Local Candidates.

Success101

Quick question - Obviously being local to the same location where the job is you are applying to greatly helps. However, if you are not local what happens? Does your resume go straight into the trash? Looked over at all? I live in small city with little to few IT positions and I'd rather not move until I secure a job in that location first. Lastly, is there anyway to increase your chances of being selected? Thanks.

gbdavidx

good question id like to know too

W Stewart

I'm not an employer so could be wrong but this is my best understanding. It seems like relocation or at least having an employer pay for relocation is only really an option at a certain level in IT where qualified candidates are hard to come by or employers are willing to go that extra mile to get the absolute best guy for the job. I don't think you'll see too much of that at the lower level positions like help desk although if you can make it to an interview on your own and make it to work on time your first day, they may consider hiring you at that level. Some places will put "local candidates only" on the job advertisement as well but I'm sure there are companies that throw resumes in the trash and don't even entertain the idea of a remote candidate. If you've got skills that are in demand then I think relocation is very possible and getting an employer to pay for relocation may even be possible in today's day and age.

Success101

Thanks for the reponse.

That's pretty much what I figured. Unless you have extremely rare skills or talents I don't believe relocation payment is an option. I've seen quite a few advertisements stating "local candidates only" lately. With that being said - I think there is a chance you could work something out with a company by explaining your situation and showing you are a reliable individual.

programmer24

i would like to know also since i live in nj

undomiel

I'll chime in with my experience in this. While stuck in Phoenix I went job searching remotely in the northwest several times at several different points in my career. When you're at a low level help desk/junior admin level it gets very difficult to be considered. Most employers will just toss your resume in the recycle bin. You definitely can't expect any relocation. I did get an opportunity at one support job out in Nebraska but I didn't have any interest in the area or in SharePoint so I passed that by.

After hitting the senior level I found it to be a whole lot easier generate interest. You have a more valuable skill set at that point and you also have more experience on your resume. It'll still be more difficult than if you were local, but you can definitely generate a response. Letting potential employers know that you will be in town for a week or weekend for a possible face-to-face interview will help a lot as employers are still very interested in meeting their candidates. Employers will be much more likely to talk relocation with you as well, though it still isn't guaranteed and you'll want to factor that into any salary negotiations that come up as well.

Hypntick

I found the easiest way was to use a recruiter. Even using a recruiter some of the other firms, even national ones were hesitant about me being out of state. While I was looking my resume was out there and available, got a ton of calls for local places and even some in areas I wasn't interested in moving to. It's harder, but if you keep at it, it'll happen.