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So, I have about $5,000 saved up in hopes of moving, but more people are telling me I need at least double that amount due to the economy. Other individuals, such as professors and those who live within some of the cities I thought about moving to, have said that the best option is to find a job before moving to the city. They highly recommend it and do not recommend moving to a city without a job.
Is this even possible anymore? Are people willing to hire others out of state? From what I've read in articles it seems as though very few--if any--companies are willing to hire non-locals unless they are in the city and settled with an apartment. If it is still possible, can you give some advice as to how this may be achieved?
I would mention on my resume or on the phone that you have plans to move there already. Some places may be wary of you asking for relocation expenses and thats why they don't like to hire out of state. If you make sure that this is not required it might be easier to get a job ahead of time.
I would mention on my resume or on the phone that you have plans to move there already. Some places may be wary of you asking for relocation expenses and thats why they don't like to hire out of state. If you make sure that this is not required it might be easier to get a job ahead of time.
I agree. I'm moving cities, not states (from Dallas to Houston, which is a 4-5 hour drive), and in my cover letters I always make it known that I'm moving anyway. That way they won't automatically disqualify me based on relocation expenses.
I do think it is harder to get a job if you aren't there already. This is why I may be moving earlier than I'd like. I have to pay out my lease through the end of October but I may move (into my parents' house ) by the end of the month to hopefully increase my chances of getting a job. I can't afford to be jobless and I've had no luck applying from afar. But then again, before I lost my job I was applying for jobs here in Dallas, and I had no luck then either. So I'm not sure being local helps all that much after all. Hmmm...
IMO you should still have a good cushion of cash to tide you over while you are looking for a new job in Houston. About 6-12 months living expenses saved up because of the economy. I am not trying to dash your hopes and plans, but it's probably not a good idea to move to a new city without a stream of income in place, only because the economy is not so good right now.
Do your parents live in Houston? If you pay out your Dallas lease until October, I am assuming that would be 2 months rent? That is a big chunk of cash you would be losing. Maybe you could stay in your lease and then move to Houston end of October and not lose all that rent money, and in the meantime, before October lease ends, you could still travel to Dallas to meet with recruiters and visit some apartments in the Houston area. I would not rule out temp agencies in your field at this point. Yes it's just a temp job but you would have cash flow and gaining more job experience.
You will also get a better idea from the agencies how likely you would get an assignment and what the assignments are paying (hourly rate), and to see if you can afford an apartment in Houston on a temp salary. It's just doing some research and homework before relocating, and gathering facts. Hope this helps.
IMO you should still have a good cushion of cash to tide you over while you are looking for a new job in Houston. About 6-12 months living expenses saved up because of the economy. I am not trying to dash your hopes and plans, but it's probably not a good idea to move to a new city without a stream of income in place, only because the economy is not so good right now.
Do your parents live in Houston? If you pay out your Dallas lease until October, I am assuming that would be 2 months rent? That is a big chunk of cash you would be losing. Maybe you could stay in your lease and then move to Houston end of October and not lose all that rent money, and in the meantime, before October lease ends, you could still travel to Dallas to meet with recruiters and visit some apartments in the Houston area. I would not rule out temp agencies in your field at this point. Yes it's just a temp job but you would have cash flow and gaining more job experience.
You will also get a better idea from the agencies how likely you would get an assignment and what the assignments are paying (hourly rate), and to see if you can afford an apartment in Houston on a temp salary. It's just doing some research and homework before relocating, and gathering facts. Hope this helps.
I completely understand what you mean. When I was first laid off in March, I was told to save up $5,000 if I wanted to have roommates and $10,000 if I wanted my own apartment. Now, I'm being told that I need a buttload of money just to even think about moving. Unfortunately, it's sort of like a catch 22: for me to move I may need more than $5,000 but at the same time the main reason I want to move is because there are no jobs here (I'm overqualified for everything that is available except healthcare and occupational therapist, which does not fit my degree).
I do some freelance work to avoid potholes in my resume (since my previous employer was upset that I was unemployed for 5 months). However, it isn't a lot. The temp agency idea sounds good, but I plan on moving to a different state. I know the advice was mostly to an above poster, but if it works for out of state moves then that would be good as well. What about employment agencies? Any chance there? Or do they prefer people who already live in the city?
I'm trying to remain positive, but I also don't want to jump blindly into it.
I'm sorry I got confused, it was another poster who said they were moving between cities. Employment agencies would be good to check as well. I am not sure what their response would be in this economic climate but it would be worth a phone call to set up an appointment. You could tell them I am moving to new city approximately this date and if I can register with your company now I will be ready to hit the ground running for you when I do move here if there are any positions. That's what I said to a temp agency once after they said to me, "no don't come in here until you move here." But that was back in 1998 when the job market was still somewhat booming. They ended up letting me come register with them before moving there.
I have moved three times to a brand new city without a job and without knowing anyone, but the job market was always active. I started out as temp and got hired. Right now I would be scared to do it. If it came down to a last resort, if you could get a position in your current town in the healthcare or occupational therapist, even if it doesn't fit your degree, would/could you do these jobs, in addition to your freelance?
I am not trying to knock the wind out of your sails, but I believe most people in this nation have to put their plans and dreams on hold for now until everything bounds back. I have never seen the job market this bad in my whole life and I've been working since 1980.
If I were in your shoes I would contact some recruiters and employment agencies via phone call in the new city and try to get appointments with them and tell them you are relocating and would like to meet with them to get their perspective on the employment scene, tell them your qualifications/experience, and what kind of salary you could expect to receive. They may or may not meet with you in person, only because of the market now.
Depending on how that pans out, my Plan B would go for the healthcare or occupational positions in current city, if you could get one of those then that would be great, because then you could just hang in there until things improve, get new job experience, receive steady income, and keep saving money for your future relocation. Quite honestly I don't think that $5K would last very long if you relocate to a new place without a job. You have to factor in the cost of living in the new city--is it higher or lower than the current city? Then there are the car registration fees and new driver's license, then a deposit on an apartment, plus cash for car insurance, plus any utility hookups if any.
Also, at this time any employer who gets upset at someone not working for 5 months, seriously, they must have their head in the sand and not watching the news, or just plain unreasonable.
It's very hard to get a job before you move, even if you are relocating most employers don't really seem to care. Also, how would you do interviews? I think $5000 is plenty as long as you are willing to work a low paying job when cash starts running out if you don't find the job you want immediately.
I would start applying at places online. Retail jobs and the like, just so you can have *something* when you move here. When I moved, it took about a month of applying to tons of places before even one called me. Then, suddenly I had 4 calling me. Even though those are probably not the types of jobs you want, they are much better than nothing when you are first starting out. They also might be a little more flexible with the fact that you are moving here.
I'm sorry I got confused, it was another poster who said they were moving between cities. Employment agencies would be good to check as well. I am not sure what their response would be in this economic climate but it would be worth a phone call to set up an appointment. You could tell them I am moving to new city approximately this date and if I can register with your company now I will be ready to hit the ground running for you when I do move here if there are any positions. That's what I said to a temp agency once after they said to me, "no don't come in here until you move here." But that was back in 1998 when the job market was still somewhat booming. They ended up letting me come register with them before moving there.
I have moved three times to a brand new city without a job and without knowing anyone, but the job market was always active. I started out as temp and got hired. Right now I would be scared to do it. If it came down to a last resort, if you could get a position in your current town in the healthcare or occupational therapist, even if it doesn't fit your degree, would/could you do these jobs, in addition to your freelance?
I am not trying to knock the wind out of your sails, but I believe most people in this nation have to put their plans and dreams on hold for now until everything bounds back. I have never seen the job market this bad in my whole life and I've been working since 1980.
If I were in your shoes I would contact some recruiters and employment agencies via phone call in the new city and try to get appointments with them and tell them you are relocating and would like to meet with them to get their perspective on the employment scene, tell them your qualifications/experience, and what kind of salary you could expect to receive. They may or may not meet with you in person, only because of the market now.
Depending on how that pans out, my Plan B would go for the healthcare or occupational positions in current city, if you could get one of those then that would be great, because then you could just hang in there until things improve, get new job experience, receive steady income, and keep saving money for your future relocation. Quite honestly I don't think that $5K would last very long if you relocate to a new place without a job. You have to factor in the cost of living in the new city--is it higher or lower than the current city? Then there are the car registration fees and new driver's license, then a deposit on an apartment, plus cash for car insurance, plus any utility hookups if any.
Also, at this time any employer who gets upset at someone not working for 5 months, seriously, they must have their head in the sand and not watching the news, or just plain unreasonable.
Thanks! I would like to go into healthcare or occupational therapy, but I have a Communications degree, which means I can't be an occupational therapist or a nurse unless I go back to school for years (and I'm already working on an M.S. degree). However, if they are willing to give me the chance I'll take it, but I doubt they'll hire someone with a B.A. in Communications and 4 years of working in software training (video editing, training people to use software, etc). My part of Appalachia isn't exactly popular in terms of video editing.
I'll try to contact recruiters and such about it. I'm also thinking about calling my career center at the college, but I sort of got screwed over on an internship with C-SPAN at my previous college's career center (long story). I don't drive, so the car costs are not there. But I do agree that even without the car costs $5,000 may not be enough for a large city with public transportation. I am very low maintenance and I'm used to living in hostels, but I have no clue how long it'll be until I could find a job from what it sounds like.
Thanks for the ideas . I also hope I don't run into anymore people who question why someone is unemployed for that amount of time.
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) by the end of the month to hopefully increase my chances of getting a job. I can't afford to be jobless and I've had no luck applying from afar. But then again, before I lost my job I was applying for jobs here in Dallas, and I had no luck then either. So I'm not sure being local helps all that much after all. Hmmm...
. I also hope I don't run into anymore people who question why someone is unemployed for that amount of time.
