Long-range job hunting

August 10, 2009 2:20 PM

Will I be able to get a job in Boston from San Diego, or would I have to move in order to get serious interviews and, eventually, employment?

I just graduated from college and am living at home in San Diego working an OK but not terribly interesting job. I would like to move to Boston in the next 4-6 months, preferably after having secured a job there. I have a few questions:

1. Is this realistic, or will companies only be hiring/interviewing locals?
2. If it's not realistic, how much money should I have saved up before I move out there?
3. How can I make myself a more attractive candidate as a nonlocal?

I'm looking for work either in an interesting NGO or nonprofit or in the paralegal field. I might send some resumes to consultancies but I don't know if that's really for me.

posted by Aizkolari to work & money (6 comments total)

Think about it from the prospective employer's point of view: With the job market as it is right now, with a lot of unemployed but highly qualified candidates available in your own vicinity, would you take a chance on a person living 3000 miles away that you've never met in person?

I think that it's possible, but I also think that to show employers that you're serious, you'll need to relocate first.
posted by jabberjaw at 2:30 PM on August 10

In the Boston-area engineering companies I've worked for we've preferred to hire local candidates versus long-distance ones. This is especially true of an entry-level candidate.

One thing that always makes me hesitant is whether or not you're actually willing to relocate on your own dime to come out here. How do I know you're not applying to tons of jobs in San Diego and just one in Boston on a whim? In cover letters it probably helps to say "I'll be moving to Boston this [September? December?] and I'm hoping to work as a [position] in your company." Don't make it up to them to convince you to move.

It also helps to be able to say, "I'll be visiting Boston for a week in September. I'd be very excited to meet with you then to hear about any opportunities you may have available." Because it's extremely unlikely they'll fly you out on their dime for an interview. So come hang out in Boston for a week!

Regarding savings: I've heard you should budget one month of job search for every $10,000 in salary of the position you're hoping to find. Not sure where that falls for your industry. At any rate, you need to find a sublease with roommates for the duration of your search here -- assume $500/mo on that sublease, plus $60/mo for a T pass, plus food, necessities, and fun.
posted by olinerd at 3:04 PM on August 10

If you have no experience in your field (or only internships), and no personal connections (ie, someone willing to vouch for you) you will probably need to be in the city to find a job. Especially in a city like Boston, which is chock full of recent grads who want to work for NGOs (I know, because I was one of them). Of course, the risk is that you'll move out here and have a hard time finding something. But still, you need to be here. Get a service job, or try your hand at canvassing (hard, but good experience if you want to break into advocacy or fundraising) until you find a "real" job.

assume $500/mo on that sublease, plus $60/mo for a T pass, plus food, necessities, and fun.

The preceding advice was good, but $500/month for a sublet in Boston is pretty optimistic. Sure, you might find one at that rent, but you don't want to count on it. I'd say that $800 is more realistic - you should definitely be able to find something in Somerville or Jamaica Plain (good recent grad neighborhoods) at that level.
posted by lunasol at 4:18 PM on August 10

Son, you need to get your hustle on--as jabberjaw notes, we are in (what I hope is) the worst economic times of our lives. According to this site, unemployment is Massachusetts is 8.2% (a little bit dated--it's from June--but the rate is likely higher now anyway). Unless you have some amazing skillset (which you may, though your ambivalence as to your career path suggests you may be young and untested) or great connections, you are going to have to be here and pound our pavement. Plus, keep in mind we have a TON of colleges here spewing recent graduates who would love the jobs you are describing. There is a 2009 Harvard honors student (dime a dozen, to be fair) working as an assistant to an assistant (really) down the hall from me.

On the bright side, I'll buy you a beer when you get here, and I'm sure other Boston-area MeFites would do the same.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 4:27 PM on August 10

As to rent, there is no way you are getting a place on your own at that price, but you can get some cheap rooms in a shared space. My GF pays, I think, $350 for a room in a livable enough student housing kind of situation in Central Square (Cambridge). But Olinerd lives here too, and I'm sure she has some basis for what she's saying.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 4:30 PM on August 10

Regarding my rent estimates, I was assuming there were roommates involved. On your own, I'd budget $1000+, depending on the part of town you're in.
posted by olinerd at 5:13 PM on August 10