Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Here's my dilemma. I'm in Chicago and I'm trying to find a job in Atlanta. Most of the jobs I'm seeing say Local Candidates Only. I have a friend there who's willing to let me use their address on my resume, but I'm hesitant to do so. Would that qualify as lying on my resume and make employers less inclined to grant me an interview? Part of me says yes, it would. A recruiter or employer would see an Atlanta address on my resume, but then see that my current job is in Chicago and realize that I don't actually live in Atlanta and am therefore not a local candidate. The other part of me says so what. Anytime I post my resume online, I get lots of calls and emails from recruiters, but they're always from Chicago. I'm guessing they do a search by address when trying to find candidates for job openings. By putting an Atlanta address on my resume, the recruiters there are more likely to see it. And it's not like I'd be the first person who's done it. So I'd like to hear from you, especially if you're a recruiter. If someone put a friend's address on their resume in order to be seen as a local candidate, would that cause you to not want to consider them? Or would you just overlook it and be happy that you found a qualified candidate?
P.S. Moving to Atlanta right now is not an option. I have a job and the idea of quitting and moving to a new city without a job lined up first is pretty scary, especially in today's market. Down the road, if I still haven't gotten any interviews, I'll probably move. But for the time being, I want to do my search from here since I still have a job here.
Clarification: I'm only referring to my online resume, the one seen by recruiters who do a search. If they filter by location, then at least I'll make it through. That's certainly better than being filtered out. But in all other cases, I would put my Chicago address on my resume. If I saw a job and applied for it, this is the resume I would send and I would make it clear in my cover letter than I'm committed to relocating and at my own expense. The purpose of this post, however, is to gauge whether having an alternate version of my resume for job boards would be good or bad. Obviously, I don't expect any employer to be fooled for long. I expect them to notice immediately that I'm not residing in Atlanta. This is simply about passing the filter that recruiters and hiring managers would use on Monster, Dice, etc. when searching for candidates.
Last edited by DennyCrane; 06-08-2010 at 11:20 AM..
Reason: Clarification
Look at it from the other side, pretend you get a few interviews, you move on to the final interview, they ask you something and somehow it slips that you don't live in Atlanta, there is a good chance you just killed your shot.
I am going through the same thing, trying to relocate to Cincinnati, I just put in my cover letter that I will be relocating there, leave it at that. I'm sure alot of companies pass on me because they don't want the hassle of trying to coordinate with me for a meeting...
So short answer, in most people's eyes, it is lying.
Employers aren't stupid. If you are currently working in Chicago, no one will believe you live in Atlanta. I'd toss your resume. You are either lying abotu where you live, where you work, or just think I'm stupid.
You would be better off stating that while you understand they prefer local candidates, you are relocating to Atlanta on "X" date, already have housing in place, and are willing to shoulder all costs for interview travel at their convenience and relocation. Of couse if the latter isn't the case, don't waste anyone's time stating it and don't apply for jobs that state "local candidates only."
And if they do call you for an interview and want you there in two days, be prepared to pay whatever the airfare is to get there, or again, don't bother to apply.
I'd set up the resume with the Chicago address as "current address" and the Atlanta address as "address as of xx/xx/xxxx" and just keep changing that date every week or so for a few weeks ahead.
Again, be fully prepared to pay for all interview and relo costs.
I'd set up the resume with the Chicago address as "current address" and the Atlanta address as "address as of xx/xx/xxxx" and just keep changing that date every week or so for a few weeks ahead.
Again, be fully prepared to pay for all interview and relo costs.
Paying for the interview and relo costs is not an issue. I'm fully willing and prepared to do that. In this market, I wouldn't even raise the issue. But on the job boards, most don't give you the option of putting more than one address. I could write both addresses on the resume itself. But most of the sites ask you to enter your address into their designated address fields, probably to make it easy for recruiters and employers to search by address.
May be you could leave address off your resume altogether, in contacts put your e-mail and phone number with the area code you may move later on. I used skype.com(I think now it cost $60 or so for 12 months. What this system does is it redirect phone calls from your choosen area to your phone in your area, either cell or land line). This way potential Employers will see your local(for them) phone and when they would call you'll have a chance to explain your situation. If they need someone it should not be a problem, especially if you are ready to move on your own, as I did.
Going further, if you will have interview scheduled in new area, try to combine 2 or more at the same trip.
The issue for me is mainly with the job boards. Some allow you to simply cut and paste your resume into their form. But others make you fill out a profile which requires putting in an address. I have no idea how employers and recruiters use those sites to search for candidates. But it seems like a lot of them search by location, which I can certainly understand. Even in a good job market, most recruiters will start with local candidates before expanding their search. But in a market like this where no one wants to pay relo, deal with applicants who may or may not want to move, and wait a month for that person to move, being an out-of-state candidate really hurts your chances. Not only to land the job or even get an interview, but just to have your resume read. So anything that helps at least get it read and not immediately ignored is a plus. If I could get away with putting the Atlanta address in that form, at least I would show up in some recruiter's search. Obviously, when he opens up the resume, he'll realize I'm still in Chicago. He'll know that he was tricked, but that's not nearly as bad as going to an interview and waiting til then to tell them you're not local.
When I've used job boards (monster, careerbuilder, etc.) to find resumes for recruitment purposes, I've put in a zip code and a keyword or two, and it's pulled up resumes that fit the criteria based on location and job title or experience, depending on what keywords I used.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
