Question about job applications regarding locations

[The Heretic]

Everytime I try to get a job in Portland I get almost no response, even when I am a very good match for the job. I was wondering if it is because I have a Seattle address and phone number on my resume?

I was thinking of maybe getting a prepaid cell phone with a Portland number and putting a Portland area address on the resume with that number. Think it would help?

 

[shoulderblade]

Everytime I try to get a job in Portland I get almost no response, even when I am a very good match for the job. I was wondering if it is because I have a Seattle address and phone number on my resume?

I was thinking of maybe getting a prepaid cell phone with a Portland number and putting a Portland area address on the resume with that number. Think it would help?

I think so. Smaller centres tend to be 'homer' oriented. Give the job to the local rather than an outsider. We take care of ourselves.

 

[NaughtyLil1]

What's the distance between the two cities? I'm trying to figure out why it would make a difference. A lot of people commute.

Who knows. Rent a post office box short term and see what happens.

 

[The Heretic]

What's the distance between the two cities? I'm trying to figure out why it would make a difference. A lot of people commute.

Who knows. Rent a post office box short term and see what happens.

Seattle is a good 200 to 250 miles north of Portland. No commuting there.

 

[NaughtyLil1]

Seattle is a good 200 to 250 miles north of Portland. No commuting there.

Yeah, that drive would suck.

 

[Xstatic]

Everytime I try to get a job in Portland I get almost no response, even when I am a very good match for the job. I was wondering if it is because I have a Seattle address and phone number on my resume?

I was thinking of maybe getting a prepaid cell phone with a Portland number and putting a Portland area address on the resume with that number. Think it would help?

DISCLAIMER: My own thoughts on this-I am not a HR or employment professional.

That said, it probably is because of the Seattle address - why would they employ someone who lives so far away? Do you mention that you are willing to relocate (if you are willing)?

Hauling out the rantbox...

I actually find it quite offensive when prospective employers don't tell you how your application is going - or why you weren't considered for the position. It's not as if you're asking for their firstborn and all their assets - just a simple courtesy call is all!

Off the rantbox - clearly I have issues with employment seeking

 

[The Heretic]

DISCLAIMER: My own thoughts on this-I am not a HR or employment professional.

That said, it probably is because of the Seattle address - why would they employ someone who lives so far away? Do you mention that you are willing to relocate (if you are willing)?

I used to put that in, but I thought it sounded desperate, that they should know that if I was applying for a position in Portland of course I was willing to relocate - otherwise I wouldn't be applying for the position.

Hauling out the rantbox...

I actually find it quite offensive when prospective employers don't tell you how your application is going - or why you weren't considered for the position. It's not as if you're asking for their firstborn and all their assets - just a simple courtesy call is all!

Off the rantbox - clearly I have issues with employment seeking

I hear you, but really you have to look at it from their perspective; for many of these positions they get hundreds sometimes thousands of resumes/applications, they can't possibly reply to all of them.

That said, there is this one contract position that is for a very large well known company. A dozen or more contracting agencies from all over the country are advertising it hoping to get the one candidate the employer wants (all the adds are worded almost exactly the same). I did some research and sent my resume to the agency that is local to the employer and actually has a good history with the employer - and I didn't hear a peep from them.

So now I am going to send it to another agency for the same position. I know they hate that, but with no feedback how am I to know if they even forwarded my resume or not?

 

[Lost Cause]

Perhaps a cover letter describing your Oregon homesteading before leaving because of the booming tech market in Seattle and your desire to return to your stomping grounds?

 

[The Heretic]

Perhaps a cover letter describing your Oregon homesteading before leaving because of the booming tech market in Seattle and your desire to return to your stomping grounds?

I think that they take one look at the address on the resume and throw it out - often the cover letter doesn't make it past the person who receives it first.

 

[MisterEdMe]

Seattle is a good 200 to 250 miles north of Portland. No commuting there.

Why are you looking for a job in Portland if you live in Seattle?

 

[Weird Harold]

Everytime I try to get a job in Portland I get almost no response, even when I am a very good match for the job. I was wondering if it is because I have a Seattle address and phone number on my resume?

It might be because they're concerned/reluctant about relocation costs.

I was thinking of maybe getting a prepaid cell phone with a Portland number and putting a Portland area address on the resume with that number. Think it would help?

It might help, but it also might get you a job offer without relocation assistance and/or an offer that's withdrawn when they find you're not local after all.

 

[Cheyenne]

I think that they take one look at the address on the resume and throw it out - often the cover letter doesn't make it past the person who receives it first.

Exactly. I like your idea of getting a Portland address and phone number. Do you have a family member in Portland whose address you could borrow for now?

 

[McKenna]

Everytime I try to get a job in Portland I get almost no response, even when I am a very good match for the job. I was wondering if it is because I have a Seattle address and phone number on my resume?

I was thinking of maybe getting a prepaid cell phone with a Portland number and putting a Portland area address on the resume with that number. Think it would help?

I think it works. I've known several people who have done the cell phone/local address thing and ended up with jobs in the cities they wanted to live in. Before they did all that, little-to-no response from the companies at which they applied or sent their resume. Couldn't hurt to try, eh?

 

[firespin]

Getting a local address and phone number would be a big help, I think.

At least some, maybe all, prepaid cell phones can be activated with your choice of area code, whether or not you reside in that area, as long as the company services that area.

 

[The Gimp]

I've had that problem. Years ago when I moved to a new town I turned in an application at Walmart and they didn't call me back.
I found a job paying three times as much as Walmart within a month of getting a local phone number and address.

 

[PublicAffection]

As a hiring manager, yes. Your Seattle address can be a detriment. Trying to hire someone on the premise of relocating is costly, time-consuming, and can be very frustrating for an employer. If they need someone right away, an employer will choose someone local who can start Monday before choosing someone who still has to give two week notice at their current job, find a place to live, move, get settled in... whether or not they are paying for your relocation, it can be a real pain in the ass for all parties.

That said, it isn't impossible. I got a job in the city I am in now when I lived roughly 200 miles away. It just takes time, persistance, and the right employer. It will also be easier or harder depending on the industry you are in. Those in the tech industry can find jobs to relocate to much easier because it's very common for someone to relocate for a position, even within the same company (I.E. they have sites around the world & they might need a supervisor in China & your experience hits the bill). It's more difficult in administrative fields because it's easier to find someone local with the skills to answer a phone & manage a filing cabinet.

So... just depends. Good luck on your search. PM me if you have any Q's as I am pretty familiar with Portland.

 

[Lost Cause]

Can you use your Oregon family's address and phone # ?

 

[The Heretic]

It might be because they're concerned/reluctant about relocation costs.



It might help, but it also might get you a job offer without relocation assistance and/or an offer that's withdrawn when they find you're not local after all.

I don't care if they give me relocation assistance, I am not going to ask for it. Some of these are month contracts and unlikely to offer relocation. Where I am when I ask for the job is irrelevant, it is where I am at when I work the job, and I *will* be in the Portland area when they tell me I have the job.

 

[The Heretic]

Why are you looking for a job in Portland if you live in Seattle?

For several reasons:

1) My family is nearby and my mom is getting old. My mother would be very pleased to have me closer, so would my daughter.

2) The area outside of Portland is where I grew up and I like the roads for motorcycling better.

3) I could use a change.

4) It will feel more like home - the surroundings are more familiar.

I like Seattle, but the main reason I came up here was for a job.

 

[The Heretic]

I am thinking of just using the address and not get a phone number, the phone thing is a bit difficult to juggle and people with cell phones have numbers outside a given area when they move anyway.

 

[Weird Harold]

I don't care if they give me relocation assistance, I am not going to ask for it. ...

The employers don't know that and if they see Seattle contact information they might not get far enough into your resume to know you're not interested in relocation assistance.

I am thinking of just using the address and not get a phone number, the phone thing is a bit difficult to juggle and people with cell phones have numbers outside a given area when they move anyway.

I think a Portland area code is probably more likely to get you a call-back than a long distance call would. The lower level screeners might not even be authorized to make long-distance calls from the office so any question at all about your application will get it trashed 'cause they can't just pick up the phone and ask.

 

[The Heretic]

The employers don't know that and if they see Seattle contact information they might not get far enough into your resume to know you're not interested in relocation assistance.

That's true.

I think a Portland area code is probably more likely to get you a call-back than a long distance call would. The lower level screeners might not even be authorized to make long-distance calls from the office so any question at all about your application will get it trashed 'cause they can't just pick up the phone and ask.

Long distance is not an issue anymore - for the most part long distance doesn't cost any more than a local call for most telephone accounts, especially business accounts. A lot of these recruiters would have to make a long distance call regardless of where I am - you look at the address for them and they are on the east coast, midwest, out of state, and in many areas a call to a suburb is long distance (if I call into Seattle from Everett I believe that is long distance - I forget). Besides, they generally email me first. The real issue is the relocation issue.

 

[MisterEdMe]

For several reasons:

1) My family is nearby and my mom is getting old. My mother would be very pleased to have me closer, so would my daughter.

2) The area outside of Portland is where I grew up and I like the roads for motorcycling better.

3) I could use a change.

4) It will feel more like home - the surroundings are more familiar.

I like Seattle, but the main reason I came up here was for a job.

Okay. That all makes perfect sense now. Maybe you should make it clear somehow that you are re-locating to Portland.

Is there a state employment or work force organization that can help you with a resume'?

BTW, I was stationed in Seattle (Bangor) in the 80's. Stayed a yr after I got out. Lovely, beautiful city and surrrounding areas.

 

[The Heretic]

Okay. That all makes perfect sense now. Maybe you should make it clear somehow that you are re-locating to Portland.

Is there a state employment or work force organization that can help you with a resume'?

BTW, I was stationed in Seattle (Bangor) in the 80's. Stayed a yr after I got out. Lovely, beautiful city and surrrounding areas.

I have a good resume - the product of many revisions and reviews. It works for me. I have found that the state employment agencies don't know shit about decent professional resumes - they take on look and say "looks good to me". I got much better advice on my resume and on job seeking at Spherion when I was laid off some years ago and the employer paid for us to go there for classes.

 

[MisterEdMe]

I have a good resume - the product of many revisions and reviews. It works for me. I have found that the state employment agencies don't know shit about decent professional resumes - they take on look and say "looks good to me". I got much better advice on my resume and on job seeking at Spherion when I was laid off some years ago and the employer paid for us to go there for classes.

Okay. Have you at least registered with an agency or state work force assistance and utilized their resources to find job contacts? In Oregon? Then proceed with follow-ups?

As a supervisor myself, I will not hire someone who does not appear aggressive enough to follow-up on application. Or at least keep asking me for a job. My best people don't know crap about a resume', but they are reliable and good at what they do.