Ask HN: Extramarket job hunting
2 comments
Many companies which aren't remote-friendly tend to resist hiring folks without a clear tie to their primary market for obvious reasons. If you're in Anytown, USA and applying to jobs in Metropolis, you look more like a country mouse dreaming about big city livin' than an unattached city mouse whose happenstance brought you back to your humble hometown.
Even if you've historically lived and held down key roles in a major market, the fact that you're not there now may lead an employer to believe that you're not prepared to stick out long-term assignments if the wind blows another direction. Or, worse, you're not actually as good as your résumé purports, and your last employer(s) figured that out and fired you, which led you to crawl back to the nest.
I'd suggest either moving to a major market and shooting from close range, or looking for remote-friendly roles (which would allow you to keep your negligible rent, quite a rare find in any of the top engineering job markets).
Even if you've historically lived and held down key roles in a major market, the fact that you're not there now may lead an employer to believe that you're not prepared to stick out long-term assignments if the wind blows another direction. Or, worse, you're not actually as good as your résumé purports, and your last employer(s) figured that out and fired you, which led you to crawl back to the nest.
I'd suggest either moving to a major market and shooting from close range, or looking for remote-friendly roles (which would allow you to keep your negligible rent, quite a rare find in any of the top engineering job markets).
You don't need to convince. By convincing you only draw attention to the fact you have relocated in the past.
I've noticed, spanning several years, that when I'm in a major market and put my resume out, I get lots of very serious attention (and some offers). When I'm out of such markets, I get some attention... but it always seems to peter out. It's as if my "score" as a candidate, however you want to define it, is weighted with a hefty discount.
But the reality is that aside from my family, I have zero attachment to this city. I am not married, don't have kids, have no significant friendships here, and my rent is negligible. Getting to NYC, or SF or ATL or wherever is literally a matter of packing a suitcase and getting on a plane.
How can I convince potential employers that I'm not a "relocation risk" or whatever it is they're thinking? What is my best course of action, aside from just picking up and moving to a larger market?