My new years resolution for 2012 was to get a new [better] job. Ideally one in a bigger city than I currently am in. Denver is heading up the city list as my #1 spot right now as it is supposed to have a good job market, it has great scenery and [outdoorsy] things to do in the area, is the US Capitol for Micro Brews, and I've only really heard good things about the place.
I am currently employed in IT with 6 years experience, and have been at my current job for 4 years now. I have a Bachelor's in IT as well as my Security+ certification. What I am wondering is, would a recruiter or recruitment firm be a good idea for someone like me that is wants to relocate to another area and has absolutely zero contacts in any of the areas I want to live in? Anyone use a recruiter to find a job recently? Was the experience good? Would I be better off doing a ton of research in the companies out there and then applying to the ones I think I would fit in best at? Could... could I do both? Anyone have any recruiter contacts they could pass my way?
Anyone live in, or have been to, Denver? What do you like/hate about the place? Is the city you are from better than Denver, tell me about it!
I need a change in my life. I'm 28 and I've lived in VA Beach for over 20 years now and I want out. I want mountains in the background to look at. I want to go snowboarding more. I want to leave all my friends and family and start a life for myself.
Posts
Putting your resume in the system can be hard unless you actually work for the company in some way however, as they typically greatly prefer to recruit inhouse first then go to recruiters to find people, but if you can get your resume in the system, youll probably get in on the first or second round of looking for people.
My company actually has lots of open positions in IT, and oddly enough given the economy they have trouble finding people to fill holes sometimes. I've seen my boss go through 3 rounds of resumes, not cause hes specifically picky but because the candidates are not experienced or educated at all or people just arent applying much. People dont expect a paint manufacturer to have a lot of call for it i guess.
Yea, I've slowly started to apply to job listings. Applied to three last night for ones I feel I'm qualified for. Might use up some Vacation time to do a boot camp and get the MCITP cert, or just study my ass off and take the tests over a couple months. I kind of like the boot camp idea though if I can afford it, get it done. I try to remind myself that I'm lucky that I've already got a job and no real pressure to get a new one other than trying to escape my current town.
If I am able to move out there by November I will be really happy. If I spend another New Years here, I will feel kind of sad and a failure for sitting on my hands for so long. Ain't nothin to it but to do it.
Azith, every company needs IT people like it needs accountants.
Buddies, i've had tons of luck with recruiters/headhunters. it's really tough to find a job, especially out of state, unless you are already there or VERY desirable. basically, a company may say: hmm, should i take this IT dude that i can interview in person and is already settled and available, or this guy i can only interview over the phone, and may have some issues moving here? if you have a recruiter selling you, it may be easier. If a phone interview goes well, they may want you to fly out there. Some companies will pay for this, i bet a lot wont.
if thats DEFINITELY where you want to be, you might think about saving up some money, selling your house, and just going out there and start dropping resumes. You may have to find an interim job to pay the bills depending on how soon you find a job, temping, waiting tables, etc.
The only thing that is definite is that I'm tired of my current job and it's lack of career advancement and I'd like to move away from this area.
7 jobs applied for so far since I made this post. Who knows if I'll even hear back from any of them.
If that seems a bit too risky, maybe you could look at cities that are nearer to you? Places that are within a day's drive or so might make the local employers more confident that you're an individual who can interview in person and start working for them in a timely fashion.
One place to think of would be the Washington, DC, area. No mountains, but it does have a great job market and is definitely a bigger city.
As for headhunters, I don't see any reason not to work with them... So long as they're legitimate and don't try to charge you anything. I worked with a few the last time I was looking for a job, and I got a few interviews out of it.
On relocation compensation: It's an Olympic Longshot if you're moving to a larger city. Why would they pay a premium on importing talent when there's talent locally.
Also, don't use Robert Half. Last time I talked to them I told them not to bother calling me ever again. I showed up for an "interview", waited 30 minutes for anyone to appear at the front desk (hey, I was desperate), took two of the most poorly written tests of my abilities I have ever seen, and then got chewed out by the recruiter for not doing her job for her and telling her the other places I knew of in town that were hiring people with my skill set.
Apex Systems and Tek Systems are national recruitment firms and are about average. I don't refuse to work with them, but they do tend to give that pushy used car salesman vibe much of the time. They've both gotten me jobs, paid me fairly and gave raises, and didn't abuse me any more than can be expected, though. I've found the best recruiters to generally be local firms who are small enough to still be focused on placing good employees at good companies to build a reputation rather than just sticking anyone anywhere they can, but that's hard to judge from a distance.
Do you use reddit at all? The Denver reddit has a lot of useful info on moving to Denver, where to live and all that. Check out this link for info on moving and some other stuff that might help
psn: lankyplonker
My advice is use all of them at the same time, and hound them relentlessly until they place you. Your experience is going to vary from individual to individual.
I'd say that you need to just move there and look for work. You don't necessarily have to get a place and sign a year lease. You can stay in hostels (which I actually don't recommend but maybe the hostels in Denver are reasonable). Another cheap option (perhaps even cheaper than hostels) is to find somebody looking for a roommate. A place with several roommates would be the cheapest and most likely option because people are wary of letting somebody without a job stay with them. If worse comes to worst, you can say that you have a job.
You can also broaden your job search to anything just to have some income to pay for rent and so forth while you look for a job in your field.
I actually was under the impression I was going to get a job out in Omaha about a year ago. Some big contracts went out for some DoD type work out there and I was trying to get in on that through a friends father, but things kept getting delayed and/or postponed and months would go by without hearing anything about it. My lack of a security clearance is also hamstringing me on that front. I haven't really looked into the private sector out there though.