How to convince Out of state resume filtering?

Question

Personally I've applied to quiet a handful of IT admin jobs inside my state and to the ones that are way far away. The sad part is I never miss to get an interview with the jobs in my state, but get a call once in a blue moon from jobs out of my state. Note: All the jobs are of similar nature.

Recently one of my friends told me that "Applicants with local addresses are the ones that are even looked upon".

1. How true is this? Does filtering take place at address level before qualifications?
2. Is using a PO box on resume acceptable [one for each state like CA, TX, VA]?
3. Any other suggestions to get calls from out of state?

Thank you :) [wiki]

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EDIT: Ignore my previous questions. PO box is out of my mind. So changed the title. Here are my new questions:

1. How true is this? Does filtering take place at address level before qualifications?

2. I'm ready to relocate anywhere on my own (Time/Money). How do I convince out-of-state resume filtering HR's?

Sanks

Answer 1

Regarding question #1, yes, most companies that I've worked for do remove out of state resumes from the pile right away.

For #2, I don't think most screeners would even notice. Why don't you go ahead and try it, then measure the results. Assuming that you wouldn't have gotten the call any other way, what does it really hurt?

And for #3, ultimately, if they don't want to hire out of state, you may be wasting your time unless you are willing to foot the bill for your own relocation and travel costs. Relocation is expensive and resource intensive, which is the main reason that most of these employers discard out of state resumes.

Answer 2

it depends on the people reviewing your application, and how they feel about this sort of 'deception'.

if i were a hiring manager, and some guy pretended to be from, seattle, for example, using a friend's address, etc, and expected us to fly him in for the interview, i would be very miffed, and the interview would end there, angry my time had been wasted.

if, however, you are willing to relocate yourself and fly yourself in for an interview, i would have considerably less bad feelings toward you, though i'd be a little grumpy about the deception, were it revealed.

basic point; it depends heavily on the person who is interviewing you.

also, if i were reviewing your application, and your address was a PO Box, i would be suspicious, and probably ask you about it during the initial phone screening, if you lied to me at that point, i wouldn't move you forward. the point, after all, is to get the initial phone screening/interview, right?

Answer 3

To answer your question as an IT business owner:

I would be skeptical about a PO Box for a few reasons:

1. Why is this applicant offering me a PO Box addy? Does he have no home to go to?
2. I find that knowing where a person comes from will give me an idea of what to expect (in general); locally or farther away.
3. Is the applicant hiding his home address for a reason? Will this be exposed on background check?
4. Why not list a home address as I will probably only contact him/her via phone or email anyway to get things started.

I have plenty of clients who use a PO Box to send bills/invoices. I personally do not like it as I would rather send them directly to their business address. If you really need to take this option, I would recommend paying a few dollars more to get a real mailing address at one of the many mail centers around the country. That way you are sending a real address plus a suite number. I just feel, personally, that it also would gain my respect. Company that with a business logo and what not, and I would contact you.

ex: http://www.mailboxesetclocal.com/1585/ - Mailbox Services section is what you would want.

This is coming from a small business IT owner. So just my two cents on your question.

Answer 4

Give the question some perspective. You talk about states but don't mention what country. The size of the states might have some bearing on this because few will hire people who aren't within a reasonable traveling distance.

In Australia we have states vastly larger than most countries, so we don't normally expect a response to a job application posted in another state. If the states you refer to are small this may not be an issue.

Of course there is at least some level of filtering based on location. Put yourself in their shoes - then try to imagine the hassles of trying to arrange interviews with someone who can't simply pop in at will.

As for the PO box issue, doesn't the address still identify the state? If so why would you expect it to make a difference in your favour? I personally would expect it to have the exact opposite effect, as it suggests you are hiding things. I've only ever seen one resume with a PO box. I threw it straight into the bin without reading any further.

Edit:

When faced with the issue of applying for a job a great distance from where I live, either in another state or at the other end of the same one, I made a point early in the cover letter of saying that it was my wish to relocate to that location and I was looking for work prior to the move and that I would be relocating at my own expense.

Based on that I had interviews a couple of times over the phone. I didn't get those jobs but I also didn't get many local ones I applied for, so I'm reluctant to draw a conclusion. For now, I'm still living in the same area where I've lived since 1960. Looks like I might never move.