June 12, 2012

Facing, and conquering, relocation realities

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I'll give it to you straight. By and large, employers hate, hate, hate relocating people. Given their druthers, they'll almost always hire a local candidate over a person they'd have to recruit from out of the area -- especially in a tight economy, where they may feel there's no compelling reason to cross state lines in search of talent.

Why is this the case? For starters, there's the obvious one: Many professionals who search for work in a different city expect the employer to kick in a generous relocation package to help cover their moving costs. This can be a pretty expensive deterrent from the employer's point of view.

There's another potential fear that comes into play: More often than you might think, employers spend months trying to fill a position, decide to take a chance on somebody from out of town and then end up getting burned when the new hire ends up not liking the new city and moving back.

This situation just happened at the workplace of one of my family members. The company hired a senior marketing executive out of Atlanta and moved him to Seattle with great hoopla, expense and excitement -- and he quit and moved back to Georgia after six months. Apparently, he hadn't heard that it rained a lot here. Or something.

Never fear, though; thousands of people still find work in a new city each year. It starts by appreciating how this issue is viewed from the employer's perspective, so that you can use this empathic understanding to help win over companies that are reluctant to consider a remote candidate.

Here are a few other smart strategies:

• If you've narrowed your job search to a specific metro area, consider getting a phone number in that city that you can forward to your existing phone. If hiring managers see a local area code on your resume, they won't discard your resume as quickly as if they see an unfamiliar one.

• If you have friends who live in your target city, ask if they would be willing to let you use their address during your search. Or omit your address from your resume entirely; this is an acceptable new convention, as discussed in a recent post.

• If you're determined to get hired in another city and you're not searching confidentially, change your LinkedIn "location" to that of your target destination. Otherwise, it could tip off employers to the fact that you're a remote candidate.

(Note: If you try any of the above techniques, you'll have to be prepared to address the fact that you're not technically a local candidate if an employer calls. You can say that you're in transit to the new city and would be willing to fly there for an interview on your own dime, if needed.)

• LinkedIn is a godsend for job hunters seeking to network and build new relationships in a distant location. Try running a search for contacts in your desired geographic area; you might be amazed at how many second connections (friends of friends) turn up.

• If your relocation plans are due to a spouse getting a new job and/or you'll be moving to the new city regardless, be sure to mention this in your cover letter. It will help convince employers that you're serious about the move and not nearly as much of a flight risk.

At the end of the day, there's no getting around it: You're going to be flying into a headwind if you search for positions outside your local area. But if you take the challenge seriously, and take steps to increase your chances of landing an interview, you might just get the big break you're looking for!

Matt Youngquist is the president and founder of Career Horizons, a career counseling and corporate outplacement firm. Email him at myoungquist@nwjobs.com.

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interviewing, job hunt, LinkedIn, relocation

4 Comments

Michele on June 14, 2012 7:07 AM | Reply

But even if you don't put your address on your resume, doesn't your current place of employment give away the fact that you're currently working out-of-state?

Matt Youngquist on June 14, 2012 8:17 AM | Reply

Michele: Good point -- although if you're really trying to camoflouge the location issue, you might choose not to list the city/state info for your current and past jobs on your resume, as well. Just leave it out. And if you're between jobs, obviously, the issue you raise will be less of a factor. At the end of the day, you're right, you're not going to permanently dodge the fact that you aren't a "local" candidate -- but these small resume adjustments can help ensure you get a serious look, versus immediately getting booted out of contention based on an out-of-state address. So I'd recommend them as a way to give your credentials more of a fighting chance...

Renee on June 21, 2012 10:24 AM | Reply

Matt - so you're saying to just list the name of the employer and the dates you worked for that employer - no city or state? What if one of the employers was in the city you want to move back to? I used to live in Seattle, and I want to move back at the first of the year, but I'm currently working out of state. I plan to move back on my own dime if necessary. Since I've already lived there and held employement there what's the protocol for my past and current employment?

Matt Youngquist on June 21, 2012 12:37 PM | Reply

Renee: Thanks for your comment and the suggestion I provided does require a bit of a judgment call. Typically, I'm not as concerned about listing the locations of places you've worked IN THE PAST as much as I think job hunters might want to "camoflouge" their current location by acquiring a local phone # and address. This will increase the chances of an employer contacting you, since they won't be as put off by the "relocation" issue, and then you can just tell them you're currently in the process of moving from City XYZ to Seattle -- and will be in town, off and on, as you finalize the transition.

Of course, if you're currently working out-of-state and this fact can't be avoided, you might have no choice but to list the full honest truth and just run with it. But for those people who are actively in the process of moving to another city, and might be able to get away with using some local contact information, this will increase the odds of success.

Also, too, if you have worked in Seattle before, you could certainly play up this angle in a cover letter, too, to show how serious you are about moving back to the area -- versus just appearing as somebody willing to get a job anywhere. That should help endear you to local employers, as well.

Again, no easy answers, but those are a few strategies that some job seekers use in these situations to deflect the issue a bit. Good luck!

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