How to Address the "Can You Relocate?" Question When You Live Nearby – A Guide for GTA Dental Professionals

In today’s competitive dental job market, candidates—even those located just minutes from the clinic—are often faced with the relocation question during the application process. If you're a dental professional in Toronto or the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), answering this question thoughtfully can help you stand out while remaining truthful about your current location and availability.

Your Proximity Matters in the Dental Job Market

If a position you’re applying for is less than 25 miles away from your current address, being asked, “Are you willing to relocate?” can seem misplaced. Yet, this question continues to appear on online job portals and standardized dental hiring forms. For many professionals, particularly in the clinical dental field, giving the wrong answer can be risky—especially when applicant tracking systems (ATS) flag resumes based on strict keyword filters. Understanding the purpose behind the question is crucial to managing how employers perceive your application.

What Does the Question Really Mean?

This question isn't necessarily about your current address—or lack of willingness to move. Many online systems and HR departments include this standard field to assess general flexibility. The key word here is: "willing." It’s not an insistence, but an inquiry into how adaptable you are, particularly as clinics grow or open new branches. In the Canadian dental sector, where regional mobility can come into play for growing DSO networks or multi-location practices, expressing openness—even when you live locally—can reflect positively on your profile.

Response Strategy for Dental Professionals in the GTA

Here’s how you should approach this question during your dental job search across Ontario:

• Choose "Yes" on the Application: Selecting “yes” ensures your resume isn’t automatically filtered out by ATS for seeming inflexible—even if you live 10 minutes from the clinic.
• Clarify Verbally or in a Cover Letter: In your cover letter or during the screening interview, you might say, “Yes, I’m open to relocation if needed. However, I’m currently located in Toronto and am within commuting distance of your practice.” This shows readiness without appearing rigid.
• Frame it as Professional Flexibility: Indicate that you’re open to relocating in the long-term should the role evolve, such as transferring to a sister location or expansion site. Dental clinics appreciate future-minded candidates.

Using Local Presence as a Strategic Asset

Dental clinics throughout the GTA value professionals who are readily available and present near the practice area. Your proximity minimizes onboarding delays and reduces patient service gaps. Here’s how you can make this a selling point:

• Emphasize Immediate Availability: Explain how living near the practice allows you to attend training earlier, fill emergency shifts, or handle patient overflow if needed.
• Position Yourself as an Engaged Community Member: For example, if you’ve worked in downtown Toronto or Scarborough dental clinics, mention your local experience in relation to patient demographics and oral health trends specific to the area.
• Highlight Local Product Knowledge: If you’ve worked with tools familiar in the GTA market, such as dental handpieces from EBIKO, mention that as familiarity with regionally trusted brands can reduce your learning curve.

Practical Application for Dental Roles

In roles such as dental hygienist, treatment coordinator, or assistant, particularly those advertised as full-time and in-office, there’s often little demand for relocation. Still, answering “Yes” in the system and using the interview to clarify your commute-friendly location can keep your application moving smoothly through both ATS and human screening levels. In contrast, for newer specialty roles within multi-branch dental groups, such as digital dentistry designers or orthodontic lab techs, willingness to move may become more important long term.

How to Promote Yourself Without Overstating Willingness

As you prepare responses, ensure they remain consistent across your documents. Example for your dental resume or LinkedIn summary:

“Currently located in North York, offering immediate availability to clinics across Toronto. Open to future relocation based on organizational growth.”

This level of clarity supports your candidacy and showcases both commitment and flexibility—ideally suited to the patient-first, adaptable mindset valued across Ontario’s dental practices.

Conclusion

Relocation questions may seem redundant for local candidates, but in the fast-moving dental hiring landscape—especially within the densely serviced Toronto region—how you answer can shape your trajectory. By tactfully selecting “yes” and clarifying your local status in interviews, you can optimize your profile for both automated systems and clinic managers. You’re not just a local hire—you’re a strategic asset for any GTA dental team.

If you’re outfitting a new practice or joining a new team, consider browsing EBIKO Dental's chair and operatory collections to familiarize yourself with what local clinics are using. This knowledge further demonstrates integration into the regional dental ecosystem.