Resume advice

[RosieTR]

So we're trying to find jobs in CO while living in AZ. I don't know for certain, but I would guess that there have been some I or DH has applied for where we might have been invited to interview but for the fact that we live far away. How would you deal with this? Some friends have suggested we just put a CO address on the resume (both of us have family where we want to move so we could use their addresses). Is that valid? If that sounds iffy, what would you do? I have tried to address it in cover letters though that's always sort of tricky and may not really mean much anyway. Thanks for any advice!

[herbgeek]

I would put a local (local to the new area) address on the resume. Cover letters don't always make it to the hiring manager. When I've gotten resumes from out of the area candidates, I've hesitated because I think the expectation might be that I'm going to cover relocation costs, so they go into the "maybe" pile. If there are a lot in the "yes" pile, I might never get to the maybe pile.

[fidgiegirl]

I don't think it's iffy. You're planning to move there anyway. Or could you realistically omit your address? Thinking out loud: I suppose on a resume, but not so much a cover letter.

You need to do everything to increase your chances!

[RosieTR]

OK, good to know. I had already asked my parents about this so I'm sure it's fine to put their address.

[rosarugosa]

I'll admit that I too have passed over resumes from non-local candidates for the same reasons as Herbgeek. I do always read cover letters, but from what I hear, not everyone does.

[iris lily]

I don't interview out of town candidates for non-professional jobs. The local candidate pool is adequate, don't need to go outside for that. But for professional level jobs, sure, I look at all candidates regardless of geographic locale.

OP, what would you do if you got a bite on a job application right away? Say, two weeks after you sent it? Would you go there at your own expense for the interview? IS it a, what, 8 hour drive? What if you came home and got another interview, would you go out again at your own expense? Or, are you expecting the employer to cover interview expenses?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Or could you realistically omit your address?

Yes, yes, and yes. Look I was told by a resume advisor never to include my address on the resume. I'm not sure why. I don't exactly have anything to hide. I was looking for a LOCAL job (really the more local the better, but I'm doing a commute now). Maybe they figure that *employees* are so desperate they don't even care about having to move or commute and so should not give their address as employers may screen on it. One can get that desperate but I wasn't yet, and truthfully did care where a job was located. So I never got why exactly I was supposed to leave out my address but I did (wonder if there is any bias of homeowners versus apartment renters - personally the homeowners - just like anyone with massive debt - have a noose around their neck - and thus have more reason to stick with even the worst possible job no matter what, than a renter with savings ever will. But around here due to totally unaffordable housing many people of all income levels rent).

But yea if the point is avoiding employer screening you don't have to put an address. You DO of course need a way for employers to contact you (ideally a phone number and an email), and it is true employers can know if you are out of the area by the phone area code (as in I've never even heard of this area code where the heck is it? :)), but it doesn't immediately jump out at them the way an address in another state would.

I don't know about cover letters.

[Rogar]

I have had phone interviews as a basic screening interview for out of town and out of state jobs, both as a job applicant and interviewer. With an interview committee it was done as a conference call or on speaker phone. If you are doing a cover letter, or perhaps somewhere in the resume, you could mention your willingness to travel for a face to face interview or to do a basic phone interview.

Personally, I think you should be straight forward about where you live. If someone is interested in hiring you it's bound to come up and probably better to not seem secretive about it.

I haven't been in the job market for quite a while, but I wonder if a skype interview is acceptable these days?

[Spartana]

You could put both - the CO address (written largeish) as your permanent addresss and the AZ address (written smaller and underneath) as your temp "contact" address with a line at the start of the cover page something to the effect that you are in the process of moving back to your home CO asap. Otherwise I'd probably put the CO address and an e-mail address and cell #. If you are currently employed in AZ (and I think you are) they will know that you aren't living in CO as soon as they read your resume anyways so why not do a simple explanation at the very beginning. Showing that you actually own a home in CO and saying that you are moving back to that home permamantly will allow the employer to know that you are serious about employment in CO, that you have lived there before, have family there, and that it's just not a whim to move there - and that you an handle the weather as well :-)!