Finance Job Market - Relocating to Dallas from Seattle, WA (Austin: to rent, schools)

[kdsmith112]

Hello,

I currently work as a Sr. Financial Analyst in the Seattle area and am looking to relocate to Dallas. I'm 29, single and ideally would like to rent an apt in the Uptown area.

I'd like to secure employment before making the big move and would like to know if you can give me a sense of the job market for finance positions. I have about 8 years of analysis experience (5+ in Finance; 2 as a Business Process Analyst) in the telecom, IT & higher education/non-profit sectors.

Also any advice on the best way to position myself for employment as an out of state candidate would be helpful. I've only been searching for a few weeks now and have had a few bites, but am just trying to determine whether or not I'm being tossed out for being out of state or whether the finance jobs are scarce....probably a combination of both? I've heard of using local phone numbers and addresses, but I'd like to have full disclosure when applying if possible, because, while I am willing to finance my relocation, there will be scheduling constraints for interviews that I want the employer to be aware of.

I realize unemployment is still high, however, things appear to be rebounding in Seattle (I get local emails/calls regularly).

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[aggie872]

Things are rebounding, but its still easiest to find jobs through networking. It'd be easier to find a job in Dallas if you knew a bunch of people from Dallas from previous business encounters, had friends in Dallas with connections, had access to networking through schools like UT/A&M/Rice/SMU, etc. Are you moving because of a relationship or family or something of that nature? If so, see if whoever you know here has contacts.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by aggie872

Things are rebounding, but its still easiest to find jobs through networking. It'd be easier to find a job in Dallas if you knew a bunch of people from Dallas from previous business encounters, had friends in Dallas with connections, had access to networking through schools like UT/A&M/Rice/SMU, etc. Are you moving because of a relationship or family or something of that nature? If so, see if whoever you know here has contacts.

The big finance jobs (hedge funds, private equity, investment bank) are going to be filled with MBA's from Harvard, UT-Austin, Stanford, etc- just like any East Coast/ West Coast firm, with the exception of a plethora of well-moneyed and well-connected SMU grads.

If you have an MBA or undergrad from a T20 school, you shouldn't worry about being out of state. They will pay and they will relocate.

If you're looking for more of a corporate finance job, pp is correct that the industry is flooded with grads from TX schools. I can't imagine most finance companies NOT looking at a seasoned out-of-state applicant with 5+ years experience. I just spoke at my company's "new hire orientation" today- while I don't work in finance, my company JUST THIS WEEK relocated about 10 people from out-of-state. We do orientations every other week, so about 250 people per year get completely paid for out-of-state relo. It's definitely still out there...

[kdsmith112]

Thanks so much for the feedback! It's very promising news! I have an undergrad from the U of Washington in Econmics and am looking for corporate finance jobs (so far I've applied for positions at AT&T, Dell, HP & Dean Foods along with a few others). It is very encouraging to hear that relocations are still happening...particularly in Dallas. While I'm willing and able to pay for my relocation, I would obviously prefer to have that expense taken care of by my new employer.

Here's hoping! As I've said, I've only been on the hunt for a few weeks, but hopefully this means that I won't be looking for 6+months....just have to be patient (it's so hard!).

Again, thanks for the feedback.

[Squirl]

Trinity Industries - Careers

Crescent - Careers - Job Opportunities

https://careers.ryan.com/joblist.html?erpc=alljobs

[kdsmith112]

Squirl - thank you so much for the links!

What a great site! Thanks for the feedback!