How to Get an Executive Recruiter's Attention When You're Not Local

Looking for a job in a city you don't live in is harder than looking locally, and recruiters will tell you so. A local candidate can interview Thursday, start on a known date, and is unlikely to back out because a spouse changed their mind about the move. A candidate three states away carries more questions. That doesn't mean you can't get hired. It means you have to answer the questions before anyone asks them.

This post covers what we see work for senior construction candidates, from superintendents and project managers up through regional and executive roles. If you're sorting out what an executive search firm can do for you, start there and come back.

Why out-of-state candidates still get hired

Two things make a non-local search more realistic in construction than in most industries.

The first is that the market is tight. In AGC and NCCER's 2026 workforce survey, which drew 1,830 respondents, 88% of firms with craft openings and 87% of firms with salaried openings said those positions were as hard or harder to fill than a year ago. AGC also reported that the construction unemployment rate hit 3.1% in August 2026, the lowest for any month in that series. When few qualified people are available locally, employers widen the search.

The second is that senior roles have a smaller pool to begin with. A company hiring a vice president of operations or a senior project executive for a specific market, say heavy civil work in a certain region, usually can't fill it from the three people who live nearby. Entry-level and junior roles, where the pool is large, are where the local preference is strongest.

Openings do move up and down. Construction job openings were 251,000 in August 2026, down from 299,000 in July but still above the 213,000 a year earlier, per BLS JOLTS data summarized by NAHB. So the demand is real, and it isn't spread evenly across regions or specialties. Check where your kind of work is actually being built before you pick a target city.

Reach recruiters before you apply cold

Search firms hear about openings that are never posted, and they know which employers will pay for relocation and which won't. Three ways to get in front of them:

1. Contact firms that specialize in construction. A generalist recruiter in an unrelated field won't know the difference between a preconstruction manager and a project engineer. Look for firms that place the specific role you hold. You can see the kinds of roles we place on our positions page.
2. Use people who already know you. If a recruiter has called you in the past, call back and tell them where you're going. They will often take that call even if they have nothing open today.
3. Talk to people working where you're going. A former colleague who moved to the target city can tell you which firms are growing and who runs the office. That is worth more than any job board.

When you send a resume, follow the usual advice. Our post on common executive resume mistakes covers the ones we see most, and how to stand out to executive recruiters covers what comes next.

Handle your address on purpose

A resume with an address in another state raises a question in the first five seconds. You have three options, and none of them is perfect.

• Leave the address off. This is common now because most contact happens by email and phone. It works until someone asks where you are, which usually happens on the first call.
• Use a local address you'll actually have. If you have a place lined up, or a family member's address where you'll be staying, that's fine. Be ready to explain that you aren't there yet if you're invited in the next week.
• Put your move date where the address would go. Something like "Relocating to Denver, October" is the most direct. It tells the recruiter you are non-local and that you have a date, which is the information they need.

We lean toward the third option for anyone whose move is already set. If your move isn't set yet, don't write a date you can't hold. Recruiters remember when a "relocating in March" candidate is still in the same city in June.

Give a real reason for moving

The biggest worry a recruiter has about a long-distance candidate is that they'll go through three rounds of interviews and then decide not to move. A vague reason ("looking for a change of scenery") does nothing to calm that worry.

Say plainly why you're moving and make it something that won't change next month. A spouse's job transfer, family in the area, a house already under contract, or a kid starting school there are all concrete. Put one or two sentences in the cover note or say it on the first call. You don't need to share more than that.

It also helps to say what you've already done. If you've visited the city, found a neighborhood, or talked to a real estate agent, mention it.

Be flexible on the title and on timing

If you are trying to land a job before you move, you may need to give a little on title or pay. A project executive moving to a market where the open roles are senior project manager positions can take one of those and move up. That is a decision for you, and you should make it knowing the market. BLS data puts the median pay for construction managers at $114,990 as of 2025, and the range around it is wide, so what "a small step down" means will depend on your role.

Timing matters as well. Say when you can start and be honest about notice. An employer who needs someone in 60 days will pass on a candidate who can't be there for six months, however good the resume.

Offer to travel for the interview

A local candidate can interview in person on short notice. You can't, so make that gap smaller.

• Offer a video interview for the first rounds. Many firms are comfortable with this now.
• For the final round, tell them you'll come to them. Many executive hires still end with an in-person meeting with the owner or leadership team.
• State that you'll cover your own travel if the company would normally ask a candidate to do so, and you can afford it. If you can't, say so, and ask whether they reimburse. Don't promise what you can't pay for.

Group the meetings. If you can see the hiring manager, a peer, and the owner in one trip, you've saved the company the cost of three separate visits.

Ask about relocation help, in the right order

It's common for companies to pay some relocation costs on senior hires. In a market where 92% of construction firms that were hiring reported trouble finding qualified workers in AGC's 2025 survey, employers have more reason to do it. Still, don't lead with it.

Wait until there's interest on both sides, then raise it in the offer conversation, not the first screen. If you're competing against a local candidate and you can cover your own move, saying so can close the gap. If you can't, ask what the company usually covers: moving costs, temporary housing, house-hunting trips, or a lump sum. Get what they offer in writing.

A short checklist

Before you send anything out-of-state:

• Decide your move date, and whether you can hold it.
• Write the one-sentence reason for the move.
• Pick your address approach.
• Decide what title and pay range you'll accept in the new market.
• Know your travel budget for interviews.
• Check the relocation question with your family before you raise it with an employer.

If you're looking at a move and want to talk through the market, start with our career seekers page or contact us.