So you are ready to pack up and move to another city, province or country! How do you handle your contact details on your resume? Some people recommend going into lengthy discussions regarding why, how, when, etc. you are moving, but is this the best advice?

Why would people recommend the approach of discussing your backstory on the resume and cover letter to justify your move to the new location?

Beats us, but that’s the advice that is floating around out there. We know those people recommending THAT career advice are a) inexperienced (perhaps they are helping a few clients per month) and do not have enough data to recommend sound advice b) do not have any experience in recruiting, HR, or knowledge of what happens behind the scenes during the recruiting process.

Here’s what happens behind the scenes

We worked in HR and recruited for many different positions. One item that will be a barrier is where you live and where you are applying. If you are going to be moving to a new location, that may not be good enough to reassure the person investing time into your application. Things can go wrong, house sale may be stalled, rental application turned down etc.

If you had a prospective applicant who has a similar profile as another, and that applicant was local, whom would you gravitate towards? You guessed it, most people would go with the easier candidate; less complications = less time wasted and money.

The other main factor that would pose a barrier to your application is culture fit. If you are moving from North Bay to Edmonton, there are various cultural differences, and do you fit in? Maybe, but the company may not think so.

So, what do you do when you are moving to another location?

Okay, now we are getting somewhere. You understand there is going to be some barriers to your application, and you’re thinking ‘what should you do’? We recommend using a local contact as your home-base.

But isn’t this lying?

We are not recommending that you say this is your current living address, that would be deceiving, but we recommend that this is your contact information.

Still worried?

Well, let’s help with this. When was the last time you received a letter in the mail regarding a job application? It still happens, but we’re living in the 2000s (the teenies!). People tend not to snail mail things. People will call, or email. People recommending the other advice are generally out of touch with the current standards of daily living. We live in an electronic world, so let’s embrace it!

In a hurry and need a quick summary?

We recommend that you find someone you know who is living in the general area that you are applying and use her or his contact details ie. their address. It will make your chances of securing a job easier.

You can also use a PO Box. They are cheap and convenient. Also think about getting a local cell number.

Don’t get into the details of when you are moving, the proposed time, the new number, why you are moving, who’s going to be your neighbour etc. that’s way too much information and will make things too complicated.

Good luck with your job search!

If you have more questions on relocating, leave your comments below or contact us. Please share this article below.