How to handle applying for work 8 hours away from your current residence?

January 30, 2007 1:45 PM

How to handle applying for work 8 hours away from your current residence?

My partner and I have decided to relocate after they were offered a job in our new location Foo. I'm staying behind until we either sell our residence in Bar or I find employment in Foo. How best to deal with being 8 hours away when applying for work?

1) Pretend to live in Foo. This is technically possible, we have a Foo address and phone number.
2) Mention my situation in my cover letters.
3) Don't bring it up counting on the employer to realize I wouldn't be applying if I didn't want to relocate.
4) None of the above or some combination.

My fear is employers will dismiss my application because I'm so far away. Yet my resume makes it obvious I'm currently employed in Bar even if I provide Foo contact details.

I work in IT and prefer medium to large companies or public sector employment. Foo is a regional centre of around 100,000.

I'll be checking [e-mail].

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (12 answers total)

I did this a few years ago. I mentioned in my cover letter that I was relocating and gave a few days when I'd be in town for potential interviews. I got a call, scheduled an interview for one of the days I was in town (6 hours away from my then-residence), and was offered the job the next day.

I think it's common for people to relocate when a significant other gets a good job offer.
posted by look busy at 1:53 PM on January 30, 2007

2) Mention it in the cover leter.

We are currently hiring and one of the applicants lives in L.A. (we're in Chicago). His resume was decent, so he got an interview, scheduled around a trip he was planning here anyway. His cover said he would be relocating here. What does it harm them to offer you an interview if you aren't asking for travel compensation?

And Foo is a great place. Try the Snafu grill. Great ribs.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 1:54 PM on January 30, 2007

I'd just write in the cover letter that you're already planning to relocate to Foo.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 1:54 PM on January 30, 2007

I actually think that the only thing that could be a problem is that a company might assume that you'd be A.) Difficult to interview because of your distance or B.) Might expect help with relocation expenses because they don't know your situation.

Since you're currently employed in Bar (which is clearly far from Foo), it might be a little difficult for you to lie about living in Foo, although not infeasible.

I would say that you should write a clearly worded cover letter which explains exactly what you've explained here. Are you planning on regularly visiting your partner in Foo? If so, you might mention that you plan on being in Foo with a certain amount of regularity and are available for interviews (so that the hiring manager reading your cover letter & resume wouldn't assume they'd need to pay to fly you out).
posted by pazazygeek at 1:56 PM on January 30, 2007

My husband was still in NYC when applying for jobs in Toronto last year. He used our address in TO but as he was stating he was still working in NY, generally put something along the lines of "I am currently in the process of relocating to Toronto to join my fiancee, and am available from X to Y, as well as any time next month, should you wish to meet in person ..." He never had any issue with call backs.
posted by jamesonandwater at 1:56 PM on January 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

seconding jamesonandwater. Put your Foo address and both phone numbers on your resume, but mention in your cover letter that you are relocating from your current city. That will make it clear that you are already planning to move there (e.g. no relocation expense, no big deal to come over for an interview) and also that you are new to the job market (let's snatch anon up before someone else gets this highly qualified candidate!).

Good luck with your job hunt.
posted by tk at 2:19 PM on January 30, 2007

Oftentimes people will not call an applicant if it's not a local number. I added a cel phone to my plan with a local number, then I forwarded it to my regular cel phone so I only have to carry one phone. It's perfect because you're ALWAYS available so they never question where you are. I still have both phone numbers & it's helped me be able to take work in both places... when it comes down to it, nobody ever has to know that you're far away. Let them think you're down the street. And if you're not, just say you're busy or on the road and when you'll be available.

Seriously, nobody needs to know your details. They just need to know that you can provide what they want to hire you for.
posted by miss lynnster at 2:51 PM on January 30, 2007

I've done this twice in my career. I'd second the advice of putting a note in the cover letter that you are already planning to move to Foo. I would also give them an approximate date that you plan to make the move, but mention that you could move earlier if needed. You might also mention that you are frequently visiting Foo and would be available at any time for an interview. The goal is to make it as easy for them to hire/interview you as it would be a local candidate. You want an even playing field.
posted by Otis at 3:09 PM on January 30, 2007

This came up every summer I was applying to internships near home in Maine, while living in Canada for university.

I addressed the issue by giving my schedule for being in Maine plainly in the cover letter and offering both my school and home contacts. At the head of my resume, under my name, I left-aligned Current info, and right-aligned Permanent info such that that each line of the two addresses were paired up, but distinct. In my opinion this looked clean, accessible and gave them a clear indication of how to reach me depending on what week/month they called. I never recieved any complaints about being able to reach me, or misunderstanding of my availablity.

Jamesonandwater gives a great example of how to word things in your cover letter. Best of luck in your job hunt!
posted by nelleish at 3:25 PM on January 30, 2007

Just tell them your situation. When I did this (not in IT) I just told them. Was interviewed by a group of 3 people in a conference call and got the job. No big deal. Of course, I could have gone there if absolutely necessary, but it wasn't.
posted by Listener at 4:10 PM on January 30, 2007

Great advice from everyone, but just a little warning: do not lie and say you already live in Foo. Nor should you hide the fact that you are still in Baz. Lying on an application is instant grounds for termination. But having a local-to-Foo cell phone is good and letting prospective employers know you are in the process of relocating (no need to say why) is good.

Oh, and if you are using a Word template for your resume, take out the "objectives" section. It is almost impossible to write a sentence that will be a positive for every job to which you apply. Address that info in your (personalized for each application) cover letter. I realize this is generic job seeking advice, but I have booted so many apps on the basis of "objectives" being not something my company could ever fulfill.
posted by ilsa at 4:21 PM on January 30, 2007

I asked a similar question not so long ago, but it was New- York-City-centric, so I'm not sure it's going to help you.
posted by Clay201 at 11:08 PM on January 30, 2007