[isawsparks89]

myself. Right, I need some help.

Applied for a job near me (advertised as 'multiple locations', this city was near me) and they sent me a questionnaire back. Answered 10/12 lengthy questions and then...

Q11 This is an office based role in Fareham (Between Southampton and Portsmouth), what arrangements will you need to make in order to work locally?

It's a good 3hours away, and I'd planned to have a job to stay at home for and commute. This job, however, is the field I want to take my career to. So, do I email the person who sent me this form and enquire, or do I answer it as it is and say I'll have to move, or what should I do? I can't refer back to my application so I'm not sure if I've applied wrong, or what's happened. Ideally I wanted the job to be nearer to my home cos I'm a bit skint, but this has left me with a bit of a dilemma.

Do I email them or am I just jeopardising my chances?
Serious answers only, please, this is a bit of a dilemma. Thanks

[M1011]

Ouch, burned.

I'd enquire further personally just on the off chance you might be able to work in a local office. However it seems unlikely and you may look a bit silly. But on the whole in your shoes I'd venture the question.

BTW, if you're worried about whether you messed up the application then just start a new one on the system and see what the questions were. If one of the questions is 'which location would you like to work in' then odds are you done goofed.

[isawsparks89]

(Original post by M1011)
Ouch, burned.

I'd enquire further personally just on the off chance you might be able to work in a local office. However it seems unlikely and you may look a bit silly. But on the whole in your shoes I'd venture the question.

BTW, if you're worried about whether you messed up the application then just start a new one on the system and see what the questions were. If one of the questions is 'which location would you like to work in' then odds are you done goofed.

I found the application! Well, my cv and cover letter. In my cover letter I specified the role. I'm going to try and find the application form (if I did one - I can't really remember as I've applied for loads of things). Should I e-mail them and forward my cover letter, perhaps?

I'm can't be particularly fussy for jobs as I'm a recent graduate, but I would just prefer nearer to home if that's on the cards :\

Thank you so much for your prompt response! I'd like some more opinions just now just because it's obviously a difficult decision, but I really do appreciate it, thanks! I'm going to look at the website I applied on now...

Edit: checked history of the computers I used, they just requested the cover letter and cv, no application form.

[M1011]

(Original post by isawsparks89)
I found the application! Well, my cv and cover letter. In my cover letter I specified the role. I'm going to try and find the application form (if I did one - I can't really remember as I've applied for loads of things). Should I e-mail them and forward my cover letter, perhaps?

I'm can't be particularly fussy for jobs as I'm a recent graduate, but I would just prefer nearer to home if that's on the cards :\

Thank you so much for your prompt response! I'd like some more opinions just now just because it's obviously a difficult decision, but I really do appreciate it, thanks! I'm going to look at the website I applied on now...

Edit: checked history of the computers I used, they just requested the cover letter and cv, no application form.

When you say specified the role, does that include the location? If so you're clearly entitled to at least ask the question for clarification purposes if nothing else. I presume there was a role advertised at your local office?

HR aren't scary man eating dragons, they are just people, and they'll be able to clarify this for you

Also, why can't you be particularly fussy? As a recent graduate you have no strings attached, you can do what you want! Do you have a 2.1 and some decent work experience? If so be more optimistic!

[isawsparks89]

(Original post by M1011)
When you say specified the role, does that include the location? If so you're clearly entitled to at least ask the question for clarification purposes if nothing else. I presume there was a role advertised at your local office?

HR aren't scary man eating dragons, they are just people, and they'll be able to clarify this for you

Also, why can't you be particularly fussy? As a recent graduate you have no strings attached, you can do what you want! Do you have a 2.1 and some decent work experience? If so be more optimistic!

Yep I definitely specified location in my cover letter, sorry that's what I meant. Found it on target jobs, so not local, but I was only looking at jobs in the cities near me. I emailed them last night in the end and haven't got a reply thus far...

It's not that I'm scared but I don't want to seem push. Got a 2.2 so I'm worried but yeah some work experience behind me...

[M1011]

(Original post by isawsparks89)
Yep I definitely specified location in my cover letter, sorry that's what I meant. Found it on target jobs, so not local, but I was only looking at jobs in the cities near me. I emailed them last night in the end and haven't got a reply thus far...

It's not that I'm scared but I don't want to seem push. Got a 2.2 so I'm worried but yeah some work experience behind me...

Fingers crossed you get a positive response.

2.2 can be a problem, but there are plenty of positions still open (big lists of 2.2 accepting graduate schemes on here somewhere amongst the 2.2 threads). Work experience puts you ahead of many less prepared graduates.

[JustR]

Why don't you ask the HR Department about relocation packages if you're worried about money? They might offer you subsidised living costs or a lump sum of money or pay for moving companies to take your stuff to the new city (removals company? can't remember!) and take the stress out of the money/moving situation!

[isawsparks89]

(Original post by M1011)
Fingers crossed you get a positive response.

2.2 can be a problem, but there are plenty of positions still open (big lists of 2.2 accepting graduate schemes on here somewhere amongst the 2.2 threads). Work experience puts you ahead of many less prepared graduates.

thank you. fingers and eyes and toes crossed. I'm not expecting it but we'll see. In the end, I sent the questionnaire to them, and they replied to my former enquiry by saying they'd accepted my questionnaire. so I don't know what it was about, whether theyre trying to test me, or if it was a generic form or something...

(Original post by JustR)
Why don't you ask the HR Department about relocation packages if you're worried about money? They might offer you subsidised living costs or a lump sum of money or pay for moving companies to take your stuff to the new city (removals company? can't remember!) and take the stress out of the money/moving situation!

DAMN I so wish I'd thought of that, that's a brilliant idea. I guess since I've replied I'll wait til I get a response before I say anything more, I don't see myself getting it necessarily anyway.

[M1011]

(Original post by isawsparks89)
DAMN I so wish I'd thought of that, that's a brilliant idea. I guess since I've replied I'll wait til I get a response before I say anything more, I don't see myself getting it necessarily anyway.

I wouldn't mention anything about subsidised living costs or relocation packages until you have a job offer to be honest. Easy way to get yourself crossed off the list by someone who doesn't want the expense or the headache.

[isawsparks89]

(Original post by M1011)
I wouldn't mention anything about subsidised living costs or relocation packages until you have a job offer to be honest. Easy way to get yourself crossed off the list by someone who doesn't want the expense or the headache.

yeah in the former email I tried to point out that it's not an inconvenience necessarily, but that I want to know so that i can verify and therefore make arrangements prior to any feedback. I didn't want to sound ungrateful or pushy, since I genuinely still want the job regardless of location.

I really hope they don't see me as difficult through that e-mail anyway, due to the fact they don't seem to have answered my question :\

[livefires]

(Original post by isawsparks89)
I really hope they don't see me as difficult through that e-mail anyway, due to the fact they don't seem to have answered my question :\

Trust me, as someone currently working in HR, I can fairly confidently say that they won't consider you difficult or pushy on the basis of what I've read in this thread. It's perfectly acceptable to ask for clarification when the specified location doesn't match the one you originally applied for. As for the fact that they didn't answer your question, this might be because your question and your form went to 2 different people or it might be because the HR person you contacted is still trying to find out the answer. I know that in my workplace we tend to answer the questions we can and confirm receipt of things ASAP and then try to find out the answers to things we don't know and respond to them later.

[isawsparks89]

(Original post by livefires)
Trust me, as someone currently working in HR, I can fairly confidently say that they won't consider you difficult or pushy on the basis of what I've read in this thread. It's perfectly acceptable to ask for clarification when the specified location doesn't match the one you originally applied for. As for the fact that they didn't answer your question, this might be because your question and your form went to 2 different people or it might be because the HR person you contacted is still trying to find out the answer. I know that in my workplace we tend to answer the questions we can and confirm receipt of things ASAP and then try to find out the answers to things we don't know and respond to them later.

This is so assuring to read! Well I've decided to leave it for now because I may well not even get the job and I'm waiting for them to read my questionnaire and get back to me. I mentioned it again within the form but, I mean, we'll see. That may put them off, but we'll see I guess.

What's weird is the form (email 1) went to person 1 and I sent that query (email 2) to person 2, and person 2 replied to email 2, to clarify that they'd received query 1. Odd. Never mind, anyway. Got job applications and cover letters coming out of my ears so I probably won't remember myself haha.

Thank you!

[livefires]

(Original post by isawsparks89)
What's weird is the form (email 1) went to person 1 and I sent that query (email 2) to person 2, and person 2 replied to email 2, to clarify that they'd received query 1. Odd.

It's not as weird as you might think. One of our team frequently passes things on to me to acknowledge and answer despite them actually processing the information. It might also be that person 1 knew you'd also emailed person 2 so asked person 2 to let you know that they'd received email 1, if that makes sense?

Good luck with the application

[isawsparks89]

(Original post by livefires)
It's not as weird as you might think. One of our team frequently passes things on to me to acknowledge and answer despite them actually processing the information. It might also be that person 1 knew you'd also emailed person 2 so asked person 2 to let you know that they'd received email 1, if that makes sense?

Good luck with the application

Sorry, must just be weird for me, haha.

Yes, that makes sense. I figured that had happened, but yeah...
What I reckon (hope) has happened is that they just sent out some stock generic form and they will look at my cover letter/cv as a step after looking at the questionnaire (if they're interested)? That's just what I'm supposing -shrug-

Thank you I need it!