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I want a new job in a new city

BuddiesBuddies Registered User regular
edited July 2012 in Help / Advice Forum
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.

Buddies on

Posts

  • azith28azith28 Registered User regular
    Well im not sure much larger we would be considered (cause the city population is kinda low), but in my case, I was doing a part time job a year and a half after graduation at Sherwin-Williams, when an IT job at their HQ in cleveland showed up on the website, and so i applied. I moved here and have been working here ever since. I still am kind of surprised to be working an IT position at such a non-IT related company, so dont restrict yourself to applying only at companies you expect to need alot of high tech work. Find out what companies have HQ's in the cities you are looking hard at, and find out how to get your resume put in the system. Doesnt matter what business they are in, if they are HQ's then they will have need of people. Especially if like mine, we design our own software for POS / Ordering applications.

    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.



    Stercus, Stercus, Stercus, Morituri Sum
  • BuddiesBuddies Registered User regular
    I was just about to update this! Thanks for the advice.

    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.

  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    Moving to a new city isn't that weird for young people, so don't worry about that factor, you just have to shine above the other applicants, as most companies will have to pay for moving you. Make sure you laser in on companies you like and get a nice resume together with a cover letter.

  • BuddiesBuddies Registered User regular
    Yea, the only thing I'm apprehensive about moving is that I'll have to sell my house. I hope to make at least a little money off it to facilitate the move, or at least cover closing costs.

  • Dr. FrenchensteinDr. Frenchenstein Registered User regular
    The only time companies have to pay to move you is either: if they agree to it in your hiring contract (which is probably pretty unlikely for someone your age/position), or if your company moves you to another location within that company.

    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.

  • BuddiesBuddies Registered User regular
    I don't suppose those recruiters/headhunters you've had luck with are in Colorado? Or maybe wherever you are is a really awesome place to live and you'd like to tell me about it? haha

    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.

  • CyberJackalCyberJackal Registered User regular
    I hate to rain on the parade, but both getting taken seriously by companies in distant states and getting relocation compensation are things that are pretty rare unless you have serious credentials. Not saying you should give up, but if you're set on Denver you'll probably have to just make the leap, like Dr Frenchenstein says.

    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.

  • ToddJewellToddJewell Registered User regular
    Innovar Group was nice to me when I was looking -- the company I work for now also uses HarveyNash. Robert Half was kind of crappy. I would recommend Innovar to everyone in the Denver area.

  • DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    We call them Robert Half Your Paycheck around here.

    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.

  • Dr. FrenchensteinDr. Frenchenstein Registered User regular
    I went through the Mergis group, but i actually knew the guy making the introductions so YMMV. I think they are national, but i'm not 100% on that.

  • Jimmy KingJimmy King Registered User regular
    This was much earlier in my career than it sounds like you are, but when I relocated to another state the recruiters weren't terribly helpful, although they were straightforward with me about it. They told me that there were plenty of local people and that their firm and the companies they represented would almost always want to talk to them first because it was so much easier and less risky for them, so my best bet was to move first, then find a job. As scary and awful as that sounds, it may be the case for you.

    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.

  • BuddiesBuddies Registered User regular
    Thanks for the info! The names of some of the recruiters you guys used or refuse to use help. I'll have to get serious about getting my house in order to be able to sell it in case I need to move out there prior to having an actual job offer.

  • molefacemoleface Registered User regular
    I can't help you on the job market stuff, but I moved to Denver a year ago and I like it here. Nice place, scenic, friendly people, plenty to do. Great city if you love sports, hiking and beer. It has the right balance of a being a big city but not too big, if that makes sense. Most of the work in Denver happens either in downtown, which is quite pricey to live in, or a place a fair ways south of downtown called the tech center, which I believe is cheaper to live around but has less going on

    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

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  • Giggles_FunsworthGiggles_Funsworth Blight on Discourse Bay Area SprawlRegistered User regular
    Weird, I've had better luck with Robert Half (Technology, technically a different entity) than any other recruiters in the Bay Area. No longer in need of their services because I went too niche for them to source me leads, but I've got an open invitation from my old recruiter to hit him up whenever I'm in San Francisco for drinks.

    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.

  • geemangeeman Registered User regular
    In my experience, looking for work long-distance is the proverbial exercise in futility. If you're in some senior position in a niche field, it's possible but that doesn't seem to apply here.

    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.

  • MuridenMuriden Registered User regular
    If you are interested in the Midwest have you considered Omaha? I live here and found that while it's a decently small city it's not really lacking in things to do and the cost of living is one of the lowest in the country. We are also #9 on the national lowest unemployment rate list for metro areas.

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  • BuddiesBuddies Registered User regular
    Muriden wrote: »
    If you are interested in the Midwest have you considered Omaha? I live here and found that while it's a decently small city it's not really lacking in things to do and the cost of living is one of the lowest in the country. We are also #9 on the national lowest unemployment rate list for metro areas.

    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.

  • Dr. FrenchensteinDr. Frenchenstein Registered User regular
    Are you unable to get security clearance? or have you just not had the opportunity yet? that would make you considerably more desirable to an employer.

  • BuddiesBuddies Registered User regular
    I would pass the security clearance fine I think. But I don't have a job that requires me to have one, so I don't get to have one. The only people I know that have one either came from the military where they had one already, or their parents got them into a company that payed for it.

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