Dear J.T. & Dale: Two years ago, my family and I relocated to the Southeast. We are eager to return to the Northeast. Will it hamper my job search if I use my current address on my resume? I have family in the area where I’ll be moving to, and could “borrow” their address for my resume. — Brad

J.T.: Leave your current address on your resume, but open your cover letter with, “I am relocating to your area by _______.” Why? If you use a family member’s address and a company calls you for an interview the next day, it might be difficult to explain that you can’t get there because you actually live someplace else. That would start the interviewing process on the wrong foot. If you like, put your current address on the resume, but then, right below, write the expected date of your relocation.

Dale: There are plenty of companies that don’t want to pay to bring in someone from out of state. That’s understandable. And it’s also understandable when they don’t want to pay to fly you in for an interview. However, you’ve negated the former by announcing your plans to relocate, and you can negate the latter by scheduling interviewing trips. If you tell hiring managers that you are going to be in their town during a given week, and they have any interest in you, they’ll understand that they need to fit you into their schedule. This creates a “sense of urgency” that’s missing from most job inquiries. So, don’t just own up to your current address — turn it into an advantage.

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Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of the consulting firm jtodonnell.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “(Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success” (John Wiley & Sons). Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.

© 2008 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.