have to be in the 5 boroughs of NYC

Do you think companies/placement agencies are hesitant to hire designers 1hr outside NYC and prefer only those within the 5 boroughs, vs. places like NJ? So if you want in the game in NYC, you’ve got to be within the 5 boroughs of NYC? Many other people commute from NJ and CT and upper NY to their non-design jobs.

Is it different for designers?

I would be very surprised if this would be a big deal.
You can easily live in brooklyn but have a 3 hour commute to work in Manhattan but on the other hand live in Hoboken/NJ and be at work in NYC within 20-30 minutes.
In other words, Borough Schmorough.

I doubt that anybody will care where you live as long as it is possible for you to show up on time everyday.

This is not a big deal at all. I live in Jersey and have worked in NYC. I now work in Jersey and work with people that live in NYC. There are tons out there that do it.

I got feedback from an agency that places alot of people, they specifically want people in the 5 boroughs. They said because their clients prefer more local people.

Now that is ridiculous!
What have recruiting requirements come to?!

Maybe it was just an excuse. Like when bouncers at the coolest nightclubs tell people that their shoes are the wrong colour to get in when in fact it’s because they are too ugly or something.

Not saying you’re ugly. There are just a lot of superficial jerks out there.

Might be that the jobs are more temp. in nature and might be hired on a quick basis - i.e. interview the day of contact, then show up next day to employer.

I worked as a freelancer for a couple of years and I had quite a few clients in NYC while I lived in NJ. This should not be an issue. If you live in Hoboken it should even be less of an issue as you are pretty much living in NYC and the commuting distance depending on where the job is could be the same as living in one of the boroughs.

I think it is rare for a NY company to not hire someone because they are in Jersey, but I have heard some places prefer people who live close enough to come in on weekends on short notice- but I am not sure if that actually played a role in getting hired/not hired.

It does seem funny when a job listing states ‘must live in NYC’ unless you’re running for mayor.

You dont have to pay NY City tax if you live in Jersey or CT which is several hundred dollars/ paycheck. When I finally changed my address from CA to NYC I noticed a chunk missing every check. :frowning:

It’s going to sound a bit cynical but the likely reason those firms want ‘local’ people is that they’re going to expect a lot of late hours. Anyone taking the LI RR, NJ Transit, Metro North etc. is going to need to leave at a reasonable time in the evening in order to get home.

The NYC Subway operates 24/7…

It sounded to me like that too, pkelly, and also like gee a lot of these hiring companies do this with little planning so they want a guy / gal who can interview that afternoon or morning and start that day or the next . Like get the call, jump out the sack and start rhym’n & dezign’n.

I lived in central Jersey and worked in midtown. This was never an issue 1) because no one cared, but 2) when I new I was going to have to work those late nights I would drive to Jersey City or Hoboken and take the PATH in. There are ways to get in and out of NYC late at night.

Doesn’t really sound like a firm I would want to work for. Sounds a bit pompous.

Yeah this is crap - might be what they asked but certainly isn’t typical. NYC is a commuter city. People are coming in from Long Island, Jersey, upstate NY and Connecticut.

Especially for those people with families, you can’t expect them to all live in Queens or Brooklyn unless the job pays $400k a year. I worked in Manhattan for years and always just took the train in from Long Island.

word.