Applying for jobs out of state

[bringmagicback]

I have been applying for jobs out of state for about a month w/ no success. I have faith my resume/cover letters are decent as I get a lot of attention in state. Anyone have any ideas on how to gain attention of out of state employers?

I thought maybe remove my address.

[cyclaholic]

I have been applying for jobs out of state for about a month w/ no success. I have faith my resume/cover letters are decent as I get a lot of attention in state. Anyone have any ideas on how to gain attention of out of state employers?

I thought maybe remove my address.

first off, what kind of job are you looking for? i really don't think it's because you live in another state. right now, the job market is very competitive due to unemployment. have you thought of having someone look at your resume (a professional)? you could have someone within your industry look at it as well and give you pointers. the way a resume looks and reads could make or break whether you get an interview, or even a consideration.

[fwiw]

I was able to make this happen a few years ago, only coming back to the DSM area. I lived about 400 miles away and had been out of the area for 15 years.

I sent out a ton of resumes and applications for open positions in Des Moines, Madison, and Minneapolis with little success.

The breakthrough came when I found an ISU connection in the HR department of a company I wanted to work for. She shopped my resume around and lined up some interviews for me -- basically got my foot in the door.

So my first recommendation is to somehow find connections wherever it is you want to locate. Ideally it's somebody in HR, but take what you can get. But the idea is work that into a contact in HR. Once you get your foot in, your chances go way up.

Use the ISU alumni database to see who's working in the city you want to move to, and in what fields. Send an email to them, or get on LinkedIn and invite them, whatever. Ask your friends and family if they know anyone that might be able to hook you up. Heck, someone on CF might know someone. Where are you headed?

Getting noticed is at least 75% who you know. Best of luck to you, I know it's not easy.

[Three4Cy]

I have been applying for jobs out of state for about a month w/ no success. I have faith my resume/cover letters are decent as I get a lot of attention in state. Anyone have any ideas on how to gain attention of out of state employers?

I thought maybe remove my address.

Find a staffing service / employment agency, look for something like a Robert Half, or someone like the Palmer Group in DSM, just make sure they are a no fee to you. These places are always looking for good people because they get paid if they place you. I just talked to a co-worker who said they had over 150 people apply for a job and dreaded the whole reviewing resume process, because she had so many applicants. It's a tight market, and being from out of state could hurt you and be an easy screening tool to eliminate your resume. Getting in a with a staffing service allows them to sell you and show you are serious about relocating. Places like Robert Half and Palmer Group typically offer resume services too.

[cdekovic]

I think it will depend on which states you are applying in and what your degree is. If you have a degree in education, then Texas will hire you in a second. Engineers from Iowa have luck in California, Colorado and Arizona. The one thing you might consider is your willingness to pay for your move. It can be somewhat risky for a company to pay for relocating you and then have you change companies. You might include that on your cover letter that you are willing to pay your own way to relocate.

[acgclone]

I tried to find a job in another state back when the job market was much better, and it was very difficult. Ultimately I found a job (sales), where I covered both the state that lived in and the state that I wanted to move to. A few months later I was able to move with no problems because it didn't matter where I lived, as long as it was in my territory.

With that said, I would strongly encourage you to look where you live as well as out of state because the job market is completely different now. You could easily look for a year or more before finding something acceptable in another state.

Put yourself in the shoes of the person doing the hiring. Most of them will add steps to what is already considered a fairly difficult task (hiring). Obviously it makes a difference what kind of field you are looking at. The more generalized it is, the less likely that they will look at out of state candidates. If you're in a small/niche field, then it could be much more likely to happen.

[besserheimerphat]

Over the past year I had two very serious interviews with out of state companies (Pennsylvania and Tennessee). Both times, I was told that it was even between me and one other candidate, but they were local so they went with the local guy. Of course they could have been lying, but I suspect the relocation costs had a lot to do with it.

[linhely]

I think it will depend on which states you are applying in and what your degree is. If you have a degree in education, then Texas will hire you in a second. Engineers from Iowa have luck in California, Colorado and Arizona.

[Dopey]

I got a job 1400 miles away in a crappy economy. If the company is big enough, and your resume is good enough, it'll happen. Just be prepared to be committed to working for a certain amount of time before not having to pay back the relocation costs.

[Dexter]

I got a job 1400 miles away in a crappy economy. If the company is big enough, and your resume is good enough, it'll happen. Just be prepared to be committed to working for a certain amount of time before not having to pay back the relocation costs.

Here's the funny thing. My wife never went to college. In the last 3 years she's upgraded jobs 6 times, each for better pay and benifits. She sells ads for magazines and when a job opens in a comp. mag. they call her.