Geography: Not Just an Abstraction

I could have been guilty of something like this myself. Well, maybe not quite this bad. Just got a call from a recruiter looking for a web editor for a technology publishing company. She's calling from the East Coast. The company is located in a small town in Southern California. I'm in Northern California. The conversation didn't take too long, but would not likely have occurred at all if she knew the size of California, and that the Bay Area is not near Irvine.

"Would you be interested in a job in that area?"
"Well, I'm in Northern California, so it would have to be an extremely competitive salary for me to move to Southern California."
"I believe it's in the San Fernando Valley."
"Yes, well, that's very far away. It would have to be an extremely competitive salary for me to move."
"This is a mid-level editorial position. What would you be looking for?"
I briefly described my experience and current clients, and then said, "I'd need six figures."
"Oh. Well, this is not that."
"What is the pay?"
"It's mid-level editorial, so it's mid-fifties."
"I'm sorry, I can't help you. And since I'm in the Bay Area I can't really think of anyone to recommend to you for Southern California."

We talked a bit more, and I said I was pleased to get the call (I was having a moment of quiet desperation while deep-cleaning the bath drain with a screwdriver before the phone rang, feeling a bit ignored). It's always nice to hear from recruiters, though I've never gotten a really relevant call from one.

If only concert halls would call me and offer me salaried positions with benefits. Sigh.