Interviewing for a location where you have no ties Forum
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Anonymous User
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Interviewing for a location where you have no ties
Hi all, I'll be interviewing for an office in a large metropolitan area coming soon. Do you have any general pointers on how to interview for a location which you don't really have any ties too.
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Lwoods
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Re: Interviewing for a location where you have no ties
If you have reasons for wanting that city, state/sell them.
If you don't have reasons for wanting that city, sell your willingness to go where the best career opportunities are. It helps to have something to back this up, like if you've moved for a job before.
Explain why you're not chasing jobs in cities where you do have ties.
If you don't have reasons for wanting that city, sell your willingness to go where the best career opportunities are. It helps to have something to back this up, like if you've moved for a job before.
Explain why you're not chasing jobs in cities where you do have ties.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Interviewing for a location where you have no ties
Lwoods wrote:If you have reasons for wanting that city, state/sell them.
If you don't have reasons for wanting that city, sell your willingness to go where the best career opportunities are. It helps to have something to back this up, like if you've moved for a job before.
Explain why you're not chasing jobs in cities where you do have ties.
Not OP, but will pointing to a history of staying at unrelated jobs help? From 16-24, I held one job for six years, and another for almost two. Or would that be so long ago it is meaningless?
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rinkrat19
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Re: Interviewing for a location where you have no ties
Almost two years is not long-term. I for sure wouldn't point that one out.Anonymous User wrote:Lwoods wrote:If you have reasons for wanting that city, state/sell them.
If you don't have reasons for wanting that city, sell your willingness to go where the best career opportunities are. It helps to have something to back this up, like if you've moved for a job before.
Explain why you're not chasing jobs in cities where you do have ties.
Not OP, but will pointing to a history of staying at unrelated jobs help? From 16-24, I held one job for six years, and another for almost two. Or would that be so long ago it is meaningless?
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Anonymous User
- Posts: 428484
- Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am
Re: Interviewing for a location where you have no ties
rinkrat19 wrote:Almost two years is not long-term. I for sure wouldn't point that one out.Anonymous User wrote:Lwoods wrote:If you have reasons for wanting that city, state/sell them.
If you don't have reasons for wanting that city, sell your willingness to go where the best career opportunities are. It helps to have something to back this up, like if you've moved for a job before.
Explain why you're not chasing jobs in cities where you do have ties.
Not OP, but will pointing to a history of staying at unrelated jobs help? From 16-24, I held one job for six years, and another for almost two. Or would that be so long ago it is meaningless?
Even in context? Job at 16, stayed there until 22. Stayed at new job until leaving for law school. I guess I didn't really make that part clear though.
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Scotusnerd
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Re: Interviewing for a location where you have no ties
The big question they will want to know is 'why should we hire you over someone local?' You have to answer that question, convincingly. And it's gotta be better than 'I really really really want the job.' Spend some time spinning a really good answer to that.Anonymous User wrote:Hi all, I'll be interviewing for an office in a large metropolitan area coming soon. Do you have any general pointers on how to interview for a location which you don't really have any ties too.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Interviewing for a location where you have no ties
When I was applying to jobs for post-graduate employment I took the honesty approach. I told myself that I would tell each and every one of the offices where I had no ties that I wouldn't be coming to their office because of the location but because of the quality of work. I let every office know where I was applying, which happened to be in almost every corner of the country, and said that I was looking for the job, not the location. I was offered a job at the second office I interviewed with during the interview. My interviewer thanked me for my honesty when she asked about why I wanted to be in X location and I told her the truth. She told me she thought I'd be a great fit and handed me a offer letter with her signature.
TLS conventional wisdom isn't always right.
TLS conventional wisdom isn't always right.
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Scotusnerd
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Re: Interviewing for a location where you have no ties
Congrats!Anonymous User wrote:When I was applying to jobs for post-graduate employment I took the honesty approach. I told myself that I would tell each and every one of the offices where I had no ties that I wouldn't be coming to their office because of the location but because of the quality of work. I let every office know where I was applying, which happened to be in almost every corner of the country, and said that I was looking for the job, not the location. I was offered a job at the second office I interviewed with during the interview. My interviewer thanked me for my honesty when she asked about why I wanted to be in X location and I told her the truth. She told me she thought I'd be a great fit and handed me a offer letter with her signature.
TLS conventional wisdom isn't always right.
That's awesome.-
A. Nony Mouse
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Re: Interviewing for a location where you have no ties
I don't know if any of this is helpful, but FWIW, I got a job in a city/state to which I personally had no ties whatsoever, and for which at least one other person I know was rejected in part because he didn't have ties. Here's what I think helped me:
- the location was particularly good for the kind of law I was interested in, so I played up that reason for wanting to be there (think something like oil/gas in Texas, or federal regulatory work in DC). Obviously this may not work depending on the job/location, but if it does, I think it helps a lot.
- I'd visited the state exactly once in my life. But every time the location came up, I burbled about how excited I would be to live there. It feels kinda over the top, but I think it also helps.
- I have a history of moving to follow jobs, which I pointed out (and once pointed out, they could see on my resume), and so I told them that moving to a new place for a job doesn't faze me if it's the job I want, which theirs was. (This is going to work better if you're not K-JD and you have moved to new places for work before, but I think you might be able to use law school as an example of how you're willing to move to get what you want. Maybe.)
- my husband had lived in the state once (for three years, long ago). Personally, I don't think of this as much of a tie, but I talked about how much he loved the state whenever I could, too. I don't think his connection to the state was as important as being able to show he was behind the move and supported it. (As an aside, I don't love the "my husband says the move is okay!" kind of implications of this, but will use what I can.) Again, obviously doesn't apply if you don't have a SO you can use for this purpose.
- I was very direct about wanting to find a job in a location where I could settle down and stay for a long time. I can't remember exactly which questions I got asked about this, but they were fairly blunt about asking me my long terms plans (and that they wanted someone who would stick around), so I was direct in response. This may have been more convincing because I'm older and have been moving around a bit, but is still something to consider.
Obviously this is all based on my own personal facts/experiences, but I thought I'd post it just as an example in case it helps anyone. Don't be afraid to be really direct about anything at all that gives you a reason to what that job in that location. Even if you feel goofy, be super-enthusiastic about the location. Good luck!
- the location was particularly good for the kind of law I was interested in, so I played up that reason for wanting to be there (think something like oil/gas in Texas, or federal regulatory work in DC). Obviously this may not work depending on the job/location, but if it does, I think it helps a lot.
- I'd visited the state exactly once in my life. But every time the location came up, I burbled about how excited I would be to live there. It feels kinda over the top, but I think it also helps.
- I have a history of moving to follow jobs, which I pointed out (and once pointed out, they could see on my resume), and so I told them that moving to a new place for a job doesn't faze me if it's the job I want, which theirs was. (This is going to work better if you're not K-JD and you have moved to new places for work before, but I think you might be able to use law school as an example of how you're willing to move to get what you want. Maybe.)
- my husband had lived in the state once (for three years, long ago). Personally, I don't think of this as much of a tie, but I talked about how much he loved the state whenever I could, too. I don't think his connection to the state was as important as being able to show he was behind the move and supported it. (As an aside, I don't love the "my husband says the move is okay!" kind of implications of this, but will use what I can.) Again, obviously doesn't apply if you don't have a SO you can use for this purpose.
- I was very direct about wanting to find a job in a location where I could settle down and stay for a long time. I can't remember exactly which questions I got asked about this, but they were fairly blunt about asking me my long terms plans (and that they wanted someone who would stick around), so I was direct in response. This may have been more convincing because I'm older and have been moving around a bit, but is still something to consider.
Obviously this is all based on my own personal facts/experiences, but I thought I'd post it just as an example in case it helps anyone. Don't be afraid to be really direct about anything at all that gives you a reason to what that job in that location. Even if you feel goofy, be super-enthusiastic about the location. Good luck!
