

Ask HN: Extramarket job hunting - fivedogit

I&#x27;m a web engineer who has spent some time (5 years total) working in DC and NYC, but is currently in KY because of multiple family health issues that have now played out.<p>I&#x27;ve noticed, spanning several years, that when I&#x27;m in a major market and put my resume out, I get lots of very serious attention (and some offers). When I&#x27;m out of such markets, I get some attention... but it always seems to peter out. It&#x27;s as if my &quot;score&quot; as a candidate, however you want to define it, is weighted with a hefty discount.<p>But the reality is that aside from my family, I have zero attachment to this city. I am not married, don&#x27;t have kids, have no significant friendships here, and my rent is negligible. Getting to NYC, or SF or ATL or wherever is <i>literally</i> a matter of packing a suitcase and getting on a plane.<p>How can I convince potential employers that I&#x27;m not a &quot;relocation risk&quot; or whatever it is they&#x27;re thinking? What is my best course of action, aside from just picking up and moving to a larger market?
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ccashwell_
Many companies which aren't remote-friendly tend to resist hiring folks
without a clear tie to their primary market for obvious reasons. If you're in
Anytown, USA and applying to jobs in Metropolis, you look more like a country
mouse dreaming about big city livin' than an unattached city mouse whose
happenstance brought you back to your humble hometown.

Even if you've historically lived and held down key roles in a major market,
the fact that you're not there now may lead an employer to believe that you're
not prepared to stick out long-term assignments if the wind blows another
direction. Or, worse, you're not actually as good as your résumé purports, and
your last employer(s) figured that out and fired you, which led you to crawl
back to the nest.

I'd suggest either moving to a major market and shooting from close range, or
looking for remote-friendly roles (which would allow you to keep your
negligible rent, quite a rare find in any of the top engineering job markets).

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rbcoffee
You don't need to convince. By convincing you only draw attention to the fact
you have relocated in the past.

