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I currently live in Philadelphia PA and today I was contacted by a recruiter asking me if I'd be interested in talking about jobs in the area.

I am currently looking for a new position, but I'm looking in Seattle and I told him so. His response was a 'oh well, thanks anyway' and then he added that I should include this on my resume (to deter local people from contacting me).

Is this good advice? If yes, how should I put it on my resume? I don't want my current employer to come across it and be tipped off that I'm looking for a new position

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    In my experience, many recruiters don't even read the resume closely enough to notice if you include a desire to relocate. They just scan for the buzzwords they're interested in.
    – abelenky
    Dec 29, 2014 at 18:12
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    @abelenky that depends on the nature of head hunter. If we're talking the recruiters that scrape LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, etc. Then yeah they literally search for buzzwords and fire off recommendations. (I once put "I'm not considering part-time or contract to hire") on a resume... guess what type of jobs I started getting contacted about...
    – Eric J Fisher
    Dec 29, 2014 at 21:43

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No do not put that in your resume. In the first place, you may change your mind. In the second place, a resume is to sell yourself. You indicate you want to relocate by the jobs you submit the resume for. It isn't there to make recruiters jobs easier.

adding @MattRidge's comment:

Although this has already been answered, I'd like to add a caveat to it. Don't add the information in the resume, do it in the cover letter.

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    yes. You should express an interest to relocate in the cover letter. Your resume is about your credentials, not information like that.
    – La-comadreja
    Dec 30, 2014 at 13:46
  • Although this has already been answered, I'd like to add a caveat to it. Don't add the information in the resume, do it in the cover letter.
    – Matt Ridge
    Dec 30, 2014 at 22:48
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The purpose of a resume to show who you are and what you can do, not what your goals or desires are, so I wouldn't put it in a resume.

Many years ago, the prevailing wisdom was to have a section titled something like "Objectives" but over the years, people have come to realize that it's just fluff that takes up space on a resume, means nothing really, and is largely skipped over. Non-career related information on your resume can actually reduce the likelihood of it being read.

The place to put your relocation desire is in the cover letter or email. That's where you can be conversational and it's tailored to the target to whom you are sending the resume. You can say on one resume, "I would like to relocate to the Atlanta area" and on another "I would like to relocate to the Nashville area" and you would get a much better reception than some generic statement on a resume.

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You should certainly put on your CV that you are willing to relocate.

If possible, list which visas / permits / qualifications you already have in order to facilitate a relocation.

(E.g. EU Citizenship, licensed to practice in States X,Y,Z, etc).

This shows that you're prepared to relocate and thought about some of the practicalities.

I don't think it is necessary to say "I really don't want to work in Kansas City."

  1. You never know what opportunities are going to come your way.
  2. You should only be sending CVs to places where you do want to work.
  3. "I grew up in Kansas City - why do you hate it?" is not a great start to an interview :-)
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    Well, I don't think it's necessary to say that you don't want to work in Kansas city... wouldn't that just be implied? ;)
    – user3246152
    Dec 29, 2014 at 23:01

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