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So I'm not looking for a 'Go to Monster.com' kind of answer here.
I'm a counselor/mental health therapist who wants to move to New York City but not without first having a job. And being in the Social Services field, I don't make enough money to just send out resumes and fly up there for every offer at an interview I get. Not only that, but the offers are extremely few and far between. Employers in NYC (and most places) seem to want you to already be living there before they'll even offer you an interview. I know the job market sucks right now, but I'm in a field that although it doesn't pay much, also doesn't appear to have a scarcity of jobs available yet either. I've looked at headhunter options but there don't appear to be any for this field. So my question is, how does an out-of-state counselor get a job in New York City without actually already being there? If anyone can help with this dilemna, I would be eternally appreciative. Thanks in advance.
So I'm not looking for a 'Go to Monster.com' kind of answer here.
I'm a counselor/mental health therapist who wants to move to New York City but not without first having a job. And being in the Social Services field, I don't make enough money to just send out resumes and fly up there for every offer at an interview I get. Not only that, but the offers are extremely few and far between. Employers in NYC (and most places) seem to want you to already be living there before they'll even offer you an interview. I know the job market sucks right now, but I'm in a field that although it doesn't pay much, also doesn't appear to have a scarcity of jobs available yet either. I've looked at headhunter options but there don't appear to be any for this field. So my question is, how does an out-of-state counselor get a job in New York City without actually already being there? If anyone can help with this dilemna, I would be eternally appreciative. Thanks in advance.
check www.nyc.gov and look for the health and hospital services link...i really dont see how you would obtain a job from out of state without using the internet in these days, especially if you dont have money to fly up here and back to wherever you live now. not to sound crass, but maybe you should have titled the thread, "anybody have a connection?"
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
check www.nyc.gov and look for the health and hospital services link...i really dont see how you would obtain a job from out of state without using the internet in these days, especially if you dont have money to fly up here and back to wherever you live now. not to sound crass, but maybe you should have titled the thread, "anybody have a connection?"
Thanks for the reply and the link. I wasn't saying I won't use the internet, but I thought there might be some other helpful hints.
Sure, yeah, a connection for someone they have never met and know nothing about? LOL! Truly, not my intention. It sounds rediculous.
BUT someone has had to have done this before, right? People obtain employment and move to NYC all the time, right? Perhaps even in this field. I'm kinda just wondering how they did it. Because other than job sites, I have no idea where to start. Maybe someone knows something that I don't?
Thanks for the reply and the link. I wasn't saying I won't use the internet, but I thought there might be some other helpful hints.
Sure, yeah, a connection for someone they have never met and know nothing about? LOL! Truly, not my intention. It sounds rediculous.
BUT someone has had to have done this before, right? People obtain employment and move to NYC all the time, right? Perhaps even in this field. I'm kinda just wondering how they did it. Because other than job sites, I have no idea where to start. Maybe someone knows something that I don't?
well its either the internet, or they have family/friends in nyc which makes going back and forth to search for prospective jobs easier...
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
You are facing a very steep uphill battle. You are right when you say that employers, in general, are not looking to hire from out of the area. Your unwillingness or inability to fly in for interviews makes your situation even more difficult. I doubt that employers in your field are willing to foot the bill for the airfare for an interview.
Most people who are recruited from out of town and relocated at the employer's expense are executives, people with very rare/unique skills or other "superstars" who cannot be hired from the local labor pool. These are few and far between, and I assume do not apply to your situation.
Almost everyone else who ends up relocating for employment in NYC has taken some steps on their own. These include:
1. Moving here first at one's own expense - perhaps renting a 1-3 month sublet or doing the roommate thing.
2. Having friends or family to stay with while searching.
3. At least be willing to get here on very short notice at one's own expense for interviews
All of this costs money. Unfortunately this is reality. I relocated to NYC in 2006. I estimate that I spent about $3k during the course of the job hunt, but it eventually paid off, because I obtained an opportunity I could not find in my hometown.
My story: I am a Product Manager for a small technology company. I targeted a specific company because I had some specialized experience in their specific technology niche. It took some time and persistence, but I eventually convinced the CEO to hire me for a 6-week consulting job to complete a project. I offered to work on-site in the NYC office and rented a short term sublet. I tried to use the time at the office to find other ways to be useful and make myself indispensable. I also used this time to also go on some interviews with other prospective employers. I convinced the CEO to give me a permanent job a few weeks into the gig - mostly because I had a finalist interview at another company
I'm not sure a technique like mine would work for you, because your potential employers are most likely government and non-profits who are more budget-constrained and less flexible. But in general, your best chances will be when you can find potential employers who need a unique skill you might have, then convince them that you are worth considering. This will involve going beyond just listed openings and contacting other potential employers for opportunities that are not yet posted.
It is important when you are talking to employers to minimize relocation concerns by emphasizing the fact that moving is no problem, and that you are prepared to do it quickly without any help from the employer. It also helps to give the employer the impression the move is something you were going to do anyway.
Ultimately, you may need to decide if this goal is worth putting a few thousand dollars at risk. Get a short-term furnished sublet and move here for 1-3 months and make job hunting your full-time job. Get a Tracfone with a local area code. If it doesn't work out, you can always move back. You indicated that there are numerous opportunities in your field. If this is the case, and you think you can be competitive - then go for it. If it doesn't work out, you'll know that it wasn't meant to be.
Your field is one of the most in-demand, so you're ahead of the game. You should try to network with other people in your field who are in NYC--there has to be a webforum for mental health professionals in NY or a mailing list or professional organization.
Other than that, save your money and try to do what UpstaterInBklyn recommended. good luck!
UIB, I read your post several times. There are some great ideas in there. It all comes down to the sacrifice, I guess, doesn't it? I've got a lot of thinking to do.
Thanks again. And although I've been getting some great responses, if anyone else has any additional thoughts, please let me know them.
Two years ago I was looking to move to NYC and needed to find work. My situation was different from yours because I wanted an entry-level job in pretty much any field that would hire me, but similar in that certainly nobody would pay my expenses to come interview for a job. I ended up coming down from the Boston area every two weeks or so for about three months, crashing with friends, and interviewing for jobs where people honestly never intended to give me the time of day.
With the financial and emotional expense of all the travel, I wish I had just found a cheap sublet for a few months and dedicated myself completely to the search. Having a NYC address on my resume would have helped show employers I was serious, too. I ended up getting a job through a friend, and frankly, having now seen how my employer vets job applicants, I'm not sure I ever would have been hired if there wasn't someone on the inside who could vouch that I was serious about moving to NYC if they offered me a job.
Point being, of course not everyone can pick up and move just for the prospect of maybe finding a job, but I really do think that unless you offer something unique, employers generally don't have any incentive to take a risk on an out of town person who isn't demonstrating some serious commitment.
I would just move here first, get a job in ANY field and work evenings/nights to leave your days free to go job hunting.
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