Landing an Out of State Interview

 

 

 

 

 

 

When most people think of a job search, they imagine completing that search on their home turf – utilizing the networking contacts they already have and positioning themselves for a move that might have them driving to a different side of town, but wouldn’t involve any actual relocation.

Unfortunately, relocation is sometimes necessary if you want to move forward in your career. In some industries, there are only a handful of opportunities for certain positions nationwide. And if that is where you skillset resides, you need to be ready to move pretty much anytime you decide you want a change in career scenery. Then there are those who are moving for personal reasons already, but still need to find a new job to hopefully land in before they get wherever they are going.

Whatever your reasons for searching out of state, it’s important to know that an out of state job search can sometimes take longer to fulfill. The reality is, most hiring managers would just prefer to hire somebody already in state if given the choice. Not only does it save them the hassle, but it also means they don’t have to worry about getting saddled with relocation costs.

So if you heart is set on relocation, for whatever reason, how do you make your resume stand out in a way that convinces hiring managers you are worth the hassle?

 

If You Are Already Planning on Moving, Make That Clear

First and foremost, if this is a move that is already happening for personal reasons – make that abundantly clear. In fact, if you already have a move date and new address lined up, you may want to actually use that new address on your resume. By doing so, hiring managers won’t immediately discount you when they see an out of state post code. If you don’t yet have a new address, you can still use your resume to let hiring managers know that a move is imminent by putting “Relocating to —– on ——.” In this way, you are communicating that a move is absolutely happening, letting them know you aren’t technically an out of state hire so much as a hire who just hasn’t landed home yet.

 

Use Your Cover Letter

If you’re not already planning to move, but are instead simply searching for out of state opportunities (and planning to relocate wherever you are offered a job) you can use your cover letter to explain why you are a candidate who is worth overlooking in-state applicants for. Remember, you need to be the cream of the crop if you are going to convince hiring managers to bring you on board from out of state, so you really need to highlight exactly what you have to offer. You should also use your cover letter to express your absolute willingness to relocate, perhaps by citing a few things about the area you would love to embrace. For instance, if you live in a cold climate and the new job would be somewhere warm – don’t be afraid to mention how happy you would be to get away from snow shoveling in the winters.

 

Be Easy to Interview

Let’s be honest: going through the hiring process with out of state applicants is just more work for hiring managers. They either have to set up web cam interviewing (which can be a pain, and often feels impersonal) or actually fly you in to meet with the big wigs (which can be expensive). You want to make those options as easy as possible, perhaps even by offering to fly yourself in for an interview that you would be especially interested in. If you think your out of state status might be holding them back from considering you further, be willing to bend over backwards to show them that status isn’t an issue. Not only will you be showing them how genuinely interested you are in the position, you’ll also prove to be a big sigh of relief for hiring managers that were preparing themselves for a lot of extra effort on your behalf.