finding work/relocation

[jenny_k]

i dont know exactly what i want to do yet, but i know i dont want to do it in ohio. once i know where i wanna go (im thinking south-maybe NC), what is the best way to get a job?

basically, is it best to save a few thousand and move then look for a job? or to have a job set up before moving?--if so, what is the best way to do that-interviewing from afar? how do u go about getting a company/organization interested in you when you live far away?

[Bsig84]

This can be a tough situation. I had this problem after I graduated from college. If you decide to move before you find a job, just be really really careful. That can be very risky. It took me a LOT longer to find a job than I thought it would and it would have been a really bad situation if I had moved first.

You can always try the internet job finders but I have never had any luck with them. Try local newspapers or local internet job finders (news stations, colleges, newspapers). I tried this for about a month with no luck before I moved. However, people do this all the time so I know it can be done. I'm just not sure how.

Do you maybe have any relatives or friends you could stay with in the south while you are looking for a job? This is what I did. I stayed with my grandparents until I could find something.

[Skyblade]

One other idea may be doing some temp work while you are looking for a permanent job, once you move there.

[E11e]

If you do decide to try and find a job before you move, it is worth it to find a friend who lives in the area who would let you put their address on your resume. I know that a lot of companies don't want to bother with dealing with long distance interviewing, flying you down, and especially re-locating someone.

I was in a similar situation. I knew that I was going to be moving to CA and tried for 3 months to find a job out there BEFORE I moved, and it was impossible because I had an Ohio address on my resume. Even if I said in my opening line that "I am moving to the area on August 21st..." people STILL somehow thought I was out to get re-locating costs covered and it was a big deal for one company to fly me out for an interview. I didn't end up finding a job before hand, but once I moved to the area, I found a job in 2 days! So you never know. If I had to do it again, I would just move and then scope out the scene. Maybe pick up a retail job or something while you're looking.

There are so many other people applying for the same jobs that if you have anything even slightly complicated going on, they'll just skip on to the next applicant. If you were able to "borrow" someone's local address and accept the fact that YOU are going to have to pay to fly down there etc, then I think you'd stand a better chance.......but you'd have to pretend you live there already!

Good luck!!

[wordsmith]

I’m personally not an advocate for making a move without a job already lined up (unless I were in a position to have saved a sufficient safety net to live off of for a good six months if need be, and how likely is that when one is starting out?), but others are different in their opinions/comfort level on that.

I won’t say that it doesn’t make it difficult to get serious job consideration if you’re not already living locally, it definitely does. But there really ARE places that will not only consider you, but interview you, and even hire you if they like what they see, regardless of where you are living at the time that you apply. My current employer is one such example...I lived 500 miles away and out of state when I applied, and didn’t conceal that fact. They were still interested, and interested enough to agree to a phone interview first and then my coming out to interview in person when that went well. The catch is, you might apply to a bunch of places that WON’T consider you if you’re not local enough to be a totally hassle-free applicant before you get to that one that does. For me, that was okay, because I did have a job in the meantime. I’ve never been a fan of the “borrow a local’s address,” because that opens the door to potential dishonesty which can LOSE you a job consideration. Had I told my current employer that I lived in the city, I’d have had to do some major backpedaling and covering up had they wanted me to interview (which they would have) before I’d have reasonable opportunity to make the trip. I’d also have to have explained how I managed to perform my then-current job of newspaper reporting a state away if I were, in fact, a local. It just doesn’t make sense to set yourself up to have untruths exposed.

[GoogleGirl]

I moved across the country (to Ohio, bleh) since my bf was in law school and I had no job when I moved. This is how it worked for me. I lived with my mom for 5 months, taught english classes, saved up enough money for living for a few months, then moved and took a job at Target while continuing to look for better work. I ended up with a temp to hire job. Nothing close to teaching, but it pays my bills and I kinda like my job and the people I work with every day. It was pure luck that I got the job that I have though. I tried all the internet job postings and never got anything. Not sure what I would have done if I hadn't "lucked out" on this job.

[Rage]

I don't know if it's because I have a niche expertise, but I have had luck with the internet and phone interviews. I think if I was willing to accept a position without relocation benefits, I'd have an easier time.