Hi all.
I have a somewhat unique situation in my career search, so I thought I'd see if anyone might be able to offer some advice. I'm a dual citizen of both the US and Canada, and I'm currently living and working in the US. I'm in my early 30s and have actually lived in the US since I was 4 years old, so I've spent a majority of my life here. For completely personal reasons, I'm planning on moving back to Canada and the Toronto area sometime in the foreseeable future, and I'm planning on doing so on my own dime. In other words, I wouldn't be looking for an employer to cover my relocation expenses.
For the last 4 months or so, I have applied for a number of positions in Canada within my industry. I have 10 years of background and experience in my industry (broadcast engineering), multiple academic and professional honors, and an academic background that meets and/or exceeds the qualifications as listed in the job descriptions. Nonetheless, I haven't received any follow-ups on any of my applications.
While I'm not one to be over-confident, I'm fairly sure that my cover letter and resume are up to par in outlining my education, experience, and qualifications, particularly as they relate to the positions for which I'm applying. Additionally, given my situation of being a Canadian citizen living in the US, I mention in the opening paragraph of my cover letter and in the objective statement of my resume (I would have otherwise omitted the objective statement completely) that A) I'm a Canadian citizen currently living in the US, B) that I'm planning on returning to Canada and, perhaps most importantly, C) that I'm planning on relocating at my own expense.
While I've tried to make my citizenship and relocation situation clear in my cover letter and resume, my concern is that the applicant tracking systems (many of the employers to which I'm applying use Taleo or Njoyn) are automatically sending my application to the bottom of the list on account of my US address. Given a choice, a Canadian employer's preference is probably to avoid dealing with international relocation, hiring a non-citizen, and so on, so I'm worried that my US address alone might be serving as a major hindrance. Despite the fact that I am a citizen and would be willing to cover my own relocation expenses, my guess is that the ATSes may just assume that this is not the case and move international applicants to the bottom of the list of suitable applicants.
This brings up my main question. I have a family member in Toronto with whom I would likely be living for the first few months if/when I return to Canada. Would it be unethical for me to list their Canadian address on my cover letter, resume, and online application (as opposed to using my US address)? I don't know for sure that this would increase my chances of scoring a job or even an interview, but something tells me that my US address is really working to my disadvantage now, especially for the applications I submit through ATSes. That said, any suggestions or advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks!
