Getting a job in Chicago from another state (buy, universities)

[aragx6]

I wonder why you even need to say anything about a fiance. Just say you are planning on moving to the Chicago area. It's a big city- people move here all the time for a plethora of reasons. I can't imagine any employer caring why you're moving to the area.

[jessiegirl_98]

My cousins found their jobs through networking. I can tell you that many marketing firms (such as star.com and mindshare) are not lucrative and start around $30K for college grads. I'm sure some of the top PR firms start higher than that, but my friends who have done marketing have started pretty low.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I wonder why you even need to say anything about a fiance. Just say you are planning on moving to the Chicago area. It's a big city- people move here all the time for a plethora of reasons. I can't imagine any employer caring why you're moving to the area.

Maybe a HR person can confirm, but actually I think its illegal for an employer to ask you why you are moving, or where you came from. Questions should be job-related.

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by via chicago

Maybe a HR person can confirm, but actually I think its illegal for an employer to ask you why you are moving, or where you came from. Questions should be job-related.

I've actually been asked those questions in about every interview I've had. I would answer honestly. Again, I really don't think people are going to hold it against you because you don't live in Chicago. There are plenty of people that get jobs without a 312 area code! BTW, for a list of some "illegal" interview questions, see this site:
http://www.usatoday.com/careers/reso...iewillegal.htm

[KevK]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I wonder why you even need to say anything about a fiance. Just say you are planning on moving to the Chicago area. It's a big city- people move here all the time for a plethora of reasons. I can't imagine any employer caring why you're moving to the area.

The reason you want to say why you are looking in Chicago is this- Chicago is NOT usually a city people move TO on a whim. It cost like hell to live there and has months of freezing temperatures. People live there for the most part because the either grew up there or they got sent there by their employers. For every person that moved to Chicago from Arizona, there are probably 50 going the other way. Therefore, putting myself in the place of a potential employer looking for an employee and I have 2 resumes- one is a person that has lived in Chicago for many years and another a person in Arizona, the first question that is going to come to my mind is "why the hell does this guy want to move here from 300+ days of sunshine every year?" And then it is going to cross my mind that "oh he is bored and just wants to discover the excitment of big city life and he will come here, work for me for a year or 2 and discover the winters are more than he bargained for and then I will have to look for somebody else". That is why you want to make clear to the employer that you are in it for the long haul and the fact your future spouse has accepted a position there means that both of you plan to be around for awhile.

[KevK]

And when I interviewed for my position in Chicago, one of the first questions Smokey Joe asked me was "why are you trying to move here from Dallas?" and he honestly looked puzzeled by it. I simply said my father lives here, my sister lives here and my brother lives in Rockford.

[aragx6]

That's ridiculous. People move here "on a whim" as you say all of the time. Often it's from other places in the Midwest such as Detroit or St. Louis, but at my job there is a guy who moved from Dallas, and a woman and a man from Washington D.C. In my apartment complex my nearby neighbors are from California, Colorado, and China. I'm from Missouri and my significant other is from Kansas.

Why do they do that? Often it's jobs. Chicago is a major media market, a powerhouse for finance and PR, and again, and it's been said on here before some people actually happen to like the weather (I wouldn't trade it for the world).

Most Chicagoans love Chicago, so why would a potential boss be so shocked that an out-of-towner fell in love with the city (that's exactly what I told my boss at my interview because it's the complete truth)

[KevK]

Originally Posted by aragx6

That's ridiculous. People move here "on a whim" as you say all of the time. Often it's from other places in the Midwest such as Detroit or St. Louis, but at my job there is a guy who moved from Dallas, and a woman and a man from Washington D.C. In my apartment complex my nearby neighbors are from California, Colorado, and China. I'm from Missouri and my significant other is from Kansas.

Why do they do that? Often it's jobs. Chicago is a major media market, a powerhouse for finance and PR, and again, and it's been said on here before some people actually happen to like the weather (I wouldn't trade it for the world).

Most Chicagoans love Chicago, so why would a potential boss be so shocked that an out-of-towner fell in love with the city (that's exactly what I told my boss at my interview because it's the complete truth)

People move there from the midwest because Chicago is the financial and cultural capital of the midwest (BTW I am from Kansas too) and because we from the midwest are used to the harsh winters there. But folks from the southern and western states do not usually move that direction. Usually the flow is the other way. I cannot even begin to tell you how many Illinois and Michigan license plates I see here in Atlanta everyday. Yes most Chicagoans love Chicago but a hell of alot of them, when given the choice, love it at a distance because they love no snow, 60 degree January days and low home prices and low taxes even more. Therefore when people move the opposite way, an employer may be curious as to why- especially if they are looking for a long term employee and if the candidate could get a similar position closer to home. Like I said, I was asked that question too.

[gabry76]

I moved from Miami last April and I too looked for a job while I was still living in Miami. It's not been easy, but I made it. My suggestion is to avoid recruiting agencies such as Robert Half etc, it's a total loss of time...they have too many candidates and it's very hard to land a real interview through them. Look for companies who advertise directly their job openings without the intermediation of the so called recruiters, carrerbuilder.com is a very good source. Try to schedule at least two or three interviews in a day, or at least try to spread three or four interviews in a two day period. Be also quite flexible if they ask you how long it is going to take you to fisically move. Don't give them more than 3 weeks top, or else they will be turned off. Other than that, just have a good resume and be prepared for a good interview.

Good luck!

[Chicago60614]

I know TONS of people who moved to Chicago "oh a whim". I certainly wouldn't say otherwise.

I don't think people move to the midwest on a whim, but this is a city of almost 10 million in the metro area, and it's a global city. There's a lot of movement back and forth, mostly between the midwest, and east coast.

I've also noticed a ton more Florida people moving up this way...