Preferred Location and Why: How to answer?

How do I answer the following questions? Is this gonna affect my application big time?

1. What is your preferred location and why? - Have not lived in the list of locations but I live within the region
2. Local language competency of your preferred country? - Do not speak their local languages, but English is acceptable business language in the list of locations.

Job Applications: Preferred Locations

When answering "What is your preferred location and why?" - you should be honest with yourself about where you want to live and then rank in order. To figure out the "why" of this question - you can think about the types of clients that are in the given area / region and use that as your rationale as to why you want to work there.

Some users emphasized that some regions may be more competitive to break into than others and the determination process in hiring may take into account the offices that you preference (i.e. NYC may be in more demand than somewhere like Dallas) and if you are genuinely interested in the Dallas office your application might have a higher success rate preferencing that ahead of NYC.

Kamel71:
Within North America, some locations tend to be much more competitive than others. Although firms will tell you that standards are the same everywhere, it's easier to break into e.g., Dallas than into NYC. Also, mix of work will be different (e.g., oil and gas in Dallas, financial institutions in New York). Pick a place where you want to live, and where there are some local clients in industries you are interested in.

Location and Language Skills

When answering the question of "Local language competency of your preferred country?" you again need to be honest with yourself and on the application. Within consulting - local language skills are critical so do not stretch the truth.

Kamel71:
Local language skills are essential in consulting. This is especially the case at the junior level, where you will interact with junior/mid-level clients that may not speak English, or simply have a preference to interact in their local language because they are not 100% comfortable in English. If you don't speak the local language, this might limit your staffing opportunities significantly + it limits your effectiveness as a consultant.

If you do not have the language skills necessary for a given location - your application may be hindered.

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Craig-Dunham:

Because the offices you select in rank order, will be the ones to assess your resume

What happens when you rank your top three offices? Is it just the first location that assesses you resume or if they pass does it move onto the second, and then again to the third
 
Best Response
patriotsfan1:
Craig-Dunham:

Because the offices you select in rank order, will be the ones to assess your resume

What happens when you rank your top three offices? Is it just the first location that assesses you resume or if they pass does it move onto the second, and then again to the third

In theory it works like that. In reality, it's probably a bit of a complicated game theory question. Let's call the scenario you described Level 1.

Level 2 might consider that the particular firm has tons of solid applicants for your top choice office, but is in desperate need of bodies in your 2nd choice office.

Level 3 might take into account whether you're an absolute rockstar who the firm believes will get offers from your top-choice office at the other same-tier firms.

Level n is probably very hard to predict. My advice: Don't be tactical about it. Rank the offices that you would be happy to get an offer at. Leave the others off. Good luck!

 
brj:
patriotsfan1:
Craig-Dunham:

Because the offices you select in rank order, will be the ones to assess your resume

What happens when you rank your top three offices? Is it just the first location that assesses you resume or if they pass does it move onto the second, and then again to the third

In theory it works like that. In reality, it's probably a bit of a complicated game theory question. Let's call the scenario you described Level 1.

Level 2 might consider that the particular firm has tons of solid applicants for your top choice office, but is in desperate need of bodies in your 2nd choice office.

Level 3 might take into account whether you're an absolute rockstar who the firm believes will get offers from your top-choice office at the other same-tier firms.

Level n is probably very hard to predict. My advice: Don't be tactical about it. Rank the offices that you would be happy to get an offer at. Leave the others off. Good luck!

agree. just to add to it, some places let you give % preference, this can add a bit more nuance.

for example: * 90% LA, 10% Seattle vs. * 50% LA, 50% Seattle

If LA is "full" then you're more likely to get passes to Seattle in the second scenario. Sometimes this is good (you just want an offer, don't care about office), and sometimes this is bad (you really prefer LA).

kind of obvious, just adding more detail.

 

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