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Bit about myself: Law school graduate with a J.D. and a M.S....
At this point I'm contemplating moving to D.C. in the next month or so to continue the job hunt
Any advice on that front will help greatly! Thanks!
If it's ONLY you (no dependents) and you're willing to take one of the crappier, less than, get by jobs
so you can EARN the rent and grocery money needed (vs using savings) until the networking for a better job
begins to bear fruit... then, sure go for it.
For any company to hire an employee, they have to consider your location.
You mention that you have good friends in DC. I would ask them if you can use their address on your resume and then apply.
See if that makes difference. Here s why.
Years back, I had a similar experience. I was in Connecticut looking for a position in NYC. Nothing happening for months until I took a leap and moved NYC. Within a month or so, I landed a job.
NYC was great. But spent a ton of money and was def. a challenge.
Not saying the same thing will or will not happen to you, but to me, it was definitely worth a shot then. If I go back in time, I will just use NYC address on your resume.
The worst thing that could happen? In-person interview next day. The expensive ticket you will need to buy but hey, why not?
That being said, I would suggest that moving to a new place without a job is not a necessarily bad thing if you can afford it. I think that any experiences will count valuable. Be in the scene will give you different feelings and thoughts and as long as you be active, you might get a chance to meet some people that can help you.
I do know people who've moved here after long-distance job hunts. But that typically only works if you're aiming somewhat low (i.e. a sub-50k job at a no-name non-profit) or you have insane credentials (e.g. Yale law followed by a fancy clerkship). Your degree sounds solid, but that kind of stuff is a dime a dozen here as other posters have mentioned and I'm sure you're aware!
In your case, I think it could make sense to move assuming you can afford it and don't mind dramatically lowering your living standards from Utah.
Once you get here, I would echo @slclady's comments on security clearances. I have friends with pretty white-bread backgrounds who have been waiting for over a year after getting a job offer. If you've spent time in the Middle East and South Asia and picked up a non-American significant other along the way...good luck. My play would be to focus almost exclusively on think tanks, non-profits, consultancies, and contractors in the immediate term, and then if your heart is set on working directly for federal government, start that process once you're already working full-time somewhere else so you can wait the process out.
Bit about myself: Law school graduate with a J.D. and a M.S. in Conflict and Dispute Resolution with emphasis in international conflicts/counter-terrorism (Middle East and South Asia) graduated in summer 2016, I have worked post-graduation in Utah (where I currently am) in the recent elections but have been on the job hunt since Nov. 2016, single, and in my late twenties.
I've been applying for jobs diligently in the D.C. area looking for work in the govt, think tanks, private consultancies, and academia. I have some good friends in D.C. and was there a few months back to network (I met some people in think tanks and the government). I've been networking via email and phone, sent out my resumes, and applied for jobs (as mentioned above). Unfotunately it hasn't gotten the results I was looking for, the applications just seem to disappear into a black hole never to return. I did get some forward movement in a job with the Treasury Dept a few weeks ago, only to go on USAJobs one day and see the dreaded "Not Hired" on my dashboard
At this point I'm contemplating moving to D.C. in the next month or so to continue the job hunt, I've heard from some people in my network and places online that the key to getting the types of jobs I'm targeting in D.C. is to be there. I just want to ensure I'm not making the biggest mistake of my young life by moving to D.C. without a job lined up. Any advice on that front will help greatly! Thanks!
DC is an expensive area. What will you do for rent, bills, daily expenses? You could quickly burn through almost all of your savings with zero to show for (you may not end up getting a job in a competitive DC market).
There are decent law opportunities in DC, but many of the opportunities are on the federal side, which as you noted, can take months or even years to come to fruition with not great odds. Also, there are many mid/large law firms and consulting firms but they're are competitive and your chances probably aren't great if you're unemployed. Talking to some friends who are lawyers, going the non-law route is a huge red flag because you are either overqualified or employers are suspicious that you couldn't make it in law, and you may be competing with employees with more targeted skills. Adding on top of that, you are not currently employed and that makes things even tougher. I would personally avoid relocating unless you have family/friends there who would let you live rent-free.
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