Using an alternate address
Q: When applying to a job from out of state, how do you deal with employers who doubt your interest in and ability to move within a reasonable amount of time? Should you put a friend's Boston-based address on your resume just to get initial consideration?
A: I am seeing more and more candidates apply for positions out of their geographic area, so this is not uncommon. If you have ties to the Boston area, that certainly helps (example: attended college in Massachusetts or lived here as a child).
Also, you should explain that you have researched Boston, especially the cost of living. I have extended job offers to candidates and they have accepted, but after a few hours of internet research, some realize that residential real estate prices here are very different than, say, Kansas City. It becomes a difficult situation. They end up wanting a higher salary or more money for relocation.
Lastly, I would not recommend using a friend's local address on a resume. I think that is misleading. Instead, I would recommend stating in your summary or cover letter that you are willing to relocate.
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For the PC crowd, discovering a candidate is representing a friend's local address as their own will flag them as a "potential problem".
For the rest of us, they're viewed as liars.
I am currently in the San Francisco Bay Area and would love to relocate back to Boston (I grew up in New York and Connecticut and my Dad lived in Boston for 30 years), but the relocation costs are prohibitive and I have a 14 year old son in high school, so for now it's just a nice fantasy. I am a high tech executive assistant, looking to live around Newton, work in Boston or Waltham areas. Happy holidays!
The issue with not using a local resume is that in this day and age of automatic resume filters of various degrees, more often than not, if you do not have a local address/zip code that falls within a certain radius of the office, you never come up in the resume search results for the potential employer in the first place.
Having gone the other way, from Boston to Arizona several years ago, I found I got a total of 2 calls from different places with a Boston address & # even while explaining my desire to relocate, etc. After changing this to a local AZ address and phone #, I immediately received 9 more calls within roughly 2 days.
This never ended up being an issue for me once I explained and was upfront about what I was doing when getting my foot in the door.
Hey just a heads up, I wanted to let everyone know that Xio Dibin speaks English. I hope I posted in the right location?
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Patricia Hunt Sinacole is president of First Beacon Group LLC, a human resources consulting firm in Hopkinton. Sheworks with clients across many industries including technology, biotech and medical devices, financial services, and healthcare, and has over 20 years of human resources experience.
Elaine Varelas is managing partner at Keystone Partners, a career management firm in Boston and serves on the board of Career Partners International.
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