Applying to another city, will they consider me?
binarysoul
Posts: 993Member
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
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
Comments
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.
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.
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.
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!
CCNP (BCMSN, ONT, ISCW completed)
HP ASE ProCurve Networking (BPRAN, Security completed)
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.
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.