people from out of state. They tell me that there is enough of a resume base in our area that there is no need to go out of state. This is even if the candidate is willing to do the relocation on their own dime and fly in for interviews at their own expense too. They won't even consider them.
What type of jobs are they for?
My husband gets calls constantly from headhunters, all for jobs in nother states. The process never gets past a phone interview with the hiring company.
We had a really interesting discussion about this very topic on the Colorado Springs forum lately. One idea that came up is if there's a job opportunity in another city that you want to pursue, then virtually "make yourself" a local by getting a local address (if you have friends or relatives in the city, good place to start) and a local phone number. You can get non-contract, prepaid cell phones with the bare minimum number of minutes, enough so it won't expire for 3 months, for about $50-70 with AT&T, Verizon, etc. I haven't tried this, so can't vouch if it works or not, but I don't see how it could hurt.
If getting a interview, and getting a job is truly a "numbers game," as some say, I don't see why you should be limited to just the city that you happen to currently sleep at night. I feel like you've got to expand your search regionally or nationally to multiply your chances. Now if you think I'm wrong, tell me-- but tell me what strategy you have that works better.
Last edited by Mike from back east; 07-25-2009 at 12:40 PM..
Reason: Edited by request of poster.
We've got people that try that and it doesn't work. Employers figure out very quickly that you aren't local when you've got a local address but are working in Minnesota. (duh) It's not the phone number that tips them off (anymore most people keep their cell number even when they move to a different area), so save your mone. Where you are currently working or have been working is the tip off. And a peice of advice, it you truly have recently moved to a new area and are seeking employment, address that in your cover letter and have a better reason than you wanted to be closer to Mickey or the slopes.
Additionally they figure it out when they call you and ask you to come in for an interview the next day and you hem and haw about it--because you are in Minnesota and obviously can't drive here in time, and a next day plane ticket will cost you $800. They don't ask you to come in the next day because that's when they want you there, they do it to figure out if you are actually in the area or not.
Employers aren't dumb, they are on to all of these tricks, and it just makes you look deceitful.
I have to change what I said earlier about shredding all out of town appplications. There was one we kept--might have even hired the guy, I can't recall. He was born and raised and had worked in our area for about 15 years, then was working in the Carolinas someplace for a couple of years, and was going to be back in our area as of "X" date and would be looking for work. That was somebody coming "home" as opposed to somebidy sick of winter who wants to move to Florida.
I say all of this as someone who spent almost a year looking for work where I am now while living in another part of the country and running into this over and over, they want local applicants and they are smart as to weeding them out. I even owned a home (verifiable through tax records) and had a local home phone number and a car registered and insured in Florida, it didnt'matter, they wanted local applicants, and because I was workign locally, I wasn't considered a local applicant, end of story. Now I'm on the hiring team (and was at my last job) and again, local applicants only. And seeing every application and resume that comes in, it's very easy to tell when they aren't local, even though they are claiming they are.
I reped both of the last two posters, good discussion.
As someone who works in recruiting for a large company, I can tell you it is nearly impossible to get a job from out of town and if you do it is because there are no qualified local applicants. Move to the town first and then start looking. Tell them your wife or husband was transferred. That will give you some legitimacy.
It depends on the level of the job, the industry, and your experience. If you are looking for a job that can be described with a generic title, can be found at most companies, and you are not significantly above average in your abilities, out of area resumes are probably not going to be looked at.
So if you are looking for jobs like: cashier; shipping & receiving; HR; office manager; accountant; bookkeeper; electrician; database administrator, look only in your local area, or move first.
If you have a specialized, limited skill, then you can go national. Things that come to mind are:
University faculty; engineers; urban planner; high level manager. Anything in a niche industry, with specific licensing, where experience is likely to be similarly specific.
One example of a specific skill set that might have some national search possibilities is book publishing. If you are in book publishing, and live in New York, you can probably be competitive in applying for book publishing jobs anywhere in the country. The problem with that is that most of the publishing jobs are in NY, and few and far between elsewhere. The other problem is that it is an industry that has been laying lots of people off, but I am only trying to use it as an example.
Basically, if there are only 1 or 2 people who do that job in your entire city/region, they can look for jobs on a national level. Everybody else should be looking locally.
ETA. I do work in a niche industry, and have been successful in obtaining jobs based upon a national search. At the same time, I have also been passed over for a few jobs because they did have a local candidate. You will know if an employer is serious about considering out of area resumes if they are willing to pay for your travel expenses for the interview, as well as relocation costs if you accept the job. If you don't think that a potential employer will do this, keep your resume local.
I say all of this as someone who spent almost a year looking for work where I am now while living in another part of the country and running into this over and over, they want local applicants and they are smart as to weeding them out. I even owned a home (verifiable through tax records) and had a local home phone number and a car registered and insured in Florida, it didnt'matter, they wanted local applicants, and because I was workign locally, I wasn't considered a local applicant, end of story.
So tell us, how DID you eventually obtain the job?
We've got people that try that and it doesn't work. Employers figure out very quickly that you aren't local when you've got a local address but are working in Minnesota. (duh) It's not the phone number that tips them off (anymore most people keep their cell number even when they move to a different area), so save your mone. Where you are currently working or have been working is the tip off. And a peice of advice, it you truly have recently moved to a new area and are seeking employment, address that in your cover letter and have a better reason than you wanted to be closer to Mickey or the slopes.
Well not everyone is the same. My last place of employment is in Columbia, SC, but I moved to Charlotte. I'm only here because it's a free place to live at the moment and I didn't want to stay with my parents. I have no great love for the area. Also I've been applying at places in my hometown, Charleston, SC, but using my parents' local address. If I'm called in for an interview, I can definitely be there the next day. A little dishonest? Maybe, but I definitely would be staying with my parents for a little while until I found a place if offered a job.
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