Looking for a job in NYC while searching from another location.

7 Comments

1. AnonymousFebruary 23,2025 at 4:11PM UTC

   I did this and just obtained a mailbox with a physical address in the city I wanted to move to. My onboarding to my new job took 1 month to clear so I was able to find a place and move prior to starting .

2. AnonymousFebruary 23,2025 at 5:02PM UTC

   Why would you want to hide where you live? The company you apply to will inevitably figure it out from your job history, and hiding it from them is probably more damaging than not being local, as the question will likely come up in the interview (and you don't want to lie there, especially if being local is important to them). I presume you are not going to ask for relocation assistance. Before doing something like this, I would move to the area where I'm looking for jobs rather than lie about where I live to fill a check box for the applicant pool. I always indicate in the cover letter or the application (if a question pertains to it, and relocation is not an included benefit) that I would cover the costs of moving). By the way, they will likely figure it out when you present your ID during onboarding and interviews. You don't want to lie again because lying on an application is a termination offense in most companies. Expect them to find out and go from there.

3. AnonymousFebruary 24,2025 at 7:08AM UTC

   In your interviews, ask the interviewer's advice about this because you don't want a background check to reveal an out of area address and disqualify you from a job offer. I would hope that an interviewer would be ok with an applicant who is ready to return to the area but requires a job offer first.

4. AnonymousFebruary 24,2025 at 2:19PM UTC

   Mailboxes Etc will rent you a mail box with a local street address and set up a service where they forward your mail.

5. Danielle Peterson, MBAFebruary 24,2025 at 10:33PM UTC

   Your best bet is to use your friend's address when filling out applications. In this job market/economy, many companies prefer local applicants.

6. JoAnna BlackFebruary 25,2025 at 1:54PM UTC

   Are you in a position to attend in person interviews on short notice if required? When I was looking to move back to the East Coast I used my mom's suburban NYC address to apply depending on the position. I wasn't working at the time so for a couple interviews I did book last minute flights to be in NY in person for them before moving. If you're not in a position to do this, be upfront about your situation and explain in your cover letter that you are looking to move back to NYC.

7. AnonymousFebruary 25,2025 at 4:28PM UTC

   I appreciated everyone's feedback. I've been upfront in the past and lost out to a local candidate after the fifth round. My last role was in NYC so that's not a life but I'm currently staying with family and now ready to return once I find a job. I'm not asking for relocation and have moved previously for a job in the States and abroad without receiving funds.

   Even when I lived in NYC, since I didn't drive there, my license still had my former upstate NY address. I'm inquiring about a local address as I feel ATS is ruling me out and I wondered if HR was doing the same as when they receive so many applications,.

   It would be the easiest to remove candidates outside of the area to focus on a few applicants. I wonder how much the 'would you be willing to relocate' tick box really comes into play and still feel screened out even if I'm honest. Thank you for your advice.