The highly respected trade magazine Personnel Journal has surveyed its subscribers over the years regarding trends in employee relocation. Three years ago, 57 percent of the respondents indicated that during the preceding twelve months their companies had relocated employees. Last year that figure was up to 61 percent.
According to the survey, not only are more companies locating their people, they're spending more money on it. In the same period, the amount of money spent on employee relocation increased from $2.9 billion to $4 billion, a 38 percent increase during a period when cost-of-living increases were small and interest rates favorable.
I've heard two theories expressed by employees who've been asked to relocate by their companies. One, that by accepting the challenge of a move and by being given additional responsibility in a field office, your position rises in the eyes of management back at the headquarters.
The other theory is that the farther away you are from the center of power, the less likely your chances of success with that company-the out-of-sight, out-of-mind philosophy.
When job opportunities are plentiful for employees whose skills are in demand, I suppose such people can afford to analyze a request to relocate and be picky making their decision.
Anyone seeking a better job has to put flexibility at the top of his or her priorities. A number of young people approach their careers backward. Some want those things now that previous generations knew would come later, once a solid career base had been laid. Some choose where and how to live based upon individual preference rather than accepting the fact that the place to live during the formative stage of a career should be where the best jobs are.
Obviously, there are legitimate personal reasons for declining to relocate, but I urge anyone called upon to make such a decision in this tumultuous business climate to be sure that his or her reasons are valid enough and compelling.
Having to decide whether to relocate because your employer asks you to is one thing. Making a decision on your own to relocate in search of a better job or, if underpaid, to find a replacement for the one you've lost is another matter. In either case, you are not going against the wishes of a company. Instead, you are making a career decision that involves not only seeking a job but weighing the risks involved. The question also must be answered whether you're looking to make a move in search of a better job, or simply because you wish to live somewhere else. Either reason has merit, but make sure you understand your motivation and goal before setting to achieve it.
If a better job is what you're after, you won't exclude many geographic areas in which to seek it, at least not because of personal living preference. Obviously, there are areas of the country where the industry in which you've gained your experience is stronger than in other nations. For instance, if your expertise and background is in insurance, Hartford, Connecticut, would be a logical place to look. At least that was the case a few years ago.
Don't indicate on your resume areas of the country to which you will or will not relocate. I once received a resume from a young man who indicated he would relocate anywhere except Vietnam, North Korea, Libya, Iran, and New York City. I suppose he was making a point, although I don't think his resume was the place to do it.
Once you've picked your spots (and this is under the assumption that you're seeking a better job, not choosing location because of personal preference), I suggest you contact a business service in the city of your choice, use the local box number address and phone number, and arrange to have it answer your calls. Have a letterhead made up with that local contact on it. Many companies are reluctant even to respond to a resume and letter from someone out of town on the assumption that it will involve expense on their part, as well as a certain amount of convenience. Having an address and phone number in such a company's area at least precludes being ruled out from the start. In short, do anything to give you the appearance of being from that city, rather than seeking employment from thousands of miles away.
Subscribe to the leading local newspapers, especially on the days of the week when employment advertising is heaviest. Be quick to follow up on any ads that appt suitable for you. Subscribe to your regional edition of the Wall Street Journal, and keep your eyes peeled for jobs trade journals that serve your industry.
Respond immediately to any company that reacts to your resume and letter, and mention during the first few minutes of the telephone conversation that you do not live in that city, and that you established an address and phone number there because you felt it would be more convenient and expedient. In many cases an interested company will bring you out for an interview at their expense-but don't put that burden on the company. You're going to seek employment out of your area, come to grips with the reality that it's going to cost you money.
Try to turn the initial telephone contact into an informal interview. Obviously, no company is going to hire you based upon a telephone conversation, but how you come off during it will determine, to a great extent, whether you're asked to finance the next step. Consider running an ad in the city's best newspaper using your mail and phone drop as a way to contact you.
Your best route to finding employment out of town is through a personnel recruiting firm. Obviously, a strong national (and perhaps international) network of offices can be of most help. Go to the branch in your current city and ask about job opportunities elsewhere. Some recruiters do not have many offices around the country, but work with affiliates. Choose those firms that have a solid reputation and have been around for a while.
Sometimes someone seeking employment from out of town stands a better chance than a job seeker who lives next door to the company. Such candidates are more appealing simply because they are from someplace else. This thinking runs parallel to what has always annoyed employees in corporations when their suggestions are ignored but an outside consultant is brought in, gives the same suggestions, and is applauded for them. The old detrition applies here: "An expert is an S.O.B. from out of town."
Employers tend to make a quicker decision when it involves someone from another city or town. If it's a company in a smaller town, there is a tendency to have heightened respect for people with "big city" experience. And some companies like to hire from outside the area to avoid "inbreeding."
If you are hired by an out-of-town company, you also enjoy the advantage of being less likely to be fired or laid off. Companies are reluctant to dismiss a person who has gone through the turmoil of having moved there for the job.
Obviously, there are risks in making a move. If you relocate to a small town and lose your job, the employment opportunities are significantly less than if it had happened to you in a big city. If you've been in that same town for a while and have put down new roots, the thought of relocating again can be traumatic. Your initial relocation might have been wonderful, especially because you did it of your own volition. Having to do it again is nearly as palatable.
If you're sincerely seeking a better job, maintain flexibility and don't rule out any possibilities, whether it's an area of employment that you hadn't thought of before or in a city that you'd never considered moving to. Good job opportunities pop up in the strangest places, and the strangest times in our lives. Keep your eyes open to them and, in the spirit of a highly mobile military job market be prepared to move fast.
