What Location Should I Use on My LinkedIn Profle Updated for 2020

What Location Should I Use on My LinkedIn Profle Updated for 2020 Over 11% of working age Americans moved to a new county, state, or country last year.The number is higher for executive job seekers. 25% of my resume clients relocated for new jobs during 2018.If you want to move, don’t use your current location on your LinkedIn profile. Use your desired location instead. And dont put your address on your resume.Companies Love Local CandidatesLocations and addresses matter because most hiring managers want to hire local candidates. Why?It costs less to interview them.They don’t have to spend money to move them.Theyre easier to retain.When a company relocates a new hire, there’s a risk they won’t like their new location.Moves can also cause family problems when a spouse or kids find themselves unhappy in a new city. That often makes for a short-term employee because trailing family members who arent happy have a way of issuing ultimatums about moving back home.Because of the above-mentioned factors, many employers shy away from national search es. They often start with local searches and only look beyond their area when they can’t find good local candidates.Recruiters Restrict Their LinkedIn Searches by AreaThis means when their recruiters go to LinkedIn to look for candidates, they restrict their searches by metropolitian areas and zip codes. Thus, if your profile isn’t coded with one of those, they will NEVER find you. And that doesn’t help you get a job before you move, does it?Case HistoryLast year, I worked with an engineer who wanted to move from the Research Triangle to Southern California.When we prepared his resume and LinkedIn profile, we talked about which location to use for him â€" North Carolina or San Diego. He chose North Carolina because he didn’t want to signal his boss that he wanted to move to San Diego.He called me after a few weeks and said he wasn’t getting any play for jobs in Southern California.He decided to take a risk with his boss and change his LinkedIn profile location to San Diego . Almost immediately, he had a new job in Southern California. The recruiter found him via LinkedIn.As my italics highlight, this strategy involves some risk. In my clients case, moving was more important to him than perhaps fielding some awkward questions from his boss. You have to decide what works for you.You Must Be Findable by Your Target EmployersIf you want to change jobs (now up to 85% of us), then you must be findable on LinkedIn. If you’re not findable, why bother with a profile?Post-Publication UpdatesCheck the Comments below for Sergio Avilas note dated 6/5/18 and my response dated 6/7/18 regarding the ability to now note aspirational locations on your LinkedIn profile.Let’s Connect on LinkedInPlease don’t hesitate to invite me to connect on LinkedIn  here:  Donna Svei, Executive Resume Writer. The more I know about my readers, the better I can make my blog.Image: Fotolia/pepebt Updated November 2019 2014 2019, Donna Svei. All rights reserved.Donna SveiDonna Svei, an executive resume writer and former C-level executive, retained search consultant, and CPA, writes all of AvidCareerists posts. She has written for and been quoted by leading business, general, and career media outlets, including Forbes, Mashable, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Lifehacker, Ask.com, Social Media Today, IT World, SmartBrief, Payscale, Business News Daily, and the Muse. Let her background and experience inform your job search strategy and decision making.Learn more about Donnas executive resume writing service or email Donna for more information. LinkedIn â€" SEO (6 Posts)