Considering moving to OKC from Charlotte...a few concerns... (Norman: casino, calculation)
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I think people could give you better advice if you name your general field. The ones I was looking for (in my field) aren't common in OKC, but to be fair those positions are harder to find outside of New York, Washington, Chicago and Boston. In other words, there wasn't a huge difference between LA, Denver, Atlanta or OKC when I was looking, but I had the best luck finding relevant positions in those other cities.
I will say that I didn't do so well getting interviews here. Like you, I was waiting for my lease to expire out of state before moving. I really started looking for work in OKC when I had only a couple months left on my lease, and had one phone interview in that time. After I got here, I looked for work here as well as in other cities... and actually had more interviews out of state than locally. Eventually, I realized that I just didn't have the money to move and had to limit myself to OKC, or somewhere relatively close; e.g. Dallas, Tulsa, etc. I think it took a full year of looking for work locally before finding a job, in part because the jobs I was looking for just weren't there.
In sum: that low unemployment rate is no guarantee you'll find a job. Like anywhere else, it will take determination, persistence and a little luck to get something. Before moving, I did put a firm moving date on my cover letter and even included that I could move instantly upon a job offer, but it didn't work. I used indeed.com religiously to find work, because it consolidates other job boards into a single site. It's my understanding OKC is a pretty network-heavy town, so I would recommend trying a site like meetup.com or LinkedIn to start expanding your network as soon as possible.
Good advice! My field is IT/Desktop Support. I had a few interviews in OKC before college graduation back in 2008 but took another opportunity instead. Unfortunately that didn't work out and I ended up moving out to Charlotte for personal reasons. In the three years I've been here I've had only four interviews, two of which were in IT.
Good advice! My field is IT/Desktop Support. I had a few interviews in OKC before college graduation back in 2008 but took another opportunity instead. Unfortunately that didn't work out and I ended up moving out to Charlotte for personal reasons. In the three years I've been here I've had only four interviews, two of which were in IT.
Well, you might check into some of the big energy places for IT....Devon Energy and Chesapeake, for example.
Also, do have any experience in systems administration/programming/or networking? I've heard of people working for the county IT dept. in OKC: Oklahoma County IT :: Home.
I'm guessing the benefits would be pretty good too. Worth a shot.
I'm not too familiar with the IT job market in any city, but it's far removed from my field. If you're up for a little research, you can probably find organizations linked to that industry that will be a bit harder to find, but they could be esoteric enough to have a limited number of people seeing the job postings. For example, I was looking for work in writing, editing, copywriting, proofreading, etc. and I looked into these sites: Public Relations Society of America - Oklahoma City Chapter http://centralok.x.iabc.com/
Both are a bit harder to find than something like Career Builder or Monster, and thus likely don't have as many people applying for the same jobs. Honestly, the best luck I had in hearing back from potential jobs was on smaller sites like the two links I posted, which I believe was due to less competition. What you could do is spend some time on LinkedIn finding people in IT, looking for groups in which they have memberships.
A lot of people recommend local energy companies, and they're fine for keeping your options open... but from what I've heard the competition for Chesapeake and Devon positions is amongst the worst in OKC. It's worth a shot, but those jobs are hard to get. My brother got a job at one, but needed a family friend (with a lot of clout at the company) to give him a reference. I applied at the same company, as did my father, and neither one of us asked this friend for the reference and were both rejected. I should add that I have far more work experience and additional skills than my brother, but that reference made all the difference. I didn't ask for it because I didn't intend to make a career out of that company. Regardless, they're still worth a shot, but if you can beat the filters they will sit on your application for a long time... so you should apply for those positions ASAP.
On another note, you could look at Yelp.com for reviews on things in town. The only thing it really doesn't take into account is "local standards." In other words, if the quality of something is higher (or lower) where you are that's your standard, and you will notice a difference elsewhere. A good example for me is Mexican food. There was a strong Mexican influence where I lived, so I am used to Mexican food tasting a certain way. I tried this local restaurant that people seem to love called Taco Cabana... and no joke, if I really think about my experience there it makes me nauseated because it was so bad. On the other hand, my friend rode with me when I first moved here and my parents took us out to eat at a burger joint and also a barbecue place, and he thought both were the best he had ever eaten because apparently the quality here is higher than where we came from. I can't judge because I'm a vegetarian.
I tried this local restaurant that people seem to love called Taco Cabana... and no joke, if I really think about my experience there it makes me nauseated because it was so bad.
LOL Taco Cabana is not a local restaurant, it is a fast food chain.
LOL Taco Cabana is not a local restaurant, it is a fast food chain.
Sue me. But last I checked, fast food chains are still restaurants. And I have never seen that chain outside of Texas or Oklahoma.
It was still revolting, yet I saw it had good reviews and was really crowded when I went. There was a local fast food chain where I lived serving Mexican food that tasted much better, and Taco Cabana does not exist there because the locals wouldn't eat it.
Sue me. But last I checked, fast food chains are still restaurants. And I have never seen that chain outside of Texas or Oklahoma.
It was still revolting, yet I saw it had good reviews and was really crowded when I went. There was a local fast food chain where I lived serving Mexican food that tasted much better, and Taco Cabana does not exist there because the locals wouldn't eat it.
Try Tamahumara's in Norman or Abuelos, Teds Escondido, and Chelinos in OK City.
I'm surprised you didn't realize that Taco Cabana is a glorified Taco Bell.
Try Tamahumara's in Norman or Abuelos, Teds Escondido, and Chelinos in OK City.
I'm surprised you didn't realize that Taco Cabana is a glorified Taco Bell.
That restaurant is awfully large, and again I have not seen it anywhere elseoutside this region. Grow up in Aztlán and you will have a certain expectation when it comes to Mexican food. I went to Abuelo's and it was okay. I can try the others, but my experience with Mexican food here (at other places you didn't list) has been disappointing. And as I said earlier in this thread, it's just a local standard. I'm sure OKC excels in cuisine that even New York or LA can't match. But in the end, the spices, spiciness and full flavor to which I'm accustomed just isn't there.
My point with all this is that the OP can read about how wonderful restaurants are anywhere, but he/she has a standard that somewhere else may or may not meet or exceed.
I'm from Southern California and was spoiled by the great Mexican resturants out there. We've only found TWO places that's like what we're used to; San Marcos on Rockwell and a Tacos Don Nachos down in south OKC on Council....The owners of Tacos Don Nachos is from California and is so busy at lunch time, the line forms at the door....Good stuff!
3.2 is a non-issue. The only thing it does is make it slightly less convenient for you to buy more potent beer. They just don't sell it in the convenient stores/supermarkets. You can still get "the good stuff" at the liquor store. That includes Fat Tire of which I am also a fan.
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