Legitimate reasons for location preferences
I am in the middle of applying for summer consulting internship programs, as well as some other less preferable, backup internships. Almost all of these applications ask for office location preferences.
I am wondering what is a legitimate reason (in a recruiter or interviewer's eyes) for location preferences. I have San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston listed over NYC on all of my apps. My reason is that I have a huge family and I have older siblings living in each of these places. So ideally, I'd like to end up there in the long-run. I also am not an NYC person -- I've never enjoyed a visit and can't see myself living there, even in the short-term.
If a recruiter or interviewer asks why I prefer one location over another, are those legitimate reasons? Obviously I know the industry focus varies between locations as well as the general culture. I also realize my free time will be extremely limited, but the move and work will be a lot more enjoyable when I have family nearby. I don't want to sound like its a huge personal preference that would impede my interest in the position, but I really don't want to be in NYC. I would rather be honest, but I don't want to sound dumb to a recruiter who is expecting me to list off my interests in one industry over another.
In addition, I'm originally from upstate NY and go to school in Washington, DC. How difficult would it be to get a position in a San Francisco office? (That really is my number one choice.) I know recruiting is generally by location and I'm more likely to be placed on the east coast, but is there any way I can break into west coast recruiting? Thanks for any insight.
Good luck finding time to see family and friends ;D
For real, though - I wouldn't cite family/friends as a reason for one office over another. As a (full-time) consultant, you'll be traveling a lot, working long hours, etc. so you won't be able to have too much of a social life anyways. You don't want to come off as the guy who's focused on the work-life balance thing too much.
Besides, it's a 3 month stint that will prep you for great recruiting opportunities next year. You can stand 3 months without your family, I promise. You'll get close with your summer analyst class too, probably. I would emphasize office specifics like industry (SF = tech, for example), office culture, or other aspects about the city.
Also, summer location doesn't necessarily equate to FT location, so it's not like you're "locked down" into that one choice for the long-term. Besides, even if you get into a FT location you don't like, you can always transfer after a few years. Not the end of the world.
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