Finding a job in a new state?

Gabe7055

Ok so here is a new one. We all know how hard it can be to find a new job in our current city but just how does someone find a job in a new state? I am currently looking to move to Nashville or Minneapolis (I know talk about your extremes) anyway I know that applying to jobs at places like career builder and dice hardly result in a actual job so how does one actually go about landing a job out of state?

I want to be smart about this and not just up and leave, if possible I would like to have a job going into to a new place. The one thing I have done is I have the major newspapers from both cities mailed to my house so I have access to the want ads and the apartment sections.


Thanks in a advance for any help you can provide.

Ahriakin

I did this about 6 months back and it's not easy. Companies tend to leave IT staffing to the last minute and then want the candidate ASAP, so in a lot of cases they will not even entertain applications from out of state (whether they say so in the ad. or not). The exceptions are of course down to supply/demand, the more critical the position the less the convenience of a local candidate will influence it. For my own part out of about 20 applications I got one interview in the area I was moving to, moved anyway upon hearing I missed out by a hairs breath and took short term contract work until I got a full time position. It was a chance but I got a vast amount more interest once I was actually a resident here, I was actually turning down interviews for jobs from which I wouldn't even get a reply email when I was out of state.

Also If you have a relationship with any professional recruiters in your area let them know you are moving and they can likely point some work your way when you get there. it might even be worth cold-calling/mailing any of the countrywide ones that have offices in both areas to drop in, create a profile and get the 'not-a-psycho' nod of approval on your file with them before you move, save some time.