Applying for Positions in Different States?

aderon · January 2015

Has anyone here had any experience with applying for positions in different states and how does it differ from a normal application? Are they going to fly you to the interview or are you expected to pay your own ticket? Are Skype interviews the norm? Also, this is regarding mid-level 65-80k/year positions, not junior or entry level.

Nemowolf · January 2015

So i dont have a whole lot of experience on this but i can give you a bit of insight as to what you may experience/expect.

If the jobs your applying for are anywhere from entry level to lower-tier management, your going to have a tough time. If your talking mid-senior management all the way to executive, there are far fewer candidates so the expectation is you look national to fill the role with exactly the right person with the right combo of experience and skills.

Expanding on that, it also depends on where you are and where you are going. If you are living in the midwest and want to say relo to California, New York or Hawaii then your chances of just getting an interview are low because they don't expect you to be able to sustain yourself during the initial relo. Who has thousands of dollars to burn to move across the country to live in the most expensive areas right? Further expanding, it also depends on the role you are looking to apply for. Again, entry level positions are not going to get much traction if you are out of state as they are entry level but if your say applying as a Cisco engineer then you may have better luck as the market in your chosen area may be cold and fresh bodies from out of the area may be exactly what they need.

I have applied for around a dozen or two jobs out of state but in the public sector. I am getting the short list of possible relo cities this year so i can visit and spend some time in my possible future areas. I expect that smaller companies will be hesitant but eventually one will give me the chance for a facetime/webex type interview and then it should be in the bag.

ramrunner800 · January 2015

I have recent experience interviewing for out of state positions. I was located on the East Coast, and was interviewing for positions in Salt Lake and the Bay Area. One was junior, and I was flown to the interview and put up in a hotel at company expense. The other was lower mid level and I interviewed only over the phone. Interestingly I also interviewed for a local position in which all of the interviews were done over the phone. In the end I was offered all three positions.

I think it's totally possible to get a new job in a new location, though you should expect interview questions about why you want to relocated, and what kind of support system you have in place at the new location. Companies don't want to hire someone who may flake on them. At the $65-$80k level you probably have some in-demand skills, so relocating to high demand markets may be easy for you.

MordyIT · January 2015

ram are you applying for government or military jobs? noticed your security certs.
I live in NYC and tried applying for jobs in L.A. I've done a few phone interviews and one Skype interview. Many companies wont hire because they assume you'll want them to pay for relocation, they want desperate unemployed candidates (many in L.A), they can't wait a month (2 weeks notice+2 weeks to settle) notice for whatever reason, or because it's too hard for them to do a background check for someone that's not local.
It's unfortunate because I have friends and family in L.A, single, I have saved money, and the most difficult task would be to transport my vehicle which is not that hard.
I recently obtained my Security+ so hopefully more military/gov't positions open up for me.

Has anyone used vacation days to fly in and do an interview to show they're serious?

Priston · January 2015

I think it all depends on the company/position. If the company is not willing to pay for relocation I highly doubt they will pay for any interview expenses. If they are willing to pay for relocation, then I'm sure they will be willing to pay for expenses if there are some. If they don't advertise whether or not they are willing to pay for relocation, I guess you'll just have to ask.

I got my current job, which was a entry level position, when I was living in a different state. They did 2 phone interviews and decided to hire me.

Of course I was upfront and I told them I already had a place to stay, they didn't need to worry about relocation, and I'd only need 2 weeks notice.

I vaguely remember someone being concerned telling me it can cost thousands of dollars to relocate. I had to explain it would only cost me 1 tank of gas.

anhtran35 · January 2015

MordyIT wrote: »

ram are you applying for government or military jobs? noticed your security certs.
I live in NYC and tried applying for jobs in L.A. I've done a few phone interviews and one Skype interview. Many companies wont hire because they assume you'll want them to pay for relocation, they want desperate unemployed candidates (many in L.A), they can't wait a month (2 weeks notice+2 weeks to settle) notice for whatever reason, or because it's too hard for them to do a background check for someone that's not local.
It's unfortunate because I have friends and family in L.A, single, I have saved money, and the most difficult task would be to transport my vehicle which is not that hard.
I recently obtained my Security+ so hopefully more military/gov't positions open up for me.

Has anyone used vacation days to fly in and do an interview to show they're serious?

You should list an LA family member resident address as YOUR address. When they want a sit down interview tell them you are in NYC on a project and can fly in on this or that date.

ramrunner800 · January 2015

I was applying for jobs at private companies working as a contractor for the government, which in this matter is significantly different than working for the government/military. The military (and perhaps the government, I don't know) moves their people, but I had to pay my own expenses in all of these potential moves. Discussion of moving expenses never came up in any interviews, though the hiring manager in the position I ended up taking did get me a sweet signing bonus which offset that cost.

I think that if you want to relocate you need to have something that sets you above the local candidates, and some kind of easily demonstrable anchor to the area. Having family in the area is a great anchor, mine was that my fiance lives in the area I relocated to. For me CEH helped set me apart, because it was a bit above and beyond for the positions I was applying for, and most applicants did not have it.

For the interview I was flown to, I did take vacation to fly out. Your willingness to travel for an in person interview is something you should put in your cover letter for positions you feel strongly about, so that companies know about that up front.

*Edited for spelling.*

MordyIT · January 2015

Thanks I think you guys gave excellent advice!

Applying for Positions in Different States?

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