Apply to low-level positions while out of state?

January 4, 2008 2:01 PM

I am 22 and one year out of undergrad. I would like to get a paraprofessional library job in NYC. I live in Seattle. Is it stupid to expect that I could set up interviews before moving? Will employers even look at my resume now?

Given that I am looking at entry/low level jobs, I am not sure whether it is even worth my time to apply to positions while I am still out of state. I have a network of people I could crash with in Manhattan- should I just concentrate on moving into the city ASAP?

posted by beefetish to work & money (11 comments total)

Will employers even look at my resume now?

No, probably not. There's too many qualified people here already. Move here and join the club.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:31 PM on January 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Should I just concentrate on moving into the city ASAP?

Based on my experience, I would say yes. It's my guess that out-of-town resumes probably don't even get a first glance since there are so many local candidates to pick from. I got zero bites for the three months I was applying from out of state (even though I told them I was moving and gave them a date). I moved and within about a week or two of restarting my search, I was going out on interviews and ended up with two offers. That was for positions that were beyond low/entry level, so I would imagine the competition is even fiercer for a low/entry-level position. Given the niche of your interest, that may not be the case, but you're probably better off here and able to respond at a moment's notice.

Good luck!
posted by ml98tu at 2:44 PM on January 4, 2008

(I hire people at a public library, but not in NYC.)

Sure, I'd look at your resume. But unless the resume really knocked my socks off, and your cover letter contained specific information about when you'd be available for a local interview, you probably wouldn't make it past the first set of cuts.
posted by box at 2:46 PM on January 4, 2008

I think that little consideration would be given to applicants on the wrong coast unless the pool of qualified people in NYC was small, and I don't think that's the case.

I've been trying to land paraprofessional library work myself (in Toronto, where I live) and am still angling even with (or perhaps because of) my combo of a social sciences undergrad degree and a library technician college diploma. The pool of applicants here is strong, too, so I don't imagine an applicant from BC or somewhere else so far away would stand a chance barring incredibly applicable experience or connections.
posted by onshi at 2:47 PM on January 4, 2008

It's my guess that out-of-town resumes probably don't even get a first glance since there are so many local candidates to pick from.

Exactly. And if someone is applying from out of town, when would they be able to come in and interview? Are they really moving to NYC, or is it just a pipe dream? If you are really hoping to set up interviews before you come to town, I will highlight in your cover letter when you will be in town to conduct interviews, and when you plan to move to New York City.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:47 PM on January 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Before I moved to DC I used a friends physical address and got a cell phone with a local area code to put on resumes... just a possibility but I think this only worked well for me because if called for an interview I could hop in the car and be in DC in a few hours, if you say you're not available for an interview for a few weeks that could throw up a red flag for the employer. But maybe you could use this if the job of your dreams gets posted a few you move....
posted by mcbietila at 3:25 PM on January 4, 2008

What everyone else said. Move first.
posted by unknowncommand at 3:29 PM on January 4, 2008

Thanks, all of you -- you confirmed my suspicions against my parents' sentiment of "You can't possibly move somewhere without multiple interview offers first", which seemed sort of iffy.
posted by beefetish at 3:42 PM on January 4, 2008

Also, here is a related question.
posted by unknowncommand at 3:42 PM on January 4, 2008

Private sector employers with library services (tape libraries, photo archives, law libraries) might be more likely to hire out of towners. You could get such a job, move here, and then move into actual library (college, public, etc.) Which is I assume the kind you're asking about.
posted by Jahaza at 4:59 PM on January 4, 2008

Every move I have made in my working life* I have made with absolutely no job offers or even possibilities. And it always works out just fine. You will want to check out your potential situation before committing just as much as they will want to check you out.

*Admittedly, it's been a fairly short working life. But there have been four moves, each with a new job found once I got there. I have no regrets and, unless I was high up in a particular profession, would never do it any other way. My two cents.
posted by mosessis at 11:48 PM on January 4, 2008