Could I be doing this cross country job search better?

May 13, 2017 4:19 PM

Hello, askmefi! I did search this question but did not find quite what I was looking for.

Here's my story. I'm currently live in Denver, CO, well and gainfully employed, but I am trying to move home to Knoxville TN by the end of summer (or sooner). Initially I sent out my resume with my current Denver address, to probably 30 different companies from craigslist, Indeed, Monster, etc. But got almost no responses. I work in the airline industry and tried those first. I got a video interview with Delta, but am still waiting to hear back.

On the advice of a friend, I pulled my old resume down and added my TN address that my bank statements go to so that now it has both address, and a note underneath stating that I have everything lined up for the move and do not need relocation assistance. I've also changed my google voice number to a local TN number.

Before I send out another batch of resumes, is there something else I should be doing that would help my chances? I feel like taking out my Denver address would probably help but I *do* still work here for now and I don't want it to look like I'm trying to hide something.

Moving without a job waiting is not an option as I have an almost new car and the payments+insurance is just over $500/month.

As always, thanks in advance for any assistance/advice!

posted by Zarya to Work & Money (7 answers total)

Did you include a cover letter explaining your interest in moving back to the area? That seems like the best way to make it clear what your intentions are.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 5:42 PM on May 13, 2017

Best answer: You've probably already tried this so I apologize for re-informing but......

I just got done with a cross country job search myself. Applied to 60 jobs. Got 3 interviews. 1 offer. It was brutal. The one offer came from the company that I was connected to through a family member who knew someone who knew someone who got me an HR rep email address.

You say you're moving home, I assume that means you already have a network there. Job sites are shit. I've heard of maybe one person ever who got an actual job from one. Instead, WORK YOUR CONNECTIONS. Someone knows someone who knows someone who is hiring. Hell, instead of posting that you're looking for a job on Craigslist, post to your Facebook status! Additionally, don't be afraid to take a temporary or contractor position at a company you really like. Not only will it give you a chance to impress them over the months of your actual contract leading to a likely full-time job, but if you don't end up getting the position, you (hopefully) will have integrated yourself into the professional network of Knoxville making the next job search MUCH easier.

Best of luck to you!
posted by leafmealone at 5:47 PM on May 13, 2017 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: @leafmealone, I have posted that request to Facebook twice as well. Most of my TN network of people work in manufacturing jobs though, and I've applied to those places but still get the "We've decided to go with other applicants." emails. Granted that was all with my CO address and phone number.

Which is why I wonder if I should remove the CO address altogether.
posted by Zarya at 6:33 PM on May 13, 2017

Best answer: I never put my full address on resumes. Just put "Knoxville, TN". In your cover letter, make sure to say that you're moving back to Knoxville. I'm not sure what you mean by "a note underneath," but take that off if it's on your actual resume. The local phone number is a good move too.

I agree that networking is huge, although I have actually gotten my last two jobs from random online postings. What sites are you looking at? Where I live, Craigslist is crap. I can't imagine Monster or Careerbuilder are good anywhere. The good jobs are on LinkedIn and Glassdoor, and some on Indeed.

Also, take a hard look at your resume and cover letter. See if a friend who does a lot of hiring will look them over. Read all of Ask a Manager's advice on the subject. Consider hiring a professional resume service (it's expensive and time-consuming, but the ROI is worth it).
posted by radioamy at 6:37 PM on May 13, 2017 [1 favorite]

There is no longer a practical reason to include a mailing address on a resume at all. No one will send you mail regarding a job situation. Email address, phone number at which you can be reached, ideally in the area code to which you are moving.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:47 PM on May 13, 2017 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I bought a house in Minneapolis while still living in NYC and I had an impossible time looking for jobs, despite being an in-demand software engineer. It didn't matter how much I explained that we really bought a house and therefore are really moving for real. Once I changed my phone number to a local area code, put down the new address and dropped any mentions of moving, I started getting tons of callbacks. (It is very easy to get a local area code number for free - I used Google Voice set to forward to my phone for inbound calls and the Google Voice app to make outbound calls). Best of luck in your job search!
posted by rada at 10:06 PM on May 13, 2017 [1 favorite]

What type of work are you looking for? It might be viable to use a recruiting company that would have some insider knowledge on whether a company would be willing to consider a candidate that's looking to move to the area, though those tend to be mostly tech companies or higher end high collar positions where there's a relatively tight labor market.
posted by Candleman at 5:02 AM on May 14, 2017 [1 favorite]