Applying to another city, will they consider me?

binarysoul · July 2006

So, here is the million dollar question: Is it possible to be considered for a job when you apply from another city? I live in eastern Canada, people are very nice, there is plenty of fish, lobster and fresh water for everyone, but not as many IT jobs or jobs overall I should say (and no Sunday shopping)

So, I have to find a job Toronto, which is the business center of Canada as you might know. I lived there for one year, so I know the city.

Of course it would be easier for me to just go there, but what is your thoughts on perspectives of me finding a job from here? I am applying for helpdesk jobs and have about five years experience. I know they may only call candidates in other cities only for highly-pay jobs, e.g. executive and senior managerial positions. Any thoughts

Danman32 · July 2006

That would probably be addressed: How you intend to show up on time each day.

You could commute, or you could stay over during the week and come home on weekends, or you could move there and visit where you are on weekends.

SRTMCSE · July 2006

It can be rough. I live in NE Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half outside of New York and a lot of jobs won't even call you back b/c you live out of state. What a lot don't realize is that upwards of 40% of the workforce commutes out of PA to NY and NJ b/c salaries SUCK here for any industry.

To be honest what i've done and it's gotten me call backs, is put the address of someone you know lives closer. It sounds a little dishonest but as long as you plan on getting to work everyday and eventually moving closer if you're real far (i dont know about canada), I don't see anything wrong with.

binarysoul · July 2006

Sorry folks, I should have been more specific. I plan to permanently move there (and by the way, Toronto is almost 10 hrs drive from here).

Having said that I'm afraid potential employers may not consider me simply because I'm not there to be interviewed although I've indicated in few jobs I applied that I can be available for an interview, it's gonna cost me around US$300 to get a return ticket, which I can pay if need be.

Danman32 · July 2006

Possibly stress in your resume and interview that you are willing/planning to relocate.

buulam · July 2006

Got any friends there that you can shack up with? Perhaps you can line up interviews and head out there for a couple weeks.

I had to relocate from my smaller town to Vancouver, BC (but it was only 1.5 hours away) for work. I explained right away that I was looking for the opportunity to move to the city and they were happy to take me on.

Unfortunately my company was on the crappy end of a hostile takeover... from a company based in Toronto :P

Needless to say, I had to find new work after that!

jpeezy55 · July 2006

Something else to think about is to not word it that you would be willing to re-locate, but rather that you will be moving to Toronto at the end of July, or whenever, so that they can look at it and say, 'oh, he is moving here and is looking for work', not that you are looking for work and then will move. If they know you will be living there with or without their job, they may be more receptive to an initial long-distance interview.

pjam76 · July 2006

It depends on your experience, skill sets, and the company.

But telling somebody or even listing on some website that you are willing to relocate doesn't always work. In fact, it rarely does. many companies will only look at local candidates.

I remember one recruiter who asked me if traveling to NYC was going to be a problem for me or if i was willing to relocate to NYC. This was when I lived about a 10 MINUTE train ride from NYC. Obvious the guy had no clue and even though I told him I was right across the river and that it wasn't an issue, he still had his doubts. Low and behold I never heard back from the guy.

Another time some companies HR person called me and asked me if I were interested in an IT position in Iowa. As always, I'm open to relocation as it's only my wife and I and she telecommutes for her job at this time so it's not an issue. Then I went through like one phone interview and then they told me that unless I moved out there the process wasn't going any further. I had other job offers at that time so it wasn't like the only thing I had to do.

I flat out told them that honestly, I wasn't moving to Iowa if I didn't have a job lined up. That was the end of the interview process with them.

Another company in Texas asked me when I'd be moving there and what was the time frame. They weren't even doing phone interviews.

IN fact they wanted me to take some non-IT type tests, fill out apps, and then maybe I'd get an interview. Remember I had to go to texas to fill all this stuff out. I lived in northern NJ.

I told the lady I moved to the west coast a long time ago with no job lined up and it worked out ok, but I'm not at the point in my life that I'm just picking up and moving to the Iowas or Texas's of the world if I don't have a job lined up.

While telling somebody your moving there is nice.. eventually they are going to want to get your address. And if you don't live there yet and you don't know that many people, you'll be stuck.

If you are moving even without a job, then by all means express that.

But I tell people straight up that it depends on the opportunity, the company and the salary. I'm not interested in moving to some place I really know nothing about if I don't have a job lined up.

binarysoul · July 2006

I agree with you that one should have a job lined up before one moves; otherwise it may become very costly given one doesn't have a job. I believe it's important one settles in one city for a while or permanently because that way one gets to know where jobs are. It's nice to move to another area/city after years and years, but to remain there.

It seems to me that once you move, first thing you hate is moving itself, emptying closets, finding all things that had gone missing for years, breaking things, finding moving company, the heat (if you move in summer time), dealing with exising and new landlords and ..........

On top of that the last thing you want is a headache that you don't even have a job yet in the new city you're moving in. All in one, I wouldn't move to antoher city if didn't have to. I don't like moving for the sake of moving itself.

But one has to do what he/she has to do.

Applying to another city, will they consider me?

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