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We moved a few hours away. Even though it was feasible to drive that far for interviews, it would still consume about 6 hours of my day back and forth plus the interview so I wasn’t going to do it. When I received calls for interviews I explained my situation and I didn’t have a hard time with them agreeing to phone and Skype interviews. My brother moved from Chicago to a Phoenix snd did the same. Seemed like most employers were accommodating.
I executed a corporate transfer ten years ago to a new city. Since then, I've been laid off three times and live in a new city. I'm getting pretty desperate to move. When I lived in Denver and was moving to Dallas, I began applying in Dallas. I received quite a few calls on my resume, but it all quickly ended when they discovered I was not yet a Dallas resident. Told me to reach out to them when I'd arrived. By then, the job was already filled.
I'm finding this to be the case in two other cities I'm applying. I've only heard from one company and they don't want to talk to me after hearing I'm not yet a resident.
How the heck is someone supposed to secure a position in a new city prior to moving? This has only worked for me once, as stated above.
Any suggestions? Besides a corporate transfer, how did you do it?!!
I did.
1. I was a paralegal living in a small city in Louisiana. I sent a bunch of letters to Dallas law firms, telling them I would be moving to Dallas (either a month or approximate month - something...I gave some indication of when), and then the regular inquiry as to whether they had any job openings I might be qualified for, etc. I included all those who had job openings at the time, plus others. I told them I would fly in for an interview, etc.
2. I got very few responses, as one would think. But I did get several.
3. I responded to the letters by calling and arranging interviews for the same week. I drove in for the interviews and stayed in a cheap hotel. I couldn't afford to fly and pay for a rental car.
4. I went on the interviews. Then drove back to La.
5. Two of the firms called me to offer me a job. Low pay. I accepted one of them.
You can't be too picky when trying to get a job in another state you haven't moved to, yet. They will need a reason to hire you from out of state over a local person. Either in salary or your experience or something.
You can't even mention any problem in getting there to interview. You must go when they want, if they aren't agreeable to you setting the date (though they will understand if you're trying to schedule all interviews within the same week). They set the time, too.
You have to have a good reason to move. I did. Also, I had lived briefly in Dallas before, so was familiar with it. And I told them I had a good friend who lived there (true).
Best thing I ever did was get the heck out of Dodge and move to a city with a good economy and job opportunities.
The job I got, BTW, turned out to be the job from hell. That's why they hired me. They couldn't get anyone else locally, who would work for cheap, since their firm had such an awful reputation for the way it treated employees. But I was able to change jobs within the year, thank goodness.
One last thing: Things weren't electronic back when I moved to Dallas. But now, they might want to run a background check and credit report on you before knowing whether to consider you.
Another last thing: When I moved to Dallas, that was in the middle of a recession, when there were more applicants for jobs than jobs. I still got a couple of offers. Stable background (more or less), good reason to move, definitely moving (don't mention you're considering other cities - there has to be SOME REASON you are DEFINITELY moving to Dallas), and hopefully some contacts or familiarity with the city.
I executed a corporate transfer ten years ago to a new city. Since then, I've been laid off three times and live in a new city. I'm getting pretty desperate to move. When I lived in Denver and was moving to Dallas, I began applying in Dallas. I received quite a few calls on my resume, but it all quickly ended when they discovered I was not yet a Dallas resident. Told me to reach out to them when I'd arrived. By then, the job was already filled.
I'm finding this to be the case in two other cities I'm applying. I've only heard from one company and they don't want to talk to me after hearing I'm not yet a resident.
How the heck is someone supposed to secure a position in a new city prior to moving? This has only worked for me once, as stated above.
Any suggestions? Besides a corporate transfer, how did you do it?!!
I'd say that being laid off three times might be a problem.
You say you live in a new city. How long have you lived there? Are you working now? How long have you been there?
Companies like stable employees. Hopping jobs every couple of years to improve pay or benefits seems to be okay these days. But multiple moves to different cities, being laid off multiple times, and trying to leave a fairly new employer after all that may not indicate the stability some companies are looking for.
I executed a corporate transfer ten years ago to a new city.
Does that mean the company you worked for relocated you?
With financial assistance?
Quote:
Since then, I've been laid off three times and live in a new city.
I've only heard from one company and they don't want to talk to me after hearing I'm not yet a resident.
As said I suspect the 3 lay offs are more of an issue. NONE of them want anyone not already there.
Quote:
I'm getting pretty desperate to move.
How the heck is someone supposed to secure a position in a new city prior to moving?
In short... you really can't. The tiny portion who can aren't applying.
Quote:
Any suggestions? Besides a corporate transfer, how did you do it?
Bite the bullet and GO to the city you prefer/believe is the best choice.
Close out your lease on good terms, pack up and then store most of your stuff.
Plan to live out of a suitcase (and 3 boxes) for the first few months.
The first time was a couple of Skype interviews. Entry level position. Tennessee to Iowa. Didn't like Iowa and moved back after a year. No relocation.
Second time was an associate level position. Tennessee to Indiana. $3k relo. I was shotgunning apps all over the country. I went and took some analytical tests and interview went well. Once I was hired, about 80% of candidates we interviewed failed the tests, and you were basically a shoo-in if you passed.
There are several things that an employer takes into consideration when posting a job, and if they will consider out of town applicants where relocation costs are involved.
1: What degree is required, and how large is the local pool of applicants that meet the requirements for the job. If there is a considerable number of local applicants that can fill the companies needs, there is no need to fool around with applicants that would have to be relocated to the take the job. They are not willing to pay relocation costs in this situation. They are not willing to wait for a period of time waiting for an applicant to move to the area, if they can fill the job locally.
2: How does your work experience fit the needs of the company. If you have gained unique talents that the company needs above and beyond your degree and is not available locally, you will be at least get an interview.
Example. My daughter was head of IT for a large company in their field, with multiple locations that all came under her direction. She had 15 years experience, and took numerous classes over the years. She was able to oversea accounting and their use of the program, over manufacturing, over inventory, and all the other aspects, including passing the SOX audit (federal mandated audit that can cost a company big fines if not in compliance) for the entire company. Some money men in the east bought up some stock, and got a lot of proxies and took over the company. They then fired 43 managers in one day, (all the higher paid ones) and cut the payroll. They stopped a lot of maintenance of equipment, etc., all to get a bigger profit. After they got the figures the way they wanted without regards how it was effecting the company they sold the company off overseas.
She put her resume on DICE. She had 47 major companies around the country from Boston to Los Angeles, and Seattle to Houston. All wanted her, and even went as far as telling her they would beat any offer by another company. Her level of knowledge and experience on this one program that ran the companies, was the reason they wanted her. She selected one that had an office in the exact city suburb she wanted to retire. They had 123 different locations that were to be placed under her supervision, with her located in the corporate headquarters where she would have an office and staff to oversee the entire company. The C level employees, were able to tap into their computer, and bring up to date reports they needed. Same job, but just a lot more locations than she had been handling. Hiring interview was the phone call to her. Pay over $200K. Great Benefits.
If you have unique talents and experience as she had, you will get offers from out of the area. If you don't, the odds are there are local people with the education and experience, so there is no need for the company to spend the time and money fooling around with out of town potential employees.
Fact 1: If you cannot get an out of area company to bring you in as a potential employee from out of the area, it says 2 things. Your education and work experiences are not unique enough in comparison with other local applicants that they have no need to go to the time, money, and trouble to have to look at potential employees from out of area. No matter what you think, you are not unique enough to warrant considering you.
Fact 2: There is a sufficient local supply of people with the education and experience to satisfactorily fill the position, so they are only going to hire locals.
In 2016 my husband decided it was time to move out of California. He had a good job as a Network Administrator for a company he had worked at for over a decade, but the company would be undergoing some major changes in the next few years and hubby decided he wanted out of there before the new boss took over.
We decided to look outside of California first, we wanted something in the Pacific Northwest. Using Indeed and Craigslist mostly I found him hundreds of jobs and he would apply to the ones he felt qualified for, and that were in places we could afford to live in.
We began the hunt for a new job in the beginning of May. By June we had decided to take a road trip through some of the states we were interested in, and where he had either a phone interview, or positive feedback from. He sent some emails to various possible employers to let them know we would be in the area and the dates we would be near. Then we traveled through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and back home through Nevada. While in Wyoming he did two in person interviews, and another Skype interview on the drive home also for Wyoming.
After returning home he was offered a job in Powell, Wyoming in mid-June, from one of the jobs he did an in-person interview for. After much consideration he turned it down. It was not the right job for him, he didn't click with the IT team and he would be on call for less pay than he was making in California even with the cost of living difference.
He did a few more phone interviews before getting a job offer in another part of Wyoming at the end of July. This was the second job that he had interviewed for in person. He had assured the company while he was at the interview that he would be moving, that he would find a place to live even if he was forced to live in a trailer until he could secure something more permanent. He took this job and started it at the end of August.
He lived in a small motel for over two weeks and commuted to work over an hour while I focused on selling the house in California. Then he lived in a tiny cabin for another two months while buying us a house in Wyoming. Then I moved into the new house at the end of November.
All in all it took him four months to secure a better job in a brand new state. However Wyoming is not for everyone and I do think he had an edge because so few people are willing and wanting to live the Wyoming lifestyle. It worked to our advantage that so few people want to move here. I think his in-person interviews really showed the employers that he was serious about moving, and that he was willing to do whatever it took to make the move happen.
My brother is currently trying to find a job out of California and he too is meeting resistance. He needs to do what we did and meet face-to-face if at all possible to give himself the edge, to show that he is serious. As of yet he's had one Skype interview. We'll see how long it takes him to land a job.
Good luck OP I know how hard it is. Montana wanted nothing to do with us. It is really difficult, but finding a job out of state can be done.
Chiming in! Moving to Phoenix from Michigan this August. I have an associate's degree and am finishing my bachelor's in AZ. Job and everything is already lined up and the secret is...remain persistent and honest! I've been told time after time by family members "stay, stay, play it safe, finish up here and you'll be fine." Before reading the posts here, I already had a very realistic expectation of someone who thinks they can up and leave post graduation. If you can, OP and anyone who this may be speaking to, FINISH SCHOOL IN YOUR DESIRED CITY/STATE. Go to a local CC for 2 years (no time at all), save money like your life depends on it, plan/research, and go. This does a few things for you:
- You'll already have a sense of place beyond work in your new city/state.
- You'll have the chance to develop a solid network in your new city/state/area, if you're fixed on never returning to where you currently are.
- You'll make plenty of friends while really learning what your new city/state is about. Just getting a job and jumping can be too quick.
I've secured my future in Arizona by acting like I'm already there. I've been accepted to ASU and added that to my LinkedIn and resume before even applying. I got a 'burner' number with a local area code, and even used a relative's address. The calls from recruiters did.not.stop. and I'm not talking burger flipping minimum wage jobs, either (nothing against that, it's a noble profession). I was also honest when they asked if I'm available same day for an interview (I travel between the cities frequently so it is actually possible for me). Remember that honesty is the best policy, and you're trying to get people in your new area on your side.
Wrapping up, for anyone that is in a local university, thinking they can launch out to the city/state of their dreams (given it's a major job center, which makes sense), you are honestly screwed. I'm sure you've been told to study abroad, try to network online, or get an internship. But with that, you're putting yourself in a situation where everything HAS to work for you to be able to move. It's actually more of a risk trying to "play it safe" then move, than just moving. My area (SE Michigan, metro Detroit) has a grad retention rate of 77% and some of the highest student debt amounts in the country. Grads in the US period these days are moving at historically low rates due to high student debt. Let this be your warning: if you want to move somewhere, do your research, do your saving, get some sort of education, then run like hell!
all you need is get an address in the vicinity of where you are applying for. Helps if you have a relative or friend that will let you, maybe pay them some money every month. if desperate rent out a tiny room.
Then you can put it on your job applications and resume that you have a local address
OP, what worked for me with a job I'm scheduled to start in March is that I indicated that I was eager to relocate right on my resume, wrote in my cover letter how I loved to travel and had done so numerous times in the past year, how I knew people in their city and finally when the call came, being ready to attend interviews at my destination at my expense (8 hour drive each way). It was enough to convince the employer that I was serious despite being from out of state. If I had asked for a Skype interview and for them to cover my relocation expenses, the job might have gone to another candidate.
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