How does one move cross-country?

October 23, 2006 5:21 AM

How does one move cross-country?

Specifically:
- do you wait to move until you have a job?
- do you move to the desired city and hope to find a job when you've gotten there? Is this strategy insane and/or stupid?

Anyone have real-life experiences with this? One thing I've heard that gives me pause is that employers pay less attention to -- or even automatically discard -- job applications from out-of-town applicants. True, untrue?

(This question is sort of related to mine, but is off-target in terms of my situation because I'm not in IT: I'm looking for new media/communications jobs in SF/Seattle.) I appreciate all insights/advice. Thanks!

posted by hazelshade to work & money (15 comments total)

I've done it both ways, back in the 90s, in Australia, so YMMV. It's a whole lot easier if there's someone you can stay with while you get settled, get an apartment, get transport sorted. If you make it clear to your employer that you don't require them to pay your moving costs, you should be okay at interview (I know of a job where the organisation is (legally) required to pay moving costs but can not afford to, so will not consider out of state applications (illegally) but (obviously) can't advertise that).

I think things are a hell of a lot easier now we have the internets. You can sort out accommodation from a distance, public transport etc, before you get there.

What I did (the first time) was in about March, I decided, I'm getting out of this hick town by September, I contacted a bunch of employers, finally got a bite in July (I think - it was over 15 years ago), left my apartment on a Friday in August, started work 1000s of miles away on the Tuesday. My furniture arrived on the Saturday. And the next week was September.

I guess my point is, decide to do it (not what if's) and then work out how you are going to do it, and then do it. Good luck.
posted by b33j at 5:48 AM on October 23, 2006

Personally, when I moved across several states I couldn't get anyone to return a call. When I did manage to speak to someone, they all told me to "wait until I got there". This was for entry-level chemical engineering work so the lack of an impressive resume might have been my downfall there. So I moved without a job (stayed with friends, like b33j suggests) and did contract work when I got here. I eventually got a great job but it took awhile.

On the other hand, my brother applied for and landed a job in Seattle while he lived in Virginia. He's a locksmith and works in the security field, and I think there's a shortage of people in that field. Plus he has lots of experience. They actively recruited him and gave him an awesome relocation package.

So, I guess my advice would be to apply for jobs. If you don't get any hits, think about whether you want to move so badly that you're willing to wait a bit for the perfect job, or if you can stay where you are until the right opportunity comes along.
posted by cabingirl at 5:57 AM on October 23, 2006

I got the job first, which payed for my moving expenses. It helped that I had networked a bit and had a friend who worked at the company - I wasn't just cold-calling from 4 states away.
posted by muddgirl at 6:49 AM on October 23, 2006

I realize this may not be applicable, but here's my story...

In my last semester of school at the University of Georgia, it became evident to me that I would need to look for employment in Bozeman, MT in the IT industry. I applied for every job I could find in Bozeman, making sure that I included the date that I was planning on moving there in my cover letter. No responses. No phone calls.

I couldn't think of anything else to do, so I started blogging about Bozeman.

Later that year, when visiting Bozeman, I got a cold call from a small company planning to move operations to Bozeman. Turns out, the founder had come across my blog while searching for "bozeman" with skills needed for the job. Sight unseen, I took the job, working remotely at first and then moving to Bozeman to work on-site after I graduated.

I've since moved back to Georgia - but am working for the same company thanks to an understanding boss and my proven record of working well remotely at this job.
posted by slhack3r at 7:04 AM on October 23, 2006

When I moved from San Diego to NYC, I did not have a job. I had applied to places for about 4 months beforehand and gotten one call back, but they wouldn't interview me over the phone. Drove to NYC on a wing and a prayer. Got a job in 1.5 months. Huge amount of debt.
posted by unknowncommand at 8:17 AM on October 23, 2006

I've done it four times. The first, when I was only 21, had no job and no prospects, and I slunk back home when my cash ran out. The other three involved job transfers, and for two of them the company paid relo costs. Naturally that's the way to go (but requires years of possibly soul-deadening work in a big company, building a reputaion and network). But like b33j says, things are easier now with the internets (especially if you have a marketable trade).
posted by Rash at 8:23 AM on October 23, 2006

And although it's not your question, the answer to How is driving across -- it's the only way to go. (Thinking about pioneering folk in covered wagons all the way, relishing your good fortune and thinking about the future).
posted by Rash at 8:26 AM on October 23, 2006

I think a lot has to do with the level you're at. If you're entry level - you're a dime a dozen. Why would a company deal with you from across the country when there are dozens, if not hundreds, of local applicants.

If you're senior, have special training, knowledge or amazing industry contacts... well, that's different and you may have more luck.

I say - save up some dough and make the leap.
posted by FlamingBore at 8:29 AM on October 23, 2006

Moved myself and family from Seattle to Boston 3 yrs ago. Here's how:

Remote Jobsearch - tried hard to find work in Boston while still working in Seattle (luckily my employer knew about it and was okay with it). Very very tough to do though. Many places won't even give you the time of day if you live further than 50 miles away. They do not want to wait for relocation - and especially do not want to PAY for relocation. I offered to pay for my own move, but that didn't seem to matter much, so yeah - very tough.

I interviewed in-person twice, both times I had to pay round-trip airfare and take time off from work.

After nearly a year, I got a job 9at Monster.com), and they gave me 4 weeks to move (4 weeks to give notice, sell house and move! Yikes). We pulled it off though. Had to pay for our own move (I drove my car over 1st, flew back, then drove a moving van with furniture and other car on a trailer - 7,000 miles of driving in 2 weeks, yay.)

Moving out here with no job prospect just wasn't an option. We had enough savings to float for a while, but that goes very very fast, and then that's money wasted, imho. If you have the time, make the effort and land a job first - be willing to do the move yourself if necessary.
posted by kokogiak at 8:31 AM on October 23, 2006

I moved cross-country without a job and without job prospects. It was easier because I had come to the end of a contract in my original location (Ontario), so I could start looking for work while collecting (un)employment insurance in my new location (British Columbia). Works great in Canada because (un)employment insurance is a federal program. Yes, you drive across the country. I treated the trip as a month-long vacation. I had split a moving truck with my roommate at the time and the movers delivered a month later.

Unfortunately my EI ran out before I found a job and I had to borrow substantial sums from other sources. It took me four years to straighten out the financial mess. It was worth it in the long run, but the short run was hell.
posted by crazycanuck at 8:55 AM on October 23, 2006

I applied and interviewed in-person while visiting the city, which I'm guessing made all the difference in the world. This was only possible because they were desperate for a qualified person, which I was (and then some). While I filled out the paperwork, the HR woman probed a bit, then actually called a manager down. I interviewed right there, in casual summer clothes and all. I think that, if I wasn't going back home for a month before actually moving down, they would have hauled my ass upstairs to work right then and there.

My guess is that it depends on your profession and the company's attitude and needs. I worked in Surgery, an environment that tends toward chronic shortages and high turnover.

Personally, the thought of moving somewhere before having at least a very promising prospect gives me the willies.
posted by moira at 9:02 AM on October 23, 2006

I've done it several times. The most recent time my husband -- the breadwinner -- managed to keep the job he already had, but changed from office worker to telecommuter. Is that possible for you?
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:42 AM on October 23, 2006

I've moved part-cross-country in 2002 with no job (MI to Boston, MA) and had a miserable time of it. Entry-level jobs are very difficult to find (especially in places with high concentrations of colleges, places reputed to be "hip," and professions that are perceived to be "cool" like media-- I applied to about 200 entry-level communications/media jobs and got 5 calls back). I started applying before I moved, but all my calls were garnered after I had a local address on my resume. If you think you have enough of a unique angle-- special skills, lots of paid experience, can call in some favors from friends-- you would probably have a better shot.

The uncertainty of everything when moving without a job was really the most wearying part. It took a lot of mental effort to keep looking for and applying for jobs when I was not getting called back. Add to that the stress of leaving my family, friends, and familiar environs, and learning about a whole new city/region, plus worrying about how I'd pay the bills and eat without a job, and it turned not-fun pretty fast. I also found that where I lived made it difficult for me to travel to specific places within the city without a 2 hour commute each way, and yet I was locked into a lease, so that made job searching difficult.

Yet after saying all that, I'm moving again (MI to CA) in just a few weeks, this time with a job awaiting me. This time I had a specific profession in mind (librarianship) that is a bit more open to the idea of hiring someone from far away, and that made it a lot easier.
posted by holyrood at 12:14 PM on October 23, 2006

you don't say what field you are in. . .I think that has a significant effect on whether or not an employer will consider an out-of-state application. When I started my job, I was entry level, and my company paid for my move from Michigan to Seattle. But I went to a top five engineering school for undergrad and went to work for a big company where relocation expenses are just a teeny-tiny drop in the bucket, so they'll pay to get qualified people to work for them. Also, most jobs that I looked at would tell you whether or not they would cover relocation. They would consider everyone, and if you happened to live across the country and they didn't cover relocation, then you would have to cover it. BUt that might not be so bad if you have a job waiting for you. Even having a job lined up it was still a huge decision to move across the country - but it has turned out very well! Good luck!
posted by jengineer at 12:22 PM on October 23, 2006

I've done it both ways and I highly recommend having the job in hand first. My desire to get out of a small town led me to move jobless (and with only an undergraduate English degree in hand) to the "big city" once, where I floundered for months at sub-par jobs and drained what savings I had before I decided to move back home go back to grad school.

The second time, I landed a suitable job first. The search took six months. If I'd been trying to wing it on savings, I'd have been out in the street (and deep in debt).

I had to fly out once, on my own tab, for face-to-face interviews. I was able to schedule three during one week. I took vacation time to do it. But one of those turned into an offer. So it all worked out for me.
posted by wheat at 12:35 PM on October 23, 2006