Bismarck to Minneapolis (Dakota: wages, living in, cost)

[MidwestNative]

I moved to Bismarck, North Dakota this year for a job and plan on moving to a desirable area to me some time next year. This was my plan all along. I'm originally from the Midwest, lived in couple of Midwestern states and completed higher education both on the West coast and in the Midwest. I'd like to try out Minneapolis. My question is this: Do you think it would be difficult for someone who currently works in Bismarck to get a position in Minneapolis because of the very fact they have worked and lived in Bismarck for even a short period of time (12-18 months)? Like would it be held against them? You can tell on my resume that I have a diverse educational and geographic background and I lived in a city bigger than Minneapolis for a long period of time, so the sophistication is there. I ask because I'm curious to know if Minneapolis gets a lot of people desperate from North Dakota seeking to relocate in Minneapolis or the surrounding area. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[uptown_urbanist]

I think you'll be fine. You might run into some problems with a non-local address, however -- not because it's North Dakota, but because they don't want to wait for someone to relocate. And there are certainly plenty of former North Dakota residents floating around here. I don't think people will hold it against you. Or for those out there who can't fathom the idea of living in Bismarck (and you could run into some of them) they will have no problem understanding why you would prefer to live in Minneapolis. I don't know that Minneapolis gets a "lot" of people desperate to relocate from ND, but I think it's fairly common. No surprise, really, as it's the nearest bigger city. Just like lots of my friends from Minneapolis who wanted to try out a bigger city made the move to Chicago.

Although be warned: a relative recently told me that his company used to actively prefer to hire people from small towns in the Dakotas, as they thought they'd work harder for less money. On the other hand, your resume will clearly indicate that you're no naive newbie used to small-town/small city wages.

The ND connection may even be a bonus for some local employers, as many companies with regional offices have their upper Midwest headquarters here. My husband once interviewed for a position that involved some travel to both North and South Dakota, for example. For those sorts of companies, your diverse Midwest background could potentially be an attractive asset.

[MplsTodd]

Just don't make a big point of how easily the NDSU Bison outplay the Golden Gophers and you should do fine.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

You might run into some problems with a non-local address, however -- not because it's North Dakota, but because they don't want to wait for someone to relocate.

When we hire someone who needs to relocate, we expect them to start on a certain date that we both agree to upfront, and then relocate themselves and/ or their family later. There's no waiting to start involved, at least where I am. The only disadvantage you'd have vs. a local resident is that you would cost us relocation expenses that a local wouldn't. But if you're the right person for the job, that is not going to be a barrier.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

When we hire someone who needs to relocate, we expect them to start on a certain date that we both agree to upfront, and then relocate themselves and/ or their family later. There's no waiting to start involved, at least where I am. The only disadvantage you'd have vs. a local resident is that you would cost us relocation expenses that a local wouldn't. But if you're the right person for the job, that is not going to be a barrier.

Sounds like you have a reasonable company. I think that's probably the case for most places -- and the OP can make it clear in cover letter and in any interviews that yes, he can indeed start by X date -- but while attempting to relocate to Minnesota in the past my husband and I did run into companies that wanted to have someone start immediately, and couldn't REALLY believe that yes, we could move that quickly. If the OP can move quickly, it's worth making that clear from the start, just in case it does make a difference to the company in question.

I'd also recommend (depending on field) contacting a recruiter; that will get you through all the screening hoops up-front, and you won't need to worry about some overzealous resume screener tossing it before giving it sufficient review.