How can you realistically line up a job before relocating? (Sheridan: section 8, apartments) - Wyoming (WY) - City-Data Forum

knut88 · 03-09-2009, 10:40 AM

Just really wondering how other's have done it from another state?

sunsprit · 03-09-2009, 11:27 AM

Make contact with prospective employers through any means possible ... Wyoming at Work website, newspaper ads, networking with other folks in the area, direct phone calls to HR departments, contact companies in the area that might need employees with your skills, city/county HR departments, FED job postings, school districts, etc.

At some point, a face-to-face job interview may be required to obtain a firm job offer. By that time, you should have an idea where the job is located ... and have done some research into what housing is available, what amenities are there that you need (schools, higher education, medical/hospital, shopping, hospitality, etc) ... and know if you have a chance at getting a place to settle into, or a "plan B" for temporary housing (RV camper, weekly motel, etc) until a better opportunity opens up for you.

As the job market tightens up, it's not as easy to simply move out here and "hope" for a job offer as it was during the height of "boom times" in some towns ... when simply being here and able-bodied was enough to get a job offer in a high paying job. There's still lesser jobs available in the service or hospitality sector, but unless you can live on next to nothing, you may have a problem as these jobs don't tend to pay very much.

Fnix · 03-09-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunsprit

Make contact with prospective employers through any means possible ... Wyoming at Work website, newspaper ads, networking with other folks in the area, direct phone calls to HR departments, contact companies in the area that might need employees with your skills, city/county HR departments, FED job postings, school districts, etc.

At some point, a face-to-face job interview may be required to obtain a firm job offer. By that time, you should have an idea where the job is located ... and have done some research into what housing is available, what amenities are there that you need (schools, higher education, medical/hospital, shopping, hospitality, etc) ... and know if you have a chance at getting a place to settle into, or a "plan B" for temporary housing (RV camper, weekly motel, etc) until a better opportunity opens up for you.

As the job market tightens up, it's not as easy to simply move out here and "hope" for a job offer as it was during the height of "boom times" in some towns ... when simply being here and able-bodied was enough to get a job offer in a high paying job. There's still lesser jobs available in the service or hospitality sector, but unless you can live on next to nothing, you may have a problem as these jobs don't tend to pay very much.

Can a single male live well on $12,000 per year in Wyoming?

sunsprit · 03-09-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fnix

Can a single male live well on $12,000 per year in Wyoming?

Depends a lot upon what you consider "live well".

IMO, no.

This is not a place where you can "live off the land" for little or no cost.

Even the folks with no assets, no debts, no responsibilities, just the clothes on their back and a small pack of personal items ... say a day laborer, seeking shelter in a COMEA house or other shelter from time to time and getting food from charity organizations ... will need more income than that just to survive here.

WyoNewk · 03-09-2009, 02:50 PM

Fnix,
No, you'd need twice that to live -- not WELL, just to live without govt. assistance.

Knut,
Lining up a job before moving isn't easy. What you can do is line up job interviews.

Get yourself a GOOD resume. Don't be afraid to ask for help from a professional. Make paper copies and post it online. Write a cover letter that you can re-write for each business. As I recall, you're a printer, so make sure there are no errors in either one -- no misspellings, no improper grammar, no punctuation mistakes, formal English, formal business letter style. Don't put an apostrophe in "other's" as you used it here. As a professional printer, you're expected to get it right.

Go to Yellowpages.com and under FIND, enter "printing", then the city. You might want to also search for newspapers. I'd send a resume and cover letter to each one, then perhaps follow it up with a phone call. When I did this several years ago, I stated in the letter that I'd be in the area (insert dates) for interviews. When I got to the area I called them again to see if they'd see me. I think that got me a few interviews that I'd not have gotten otherwise.

If you'd rather you could reverse that and make the phone calls first. If that's what you decide to do, you can then provide the url to your online resume, then send the paper resume with cover letter: "Thank you for your time on the phone March 9th...."

Either way, you should plan on one trip for interviews. (Be sure to bring plenty of resumes.) If you get a job, go back home, pack and make the move.

Good luck!

ElkHunter · 03-09-2009, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fnix

Can a single male live well on $12,000 per year in Wyoming?

Live well, NO. Survive? Maybe.

In Sheridan there is some section 8 apartments that go for $340 a month. If you walked to work at one of the fast food restaurants around there, occasionally brought dinner home from work. Yeah, you could make it.

Car, Insurance, utilities, ect. Doubtful.

Kristynwy · 03-11-2009, 10:43 AM

I suggest looking at http://www.wyomingatwork.com

Also look at the local newspapers and call companies that may be hiring.

My husband had a phone interview and was hired that way back in 2007. But the job that got us over here only lasted a year, because the owner of the company lied about health insurance for the family, and underpaid my husband based on what other companies in town were paying someone with his experience. It would be one thing if the benefits compensated for it, but they didn't at all... In that same year, he had almost a complete turnover of every service man and installer he had on his crew... very high turnover rate..

anyways, before things slowed down, my husband got himself into an even better company in the same industry that is not going to be laying off. Which we are very fortunate for.

I highly suggest coming out for a visit, visiting "workforce services" in the town you are in and they can help you find local jobs available, or simply lining up a few interviews for when you visit.

Cause some may do a phone interview, but usually I would think they would want to do an interview in person... Then you could also get an idea of the town, and what your prospects are...

Davachka · 03-11-2009, 11:00 AM

How to find a job before relocating? Send resumes, if someone wants an interview, fly out there for the interview, if its a fit, secure the paperwork, etc through mail or email. We've done it several times and it is a very common practice to secure emloyment before a move. In fact, I wouldn't move any other way.

Redraven · 03-11-2009, 12:05 PM

I would never relocate then start looking for work.
Just seems like that would be a shortcut to financial ruin.
Of course, if you are in a high demand profession, that's different. There are almost always jobs for nurses, doctors, Physician Assistants, nearly any medical field.
Aviation (pilots, A&P mechanics) can sometimes be high demand, but if you are in that field, look in Aero-Trader and other trade papers for job listings.
heavy equipment operators and truck drivers can be in high demand, also.
Regardless, the best bet is to have somehting lined up BEFORE you move!