Job Hunting (Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Maryville: buying a house, find job, buying)

[ZoesMom]

I am thinking about moving to the West Knoxville area, possibly Maryville, Farragut, from Maryland.

Any resources for local papers or online sites that post Job Opportunities would be great, preferably the ones that are most popular in Knoxville.

[gemkeeper]

knoxnews.com : Knoxville, Tennessee, News, Business, Homes, Jobs, Cars & Information seems to be the primary newspaper from which you can access the "Classifieds". Looks like a lot of jobs are available. You just have to hope there is one that fits your skillset.

Good luck with that.

[ZoesMom]

Well I have some time to look. I live in Maryland. I have to buy a house, find a job for two and haul everything down there seems easy enough

[hiknapster]

You might want to find the jobs before you buy the house.

[ZoesMom]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

You might want to find the jobs before you buy the house.

haha, I would definitely do that! Jobs are slim pickins down there and I would hate to put myself in some sort of hardship due to my decision to move to Tennessee.

[hiknapster]

Good for you!

You'd be surprised. I've seen a lot of people sell their houses and move here without securing jobs. Not a good move, since jobs are tight.

[pdq]

There are plenty jobs in the Knoxville area if you like fast food and retail. Careers and high pay in Knoxville are few and far between. A lot will depend on what type of job you seek and what salary you require.

I was talking with a guy who moved here last year from LA. He's in the computer tech field and has yet to find a job even remotely close to his qualifications. He's super smart with high credentials but not really needed in this area. He freelances out of his old employer in LA to Atlanta and Nashville. He plans on moving but can't sell his house here.

His mistake was moving and buying a house before securing a job.

[gemkeeper]

What about the TVA? Do they employ many technical people at Oak Ridge?

A city this size generally has some good size industries to support it. Are companies moving out because of out-sourcing?

I have seen on the forum over the last couple of weeks alone that a couple of companies are laying off people in large numbers.

It is starting to sound like the same story everywhere. A lot of jobs are disappearing from metro areas and service jobs are filling in the gap. You know what that generally means for local tax rates!

[knoxgarden]

It depends on what you're looking for. There are plenty of high-tech jobs around. There's a real need for engineers. Lots of small engineering firms, government contractors.
What you won't find are the type of support jobs that have been outsourced to India. Those are gone across the country.
TVA is headquartered in Knoxville. You can search jobs with them online:
TVA: A Career in Public Power
University of Tennessee is another big employer. They hire a lot of staff, not just professors. There's a huge physical plant to keep running. They also let you look for jobs online.
The University of Tennessee: Employment & Benefits
Goody's corporate headquarters is in Knoxville.
Bush Beans' corporate headquarters is in Knoxville (Duke is a big supporter of the local humane society!)
Ruby Tuesday's corporate headquarters is in Maryville, South of Knoxville.
Clayton Homes, which got the contract for the FEMA trailers after Katrina, is headquartered in Maryville. They have plants all around the area.
Denso is here
DENSO Manufacturing, Tennessee - Welcome
Petro truck stops are headquartered here. The son of the owner is Mayor of Knoxville.
Petro Truck Stops - Iron Skillet, Petro:Lube, Travel Stores, Mobil Delvac, Truck Tires, PM Services, Diesel, CAT Scales, Blue Beacon Truck Washes
Idleaire is headquartered here
IdleAire Technologies ... the In-Cab Services Leader (broken link)
There are huge hospitals that are always recruiting nurses.
You may need to get some training for the market. UT has lots of options, Pellissippi State has courses.

[gemkeeper]

Hey, knoxgarden. That is a wealth of sites for people with those skill sets to start looking. And, as you said there are 2 great schools in Knoxville area to check into some retraining and updating skills.