Moving to SF without a job to get into Biotech (San Francisco: extended stay, apartments)

[uclabruins]

I am interested in moving to SF to job hunt. I was wondering though. How much money should I save up?
I have been regularly been getting job interviews in SF but they end up choosing someone more local than I am. I think if I move I will just be able to move things along more quickly. I have a masters degree so when I find something I guessing the pay will be between 70k-90k. I am single and female if that helps.

[LeavingDetroit]

UCLABRUINS, do you have a friend or family member to live with during the transition? If not, I wouldn't recommend it. In any safe neighborhood, I'm guessing that your rent would be 1600 for a one bedroom. That is what my cousin pays in The Richmond. Also, you might try looking in Craigslist to see what a shared apartment would cost. Food is not cheap in SF, no matter what anyone might tell you. If you are in the city or near a Bart though, you wouldn't have to car for a car, so that would help. I've thought about this scenario before when I was interested in relocating and didn't have a local address. If you can get to SF relatively easily (perhaps you are in LA?) then there must be a way to obtain an address to put on top of your resume. No one these days uses snail mail in any event. All prospective employers will contact you via email or phone.

One last thought, if you are going to move to SF without a job, you may want to look into an internship. I found that certain professions/industries operate on a contacts-only basis. In other words, the one who gets the job usually had a contact on the inside. So if agree to a short internship, it will help you meet people and get legitimacy in the Bay Area.


good luck,

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by LeavingDetroit

UCLABRUINS, do you have a friend or family member to live with during the transition? If not, I wouldn't recommend it. In any safe neighborhood, I'm guessing that your rent would be 1600 for a one bedroom. That is what my cousin pays in The Richmond. Also, you might try looking in Craigslist to see what a shared apartment would cost. Food is not cheap in SF, no matter what anyone might tell you. If you are in the city or near a Bart though, you wouldn't have to car for a car, so that would help. I've thought about this scenario before when I was interested in relocating and didn't have a local address. If you can get to SF relatively easily (perhaps you are in LA?) then there must be a way to obtain an address to put on top of your resume. No one these days uses snail mail in any event. All prospective employers will contact you via email or phone.

One last thought, if you are going to move to SF without a job, you may want to look into an internship. I found that certain professions/industries operate on a contacts-only basis. In other words, the one who gets the job usually had a contact on the inside. So if agree to a short internship, it will help you meet people and get legitimacy in the Bay Area.


good luck,

Two mistakes...

Average reny for a 1 bedroom is roughly $2,700. You can find cheaper options but this is the average. $1,600 for a 1 bedroom though is ridiculusly low though.

The OP could rent a room from an apartment and get a nice place for $1,000.

There are many cheap food options in SF both restaurants and especially groceries. You can send me a DM and I can give you some names.

[Tomlcsc]

Check out Indeed.com for jobs in biotech. It's a great search engine for careers and I've used it many times to apply for jobs in this area.

Also LinkedIn!

[Scott456]

If you know for sure that those companies did not hire you only because you are not local, you can get a San Francisco address without actually living in San Francisco (plenty of ways to do that), and tell them you are local.

[ccm123]

A lot of Bay Area companies hire outside of the area for talent. If you are getting interviews, it seems that at least initially, they are considering you. I assume that you are telling them that if you are offered the position, that you would readily relocate?

[felinius]

Why not save up a few grand, take a month and live in a short term apartment/hotel (Extended Stay America, etc)? It's cheaper than getting an apartment, especially if you need to leave quickly if you can't find a job.

That'll also give you time to find a permanent place to stay if you do find a job in the area! Imagine getting an apartment in an area you don't like and want to move close to work, halfway across the Bay that you can afford...

[mayorhaggar]

You are NOT easily getting an apartment without a job. Bay Area landlords are very very picky and can afford to be. If you can't get a job from outside the region then I think moving there won't help anyway. Even I, a pretty crappy candidate, got a crappy job in SF while living in another region (Santa Cruz)...I just made it clear I would move right away if I got the job. Be flexible and don't come up with excuses an HR dork can use to lose interest in you.

[Mack Knife]

Lets see, moving without a secured job. Hmmm. What the heck, go for it, things will work out some way right?

Get the job first and then you'll know what will happen when you arrive. Otherwise you are moving with a deadline and JFYI, those Starbucks barristas aren't living in apartments, they live in cars.

[Discover San Francisco]

Most of this thread is good advise. My thoughts are try to get a job first, see if you can do interviews via Skype or by phone. Try to make sure your resume is as complete as possible and state that you are relocating. Don't try to live in the city unless you have a friend(s) or a good amount of money saved up or a job already lined up. I think that living outside the city with access to bus lines, BART, or the Ferry is your best bet. Consider living in Vallejo, CA. The public transportation is good for most parts of the bay area and the rents are cheaper.