Relocating

[Criseyde]

I really really really really really want to find a job in a different part of the country. Actually, I don't think I would take a permanent job where I am, period. I did get one offer for a contract position, but it was not a feasible situation, so I didn't take it.

How do you find a job far away? I have been applying but I feel like I'm sending my resume into a black hole. I think it would be much easier to move first, then apply (the offer I got was relatively local -- i.e. I showed up in person for the interview and the company didn't have to pay for transportation). That said, I did have one interview with a company that flew me out and put me in a hotel, but they are recruiting heavily this summer.

I don't really have any money to move first, then look, though. My mom would have to help me, and she doesn't seem that interested in the idea (and I can see why, honestly). She would greatly prefer that I go back to school...

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[poika]

perhaps you could find several job offers in a remote area, do as much communication as possible via email/phone, and then arrange the meetings to fit in a few days, so that you can participate in all of them during one trip. e.g. 5 job interviews in one city during 3 days on a single trip although that might be difficult to achieve if there aren't many offers for the position you're aiming at.

another idea could be to find a job where you could work remotely. perhaps such jobs exist in your location, so find something where you live, and since it will allow remote work, you'll be able to move to a new location and continue working from there until you find something better in your new place.

[NAL]

Originally Posted by Criseyde

I really really really really really want to find a job in a different part of the country. Actually, I don't think I would take a permanent job where I am, period. I did get one offer for a contract position, but it was not a feasible situation, so I didn't take it.

How do you find a job far away? I have been applying but I feel like I'm sending my resume into a black hole. I think it would be much easier to move first, then apply (the offer I got was relatively local -- i.e. I showed up in person for the interview and the company didn't have to pay for transportation). That said, I did have one interview with a company that flew me out and put me in a hotel, but they are recruiting heavily this summer.

I don't really have any money to move first, then look, though. My mom would have to help me, and she doesn't seem that interested in the idea (and I can see why, honestly). She would greatly prefer that I go back to school...

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I am looking to move to the Washington DC area at least temporarily to look for work. I am essentially blacklisted from employment in the greater Boston area so essentially I need to start over with temp work. WDC has a 3% unemployment rate.
This will cost me. I am planning on subletting an apartment for $2,500 a month just for myself. I will also continue to pay the rent where I am which is going up about $700 or so a month to around the same. If it takes $100,000 - $200,000 of savings to secure employment again I will do it.
The only thing that concerns me is getting the third degree & being put on the defensive by recruiters & HR professionals being forced to explain myself why I moved without a job.

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by Criseyde

I really really really really really want to find a job in a different part of the country. [...] My mom would have to help me, and she doesn't seem that interested in the idea (and I can see why, honestly). She would greatly prefer that I go back to school...

Maybe you could go back to school in a different part of the country.

[agsags]

Originally Posted by Criseyde

I don't really have any money to move first, then look, though. My mom would have to help me, and she doesn't seem that interested in the idea (and I can see why, honestly). She would greatly prefer that I go back to school...

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Don't let your mom's preferences affect you too much. "Massage" her into supporting you on YOUR path.

[Criseyde]

Thank you for your advice, everyone!! I appreciate it very much.

poika, remote work is a good option but I have absolutely no clue how to go about doing it. I am unbelievably clueless when it comes to non-traditional work stuff. That's a good thing to research though -- thank you for bringing it up.

CaterpillarWoman, I don't really want to go back to school right now. If I do grad school, I'm interested in a PhD in English, and I definitely want some life experience before plunging into a PhD program. I talked to people at my undergrad uni, and getting an MA in English would be a really bad idea because most of the prestigious PhD programs are direct admit. And I don't know what else I might want a Master's in. So no school for me just yet.

agsags, that's a good point. I tend to let her preferences influence me way too much, and I need to get out of that. Thanks for the reminder.

[Clint Cora]

During my corporate career, I relocated three times to different cities. For the first time, I interviewed at head office which was local but they offered me a job in another province which I accepted. They paid for my relocation. Then after a few years, I was promoted back to Toronto for a more senior position and again, they paid for the relocation.

Years down the road, the company I was working for was taken over by another company and they decided to move head office operations to another city and offered me a position there. Again they paid for the relocation.

So sometimes it helps to interview for companies with multiple offices or even work locally to start. Once you get a nice work record, see if you could request a transfer to another one of their locations for experience.

[rawxstasy]

Originally Posted by NAL

I am looking to move to the Washington DC area at least temporarily to look for work. I am essentially blacklisted from employment in the greater Boston area so essentially I need to start over with temp work. WDC has a 3% unemployment rate.
This will cost me. I am planning on subletting an apartment for $2,500 a month just for myself. I will also continue to pay the rent where I am which is going up about $700 or so a month to around the same. If it takes $100,000 - $200,000 of savings to secure employment again I will do it.
The only thing that concerns me is getting the third degree & being put on the defensive by recruiters & HR professionals being forced to explain myself why I moved without a job.

Nal - don't worry about this. In this economy, it's perfectly understandable to say you couldn't find work where you were and thought that this new area would have much more opportunities. That's what I said in my interview and nobody raised an eyebrow.