A question about job-hunting remotely

January 26, 2015 10:21 AM

I live in Texas, but I'm actively seeking to move to Boston (for personal reasons), and I'm planning on moving there as soon as I find a job. I'm not moving sooner because I'm underemployed, living on savings, and the cost of living where I am now is much lower. What language can I include in a cover letter that concisely signals both "I'd be happy to move there at a moment's notice" and "I am not trying to con you into paying for my relocation"? Should I quit listing my Texas address and start putting a friend's Boston-area address on my resume instead? Am I overthinking this?
posted by nebulawindphone to Work & Money (10 answers total)

IMHO, you'd need to provide a very compelling reason for the move if you're going to keep your address on your resume. A lot of employers will be skittish about hiring someone with a Texas address. At the same time, though, lying is not a great idea.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:23 AM on January 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

When I was trying to move, I left the address off entirely (except in a form environment -- nobody needs your address on your resume), and the beginning of my cover letter said "I will be moving to [place] on [date]". The date was kind of approximate, but it was near in the future and made it clear that I while I wasn't local for interviews, I was moving and not expecting relo or other assistance, and I wasn't a risk as far as moving went. I got a job, so I guess it worked.
posted by brainmouse at 10:26 AM on January 26, 2015 [10 favorites]

I've used "I'm moving to the [CITY NAME] area this [YEAR/SPRING/SUMMER]" with great success to get from Colorado to NYC, twice! Because I really did plan to move.

I'd leave the address off and just include your name, phone, email, personal website. I've even see folks add their twitter or LinkedIn but YMMV.
posted by mochapickle at 10:28 AM on January 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yes, what brainmouse said. Leave it off, get a Google Voice number with a Boston-area prefix. When asked - because your resume IS going to say that you are currently working in NotBoston - explain that you need to be in Boston ASAP and just can't sign a lease until you have a job there, but that you will be there pronto as soon as that problem is taken care of.

Nobody's going to be replying to your resume by postal mail. It's not necessary to provide an address.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:29 AM on January 26, 2015

I would keep your current address or just leave it off, but in the first paragraph of the cover letter say "I am moving to the Boston area this Spring" so they know you are already serious about moving and will be local soon.
posted by rmless at 10:29 AM on January 26, 2015

I'd quit listing the Texas address, most places won't even look at the resume because of that. Even If you get a phone interview, the answer might be "you're great, but call us when you finally move here," and not offer you the job. I've never been able to get a job until I've lived in the area and I've moved a lot.

Do you have any contacts in Boston that you could use to find a job? That type of entry might be easier than just submitting your resume. Are there any temp agencies for your field you can use?

For the cover letter, I'd state that my move to Boston was imminent and you wanted to be proactive about finding employment.
posted by Attackpanda at 11:03 AM on January 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

I leave my address off of my resume. It's not really important. I would address the issue in the cover letter,

I will be relocating/returning to the Boston area shortly and I've always wanted to work for XYZ Corporation.

I don't think the cell phone number is all THAT important, but if you don't care about your number, get a new Boston number, it may alleviate some anxiety on the part of a hiring manager.

I did this when I was moving to Nashville, I used a friend's home address on the resume (back when this was still a thing) and I got a Nashville phone number that rang straight to voice mail.

Good luck to you!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:24 AM on January 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

I would leave your address off and put "Relocating to Boston in May" in its place. And also make sure, in your cover letter, to mention you don't need relocation assistance. The more you can make your move seem like a done deal, the better.
posted by Automocar at 11:57 AM on January 26, 2015

When I was about to move TO Texas I couldn't get anyone to give me the time of day until I changed my phone number. I was in Florida at the time but I had no trouble changing to a number for my cell phone with a Texas area code. I did not list an address on my resume, but as soon as I had a local number, bingo! I started getting calls.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 6:38 AM on January 27, 2015

I moved from San Francisco to Atlanta in March of 2014. My wife and I didn't want to live in San Francisco any more - exorbitant cost of living and a city full of twenty-somethings taking pictures of their sandwiches had worn on us - and she'd gone to college in Atlanta so it was a place where we knew some people.

If I recall correctly, my resume had "San Francisco, CA / relocating to Atlanta, GA in January 2014" at the top of it, when I was applying for jobs in the fall of 2013. The move ended up being a bit later than we had been shooting for, because finding a job takes time as you know.

Also as it turns out my new employer paid for relocation. YMMV. Depending on what sort of work you expect to do and what sort of budget your potential employer has, you may be pleasantly surprised. I didn't mention relocation in cover letters; it came up in the negotiation process. In my case, because my employer is very large and has employees in many locations, they were used to relocating internal hires and had already budgeted for that.
posted by madcaptenor at 6:38 AM on January 27, 2015