How Not to Get a Job: Location and Attitude

Sometimes, my job is a series of non-sequiturs. Here’s an e-mail that Mr. Candidate sent me in response to my letting him know that he’s in the wrong physical location for me to consider.

—–Original Message—–

Dear John -

Thank you for responding to our need for Marketing talent. At this time, we are pursuing several local candidates living in the greater Seattle, Washington area. If none of the local candidates work, we will begin to consider candidates outside of the Pacific Northwest. If you choose to relocate, please let us know when you are physically in the territory, and we can discuss if we have an opening that matches your skills and abilities.

Good luck in your search!

I’m doing my due diligence – trying to keep the applicants informed about the reason he’s not getting interviewed. At this point, 90% of the candidates will say thanks and good luck.

Not John. John decides to cop an attitude.

—–Original Message—–

Hi Troy,

Actually, I would not relocate to the Pacific NW unless a firm was willing to provide relocation assistance. I’m sure you would not move to Austin, TX for a job unless the employer was willing to provide assistance.

If this is not the case, I would recommend only looking at local candidates.

The firms I’m speaking with all provide relocation assistance, which is a normal cost of doing business to get qualified candidates.

Regards,

John

Of course, we’re advertising this opportunity as a junior level job, and specifically note that no relocation is provided. We already state that we’re only considering local candidates.

Lecturing is always the best way to build rapport with the decision-makers. [NOT]