[tms1337]

The right time for a major life change is after you have the realization that the place you are living isn't making you grow as a person any more. After realizing that if you leave, you wouldn't miss anything.

I've hit that point. My whole life I've lived in the northeast. Born in CT, went to college in VT. I graduated last year with a degree in broadcast design and production, and, as I've been seeing a lot on this forum, career-less. I have a job, but it hardly pays the bills. No girlfriend, and though I love my family, they can get by without me. In order to do the things I want to do, I need a reset switch.

But the whole process of just getting up and moving to a new city hundreds of miles away is daunting to say the least. Actually, I don't even know where to start.

I don't have a lot of money, so ideally I would find a job FIRST, then move to wherever that happened to be. Of course I've tried job boards, but it seems like this method is inefficient at best. I know there must be ONE company in any city that will hire me...but I can't find them! There must be another method.

I'm not even looking for anything extremely high paying - a $11-$13 office job would be a great starting point. In a city, I can work on getting freelance and event production gigs on the side to get a career going. I just need a job, SOMETHING to support me while I built the rest of my life up.

Does anyone have experience with doing this? How did you find a job? What were your first steps to transitioning to a new city?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I need to do something before I burst here...

[ProfessorMurder]

I too am in the same predicament. Recently graduated, in the northeast, ready to leave, but don't know how or where.

[themuzicman]

I had a job before I moved.

[ElstonGunn]

Considering that there are more applicants than positions, I think trying to get a job before moving might be more difficult than it would be in better economic times. Some companies might not want to bother with someone hundreds of miles away if they already have fifty local applicants. I'm not saying that it can't be done; just that if/when you do it, it'll be something to take a little pride in for yourself.

[AnotherNormal]

Have you tried indeed.com ? craigslist is good also.

[Silverity]

What online sites have you tapped into? Have you tried looking up companies in the city specifically? Are there internal or external hiring agencies you can tap into? Does your college/uni have a resource centre with extra job sites/ exclusive job searches? Did you network with anyone who might have ties? Talk to any of your teachers?

[12ax7]

I'm in the planning stages for the same thing. Next step is getting the car back from the shop so I have semi-reliable fully owned transportation. Then I'll start applying to jobs out of state.

I think higher-paying jobs that take advantage of your degree would be the ones to look for - an employer's relocation or possible interview/travel costs would be a smaller percentage of your value/pay. If you want to start with a $12/hr gig maybe it'd be better to move first, although that carries more risk and you'd likely need a co-signer for an apartment if you can't prove you have any income...

[stopwinking]

Also, do iinsane amounts of research on what different states require for residency and job worthiness. Some states require masters degrees for certain jobs, some more college credits, some a state driver's liscence before you can be hired and an address before you can get a driver's liscence !...so, you'll need money to maintain for a while. Poeple used to say 'a 6 month cushion' I don't know if that's still enough.

Swallow your pride and apply for food stamps ASAP and join a Coop Food market to get a discount ther on top of the stamps.

Try to get an apt where you don't have to pay for your laundry- this really adds up and getting quarters is a pain! especially when you have none and you need clothes for work/interviews

The weird unexpected requirements don't happen with the higher end jobs,necessarily but 'just an office job' might in a lot of states.

Getting jobs in Europe, you definitely need more than a passport, let alone other countries.

Craigs List is surprisingly good.

So is Career Builders, althouh the application process can get very 'meta' " Another application to fill out for this link, another site to join to submit an application ?! "

Snagajob sends some good but a lot of links to sites that have requirements like fees

Indeed is pretty good.

Idealist.com is too, or was in '04, haven't used it recently.

Getting a volunteer gig while looking for a job gives a good impression to interviewers, and really volunteer at the same place regularly and make friends with them because the employer will ask for the reference.

And call regularly when you apply. call to tell them you've sent an app and leave your number ( unless they state 'no calls') and call the day after to say you appreciated the interview and reiterate why you like/ hope to work for them, saying to call with any questions. then call back 2 weeks later if you don't hear from them.
Always be friendly and laid back and try to put yourself in their shoes, so you don;t seem pushy or desperate.

[PRBori]

I've never gone through this, but I did relocated from my country to the US mainland at 16 with a cousin, got a job within a week, then 6m later she moved away and I stood behind.

That said, if you don't have lots of money, but have family within a location you wish to get a job, it might be a temporary option. Also, as many said before, research to see where the jobs related to your degree are, how much the average salary is, and what are the requirements if any to get in.

When I left, I was spontaneous about it, but in my case the circumstances at the time trigger such reaction. In your case I would highly suggest that you plan as much as feasible before making a move, specially because as others mentioned, the current economy will have an impact on your ability to attain a job.

[AnaK]

When you get to a new town, sign up with a temp service, to get at least some money coming in right away and meet some people. Don't get an apartment for a while. Take over a sublet or something from Craigslist. You may end up hating the place. But at least it will give you a chance to learn about different neighborhoods before you sign a lease.

[Imagineering]

I want to do this so bad.

[tms1337]

I've been using indeed.com, craigslist, productionhub.com, and I keep up with big industry (NBC, ABC, etc.) entry level jobs.

I'm focusing on one city at a time. Currently I'm looking for New York City jobs. Once I feel frustrated by not finding a job there, I'll move on to a different city hoping for better results. Continue cycle.


I think the first step to the planning process is finding a job - everything stems from that. Once I know how much I'm going to be making, I can make a better decision about the cost of an apartment as well as the balance of my other bills.

[Axion004]

Indeed.com is a great resource. Make a budget(Which counts for student loans, apartment monthly rent, food, exercise, and the rest on "entertainment"). The hard part for me is planning out graduate school, a house, "kids" and all of that. But I don't have to choose that sort of life. I really want to move out and experience live in a different state or different country.

[peppersasen]

Are you trying to relocate to somewhere with higher/lower living costs?

---------- Post added 08-06-2011 at 07:38 PM ----------

Also: I love craigstlist. Just like the other members.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

[Urshulgi]

You should consider moving out of the U.S. for a year or two.

I ditched the job-hunt game in the U.S. to teach English in Moscow. That was back in September, and I haven't regretted it at all.

[judymrad]

One option, look for opportunities in Chatsworth California -- it is on the fringe of LA (LA is a hot spot for a lot of the broadcast world as you know, if you find NYC doesn't appeal to you.)

Chatsworth has the distinction of being a place where content for the adult film industry is created (and I hope you are not offended that I suggest this). It may have entry level jobs where you could earn your creds and meet people in the business. I only know this because I pitched a technology company located there that sells big storage devices to house digital content. When we asked about the location, we understood they were there to be closer to their customers as it were.

I spent my teens through my mid 30s on the East Coast - middle of nowhere in upstate NY, Westchester County NY, Boston and Danbury CT before getting the CA bug. There is something about the weather in California that makes people more optimistic it seems to me -- and I am happier on this coast without the snow and humidity.

I'm in Northern CA, and have no idea what cost of living is in Southern CA but I agree with other posters that lining up a job first should be priority.

Internships with major broadcasting firms is another option if you can find a way to swing the finances with a non-career driven position at the same time (starbucks server or the like)-- a young woman who worked in CA with me in public relations really wanted to get into the broadcast end, so left and got an internship in NYC with NBC. Through the connections she made, she is now working in digital media for the Bravo network.

Good luck.

[tms1337]

Temp services and job recruiters are a great idea. I'll look into some agencies. Do recruiters typically require a fee of some kind, and is it results-based?

Living outside the U.S. is also something I'm very interested in. Teaching English seems to be a very stereotypical thing to do, but if it gets me out into the world, I'm all for it. Where would I start on something like this?

[mieu]

I also live in CT, so I completely understand that the cost of living here is debilitating to college grads who can not find employment. The vast majority of my peers with whom I graduated high school are unemployed or simply chose to go to grad school to wait it out. The peers I graduated college with have jobs, for the most part, but we chose a field in which there are a glut of openings...even temporary ones.

If you have family or friends abroad, you may need to stay with them in order to land a job in the area, but I'd definitely advocate moving to an area that has a lower cost of living than here. Your challenge in landing a job before the move is certainly going to be convincing an employer to hire you without a face-to-face without any previous experience on your resume. Like you said, you're going to have to deal with living on the cheap for a while, snatch a low-paying job to get your life in order, then start to hunt for a career. Choose an area down south or out west (but not TOO west) that's on the outskirts of a metropolitan area--and has public transportation if you don't have a car. Choosing city life to avoid the need for a car may hurt you in the long run as it's usually much, MUCH more expensive to live in the city.