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A. I guess the draw here is, by using a local address I get considered for more interviews than I otherwise would.
B. THE PROBLEM with not using my address is that MANY government jobs I apply for, they use governmentjobs.com...which REQUIRES an address....what do I do?
C. If I am called for an interview out of market, I would like to do it by phone UNLESS they are really serious. I don't want to book a flight only to have them realize I don't live nearby and not take me seriously.
So can I have it both ways? Is what I am doing ok or going to be perceived as me being a liar and thus not a good employee?
You can have it both ways if you are honest and willing to pay for flights on short notice. They call you up to schedule an interview and say they want it in person, take this chance to mention you are currently out of state (but relocating upon securing employment). I've found at this stage some will say oh sorry local only, and others will say oh i thought you were local but still want to interview you. At this point it's up to you.
The big thing is that, unless you're very specialized, it's highly unlikely a company will fly someone from Tennessee to Seattle or whatever. You'd likely need to be a senior manager or a high level individual contributor, probably at the national expert level, to get that treatment.
Just being in a "lousy area" should be enough. Remote, rural, and away from population centers. You don't need to be some C-level exec, but you'd probably need to some "desk professional" at the very least. I don't know how blue collar jobs work, but they may be willing to hire out-of-town, and offer better pay to cover your own travel, even if they don't pay for you to travel/move there (even if temporary, like getting put up in an Extended Stay).
TBH, I'm not sure what kind of job the OP is gunning for.
Just being in a "lousy area" should be enough. Remote, rural, and away from population centers. You don't need to be some C-level exec, but you'd probably need to some "desk professional" at the very least. I don't know how blue collar jobs work, but they may be willing to hire out-of-town, and offer better pay to cover your own travel, even if they don't pay for you to travel/move there (even if temporary, like getting put up in an Extended Stay).
TBH, I'm not sure what kind of job the OP is gunning for.
I'm in the middle of nowhere in a small metro in northeast Tennessee hours away from any real city. Knoxville, TN, where the state flagship university is, is close to a million in the CSA, and is about two hours away. Charlotte is the closest major job center and that's three or more hours depending on where you are.
I would probably just use my own current home address. In your cover letter, explain that you are in the process of relocating to their area and are seeking local employment in "City X." Unless it's an absolute emergency backfill, they'll understand it might take you 2-3 weeks to start anyway.
I would probably do the same thing. Just tell them you are seeking employment in that city, and will be relocating there upon acceptance of an offer.
If an employer is reluctant to consider a non-local candidate, and you move or just "arrange" to use an address in the location where you are seeking employment, you still have the issue of your current or past employment, which is not going to show ties to the market you are pursuing (unless maybe you are currently with employer with a national presence).
I would probably do the same thing. Just tell them you are seeking employment in that city, and will be relocating there upon acceptance of an offer.
If an employer is reluctant to consider a non-local candidate, and you move or just "arrange" to use an address in the location where you are seeking employment, you still have the issue of your current or past employment, which is not going to show ties to the market you are pursuing (unless maybe you are currently with employer with a national presence).
I can't believe what people have suggested actually works for this reasons you posted. AFAIK, employers end up finding out AFTER someone's been hired that they weren't local, but are now fine with it since they already started the job, and have already gone through with the move? Sounds akin to a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
I had an office job where when I came in for the in-person interview, the project manager was surprised that I was currently several hundred miles away. She just assumed I was local.
I have heard of other cases where non-locals are a concern since they aren't aware of "local obstacles". For example, moving to Phoenix, Arizona in the winter doesn't mean squat since many have moved out when they experience first hand just how awful the summer heat can be. Or people underestimate how boring a small town could be. Or how expensive or awful of commutes, large metropolitans can be.
I have no advice yet, as I’m in the same situation as you! I’m focusing my search to 3 large cities, which are all about a 20 hour minimum drive from me.
I did get lucky with ONE company so far who flew me out for the interview, a $700+ expense on their part (not including hotel) and it wasn’t a mutual fit.
This did make me realize however why I’m getting nearly NO responses to my job applications. I have LinkedIn Premium, so for every role, I can see that there’s a minimum of 50+ applicants. I just can visualize the recruiter seeing how far out of state I am - and tossing my resume in the garbage and vetting through the dozens of local candidates only.
I’m starting to get to the point where I think I’ll have to relocate first and then apply to jobs like it’s my full time job. I unfortunately don’t have the luxury of having friends of family local to these areas like you - quite the opposite in fact, so that’s a bonus on your end.
Hang in there. It’s hard out there!
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