[Chicken Wing]

I'm in NJ and was looking at some accounting jobs in Florida.

Besides taking a couple of days off and flying down for an interview, any other suggestions on obtaining another job in another state?

I'm assuming not many jobs would hire someone solely on a phone interview.

Also, I think it'd be best in my and the employer's interest to find out as much about the job (duties, pay, benefits, etc.) before flying down there.

Can you think of anything else?

I'm in accounting if it means anything.

[Eastern Roamer]

It's a tough dillema, asking about pay and benefits. Of course, you need to know what they are, or at least what the range is, in order to know if you should invest time, energy, and money in pursuing the position. But etiquette says you should not discuss this until you're offered the job. And some places have a two or three step interview process, so it's hard from out of state.

I recommend being up front with your salary requirements. Some places ask that you include this in your cover letter, I think it's okay to offer it unsolicited. Do you know where in FL you want to move to? Can you afford to move and spend a few months unemployed while looking? There are always hospitality jobs to fill the time. I worked nights and weekends while job searching initially.

Pick a city, we can tell you who the major employers are in the area. For example, Raymond James is a big one for St. Petersburg. You might also get better advice in the Employment forum.

[SKB]

My son who had been accepted for a position over three months ago is still waiting to commence working. The company has called every one of his employers dating back over 7 years. He also wrote a written test, had three interviews and had a drug screening done. His salary has still NOT been discussed as they are waiting until they have literally put his life through a fine tooth comb.
All for a job with the cable company his salary has not been agreed on yet. While he is waiting he has taken on two other jobs that pay really terrible to try to have some sort of cash flow. The job market is very, very tough, we are in WPB.
Even working these two jobs, he would not be able to live on his own unless he had a bunch of room mates.

[compelled to reply]

There are still plenty of jobs here (Ft. Laud. area), unemployment under 4%, but their the same crappy toilet scrubbing jobs that they were 3 years ago when unemployment was 2%. Anyone who wants to work can work, but it's all janitorial stuff. OK, it's not that bad, but there is nothing that pays especially well here except for medical, culinary (pastry chef, etc) and a few select IT jobs. There are a couple other fields that might pay well here.

I heard Palm Beach County, SW Florida and the Orlando area are starting to really get high on the unemployment scale because they are so real estate and service based. The most stable areas are probably Miami/Ft Lauderdale and Tampa, which have a small business base versus a real estate/construction/tourism base.

Where in the state do you plan on moving, and what type of job are you looking for?

[quentin2767]

I would advise you NOT to move here. High taxes, high homeowners insurance, lower pay, high utility bills. Lousy schools

[THX 1138]

Unless your lucky or know someone down here, finding a good paying job while living out of state is a rarity. Most employers here typically want local candidates only and won't even consider out of state people even if they have great credentials. Now there are situations where I see people getting lucky or having success, but on average I don't think it's so.

Even with home prices dropping, the average salaries here are still poor in relation to the high cost of living and the job market is not good now. The Palm Beach Post Sunday Job section is 1/4 or less of what it was 3 years ago when everything was booming.