Applying to NYC jobs but currently working outside city

Water Cooler Careers
#1

Currently looking for a job in a few places, one of which is NYC. I’m definitely looking to relocate from where I am now (middle of nowhere in US) to a better place and have some experience under my belt.

I’ve heard that HR dings applicants without a NYC address from multiple people. How do I get around this (without moving to NYC ofcourse)? I’m trying to network around it and believe my resume/background is competitive though not top notch.

If I don’t find anything should I just pack my bags and try to find something in person?

#2

You could just put a fake NYC address on your resume. They probably won’t mail you anything until its an offer letter anyway. Virtually everything is online or by phone anyway.

I would rarely recommend just packing up and moving somewhere and hoping to find a job. Especially a high cost place like NYC.

#3

Im willing to rent you my NYC address for $500/month.

#4

you can get a box at the post office

#5

I actually have multiple NYC address offers from friends who currently reside in NYC but have been hesitant to take any due to the fact that it seems a bit shady…

One of them said they lived in (Place Outside of NYC) on their cover letter to justify it.

I mean this question is really two parts.

  1. Am I getting sample sized and worried about nothing? Is dinging people for not living in NYC a thing?

  2. How to get around it. It seems like current suggestions are to borrow a friend’s address.

#6

I can say from experience it was difficult bc hr / managers realize the huge difference coming from a small town to NYC can be on a potential candidate. Is there any way you could crash with your friends?

#7

Do you think the main issue is the relocation/adjustment or just unwillingness to work with candidates that are long distance?

I have worked in NYC before for an internship. Should I address this in my cover letter (does HR even read it)?

#8

Just to preface, this was on one occassian where I had a family member bring me into the hiring equation (I’ve been working in nyc ever since) - but that person stated they usually don’t hire from outside regions because they’ve had situations where a recent hire from outside of ny would come on board, realize the city life wasn’t right for them, and leave. One method of helping the situation may be to just express how much you want to live in NYC, perhaps somehow bring that up during the small talk portion before the actual interview.

#9

My problem has been getting the foot in the door… or past HR. I am very critical about myself, but truly believe I am at least competitive enough to get a first round at places that I’ve applied to and have expressed myself well on paper (ty Numi).

One story that I heard from a friend in NYC was that his firm sorted people into multiple buckets: Good candidates, bad candidates, and non-NYC candidates.

#10

Unfortunately, this has happened to my firm also so I guess I can at least kind of understand why I am getting dinged. FML

#11

I have a prime Upper East Side address with hedge fund managers on every terrace. Definitely worth more to you than some random address in dingy Greenpoint, Brooklyn, no? My final offer is $400/month.

#12

Agree with this. When I was hiring a junior analyst, of the 40 candidates we decided to interview, 37 were from NYC. Only one of the other three made it past the phone screening, and only because we needed more female candidates. The hassle of processing her travel reimbursement alone made me reconsider interviewing anyone else from out of town.