Moving to the windy city.....

September 9, 2009 6:46 PM

I am interested in relocating to Chicago (in fact some of the advise I received in metafilter helped me make the decision). The problem I have is that I have never relocated before and will not be able to do so until my lease runs out at the end of January 2010, how do I go about applying for jobs?

I am currently a business analyst with 5 years of experience with two of the biggest insurance and financial companies in the U.S. I am willing to pay for my relocation expenses but I am hoping that if a company is willing to interview me they foot the bill on flying me out to Chicago (at least for the interview portion). Additionally I will be visiting Chicago in late November and could interview at that time if a prospective employer desires. These are my questions:

1) How far in advance should I start applying for jobs?
2) Because of the state this economy is in is it reasonable to ask a prospective employee to fly me out to their area if they are interested (or can I tell them that I will be in Chicago in November)?
3) How do I include my situation in a cover letter?

I understand that jobs are tough to come by so if I dont get one I expect to stay in NYC but I am looking for the best way to go about this....Thanks in advance for your advice Mefi!

posted by The1andonly to Work & Money (3 answers total)

I recently did this. I didn't find end up finding a job before I moved (anyone need a dog walked or a dick sucked?) but my area of expertise is different than yours.

I applied to jobs through major companies that had "career" section on their websites. The last paragraph of my cover letter said something like this:

"I am excited about the job opportunity that my upcoming move to Chicago affords me. I will be in Chicago from Friday, November Whatever to Monday, November Whatever and I would appreciate a chance to meet with you to discuss how my qualifications and skills can meet the needs of your business. I look forward to hearing from you soon to set up a meeting. Thank you. "
posted by Juliet Banana at 7:08 PM on September 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

Start applying right now, and make it clear in your cover letters that you are looking to relocate to Chicago. January, 2010 is not that far away. The process of interviewing and all that other junk takes several weeks at the very least, and I have noticed (while applying to jobs in several cities at once right now) that employers in Chicago seem to move more slowly than in other places (this is also something I heard about Chicago from others, as well).
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 7:57 PM on September 9, 2009

Just to answer part of your question - I got a new job during the beginning of the sucky economy and they only paid expenses for the second interview.
posted by Pax at 7:01 AM on September 10, 2009