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I am trying to relocate to Paris, where my fiancee lives. I sent several resumes, stating on my resume and on my cover letter my Swiss address, but I ended up with any luck.

Now I was thinking to use her French address on my resume, to prove that I am already living there, and to hope to increase the opportunity to have more interviews. I think with a local address you can have more chances. I am currently employed, I am working as business consultant for a firm, I have a portfolio of clients with who I follow up and that I meet every ten days approx. (so I would be able to attend any interview in person if I know 2 days before), so actually I was thinking to say that I moved to Paris to increase my chance to get a job there, and that I am still "teleworking" from there, and I am traveling to Switzerland to attend some meetings sometime.

How would it sounds to you to read on a resume a French address and to see on the job section that this person is still working on Switzerland (like 2010-present)? Confusing? Should I write on the cover letter and on the resume that I am teleworking from there and that I moved there to increase my chances to get a job? Then I don't know if could be a good idea to say during the interview that I relocated/want to relocate because of my partner. Maybe they don't see as a good reason. Just need some advice on how you present this issue.

Thanks.

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  • The French railway system is excellent. If you stress in your cover letter that you are available for in-person interviews within a couple of days' notice and that your fiancee lives in Paris, I don't see your currently living in Switzerland as a major difficulty but I am not the decision maker. Rather, if you have French friends or peers in the business, you should have them review your resume for any content that looks like a turn-off. Your French peers are the ones best placed to tell you whether a Swiss address on your resume is a turn-off, by the way.
    – Vietnhi Phuvan
    Nov 28, 2014 at 11:24

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I wouldn't lie, I would go to lengths to tell the truth - your truth is reasonable enough that you don't need to cover it up, just explain it.

State on your covering letter that you are currently based in Switzerland but are moving to Paris, that you are available in the short term for interviews and can easily move in time for any agreed start date subject to your current notice period. Give your girlfriend's address as the contact address, merely state that you work in Switzerland.

A potential employer doesn't care that you live in Switzerland, he just wants to know that you have no obstacles to coming to work for him.

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  • Thanks. What about using my fiancee address, and state in the end of the cover letter smth like that I am still working in Switzerland but that I am looking to relocate to Paris where I already have an accomdation, for these reasons I could move within XX notice period (without mentioning my fiancee). I am just afraid that they can think that my fiancee is the only reason, obscuring that I care about the job.
    – Octopus
    Nov 28, 2014 at 12:24
  • People move for personal reasons all the time, it's obvious that you're moving to be near your fiancée, but that doesn't mean you don't care about the job. At the end of the day we all work to live, we don't live to work... They don't expect your job to be your entire raison d'etra (I've always wanted to say that), and your only reason to move, their company may be great but didn't make sense while you lived far away, now it does. That's fine.
    – Jon Story
    Nov 28, 2014 at 12:28
  • And yes, use your fiancée's address but make it clear that you work in Switzerland - there's nothing wrong with using her address for correspondence as long as you aren't covering anything up. The company don't usually care where you are now, they care that you will be available for work if required. Note that they may still have concerns that you would move away if the relationship ended, and you may need to address that as a separate issue
    – Jon Story
    Nov 28, 2014 at 12:30
  • Thanks.Yes, you got my point, that's what I am worried about, that they may have concerns about that. That's why I am stuck in how to present this. I mean, on one side the address give more credibility, that I wouldn't be stuck with a relocation process, but mentioning that's of my partner can be the other side of the coin. I am really stuck on this. I would take advantages and not disadvantages.
    – Octopus
    Nov 28, 2014 at 12:41
  • Well point 1 would be that they have a point - people who move to an area for relationships have a higher risk of moving on. You can't hide this, though - you have to deal with it in an active way. Tell them why you're moving to the area. Make it clear your social group in Paris isn't limited to your fiancee and her friends. Bear in mind that to some employers this will be a show-stopper, while to others it will only be a slight concern. However, lying to a prospective employer is always a show-stopper.
    – Jon Story
    Nov 28, 2014 at 12:52

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