Moving to Virginia

I’ve got a job offer from Sprint and as per the recruiter the position involves working with Sprint on the Wimax project. My only concern is that I would have to move out of state. The position is based in Reston, VA and I am all the way here in Seattle, WA. It won’t be a full time job with benefits to start with but will eventually lead to full time based on the performance as per the recruiter. I wonder if any of you folks are from Virginia and have something to share about the state in terms of cost of living, apartment rental cost and such.

The thing that makes me ponder over this offer is that the hiring manager gave my headhunter an offer without even interviewing me, the only person who has interviewed me so far is the headhunter, I wonder should I look into it with suspicion, I have told headhunter that I would like to speak to hiring manager before making a decision to relocate.

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learningtofly22

Absolutely be suspicious.... would you hire someone based on the headhunter's word alone? Follow your gut, something doesn't seem right. Once you have that ironed out and have the job, then worry about looking into VA. I lived there for a few months while attending a data link school for the Navy, it was nice.

astorrs

learningtofly22 wrote:

Absolutely be suspicious....

+1

Demand to speak directly with the client, make sure its Sprint and not a 3rd party contractor as well. An interview is a two-way street its as much about whether you want it as it is they want you.

LarryDaMan

The NOVA (Northern Virginia) area is expensive as it is close to DC, however the jobs are plentiful for people with something to offer. Most people that I know have had good experiences looking for work in this area.

A degree and certifications are great to have and some jobs require them, but if you have a security clearance you will certainly be able to get your foot in the door somewhere.

Many times Employee A with no degree, no certs and a Top Secret clearance will get picked over Employee B who has a degree, certs, and no clearance... point being that you can train someone for cheaper than you would pay for the clearance process and investigations.

Mishra

Honestly I would just drop it right here more than likely. Even if this was real, if the hiring manager was desperate enough to hire anyone then it is probably going to be a bad thing.

Unless you are mistaking this for a contact job or you working for a contracting company.

snadam

learningtofly22 wrote:

Absolutely be suspicious.... would you hire someone based on the headhunter's word alone? Follow your gut, something doesn't seem right. Once you have that ironed out and have the job, then worry about looking into VA. I lived there for a few months while attending a data link school for the Navy, it was nice.

I have posted my CV about a week ago, and all I get is job 'opportunities' for places on the other side of the country. Uaually, you can see the "if you would like to be removed from this list click here", its a good indication its SPAM. BE WEARY!

singh8281

It's not a spam, I've been talking to real person at Tek Systems. I will call him shortly to have inetrview scheduled with the hiring manager.

I really appreciate you all chiming in.

snadam

singh8281 wrote:

It's not a spam, I've been talking to real person at Tek Systems. I will call him shortly to have inetrview scheduled with the hiring manager.

I really appreciate you all chiming in.

thats what I get for not reading the whole thing...

I still say my advice is valid for other people. good luck either way though.

famosbrown

I was in the same position before with a Headhunter. The Headhunter interviewed me with some initial questions from the employer and a day later, I was told what they wanted to offer. I then countered and said I wanted more since I'd be moving out of state. They then flew me in for a face to face interview/tour of the facility and gave me another interview. After returning from the trip, the offer went up but still wasn't what I wanted for taking a risk of moving out of state...the state was Arkansas and that was just too far away from what I know for the money they were offering. Needless to say, I didn't get the job.

But yeah, there was an initial offer based on my answers (phone interview) with the Headhunter. If they are serious, they should fly you in, show you the area, give you housing, recreation, and entertainment tips in the area, wine and dine, etc. They shouldn't expect you to just pack up and go without even meeting who you would be working for and with.

TechJunky

Be very aware! VA isn't cheap by any means. I know they pay around 110k for my exact position in my company in Virginia due to the cost of living etc. My company is based out of Rockville/Fairfax and things are very spendy.

nicklauscombs

I live in VA and no doubt about it Northern VA is expensive but opportunity is everywhere especially if you can get a security clearance, richmond and charlottesville both offer great opportunities and are probably less expensive to live in

singh8281

I'll be commuting to reston since thats where Sprint is based. On the appartment front I came to conclussion that woodbridge is cheap compare to other sorrouding areas and within commuting distance from Reston. I am going to go for a studio room to start with and see how things progress. The starting rate for my project is $24/hr and that without any benefits, It's not too bad for someone with only 6 months of real world experience in the field. Like folks mentioned here that having security clearance would bump up your chances of geting noticed by employers so that what i am geting into next.

cbigbrick

Northern VA is very expensive!!
Commuting sucks....Woodbridge to Reston is not going to be fun. Might want to MapQuest it and then add on 45 minutes for rush hour.
Sprint has been lossing their customer base on the DC area fort he last 3 years. HHMMMM (I'd check their stock reports too.)
A security clearence or higher clearences are the golden keys for this area.

Good Luck!!!

singh8281

Thanks cbigbrick about the glimpse on commuting. At this point I don't know how my working hours would look and if they are during rush hours then I would probably drop woodbridge from the list.

Any other sorrounding areas come to your mind that would fit the budget.

HeroPsycho

I just moved from the DC area a few years ago. if the job is in Reston, you don't want to be living in Woodbridge. You want to live someplace where you don't have to use 95/495, or it's a double whammy of 95/395/495 interchange congestion, plus congestion all the way up 495 inner loop. BAD JU JU!

Reston Parkway isn't too bad, and coming from the West from Dulles airport and getting off at Reston isn't too bad either. However, Reston itself is very expensive to live in, too.

Cost of living in DC is ridiculous. I pay 25% less for my current house than I did for a 2 bedroom apartment in Alexandria. Definitely factor that in to your decision.

I'm very familiar with the area, so you're welcome to PM me if you need any help picking a place to live or best commute path.

singh8281

Using appartment guide as my source I did search on appartments within 30 miles of reston and came up with few areas that have reasonable rent. They are Triangle, VA; Capital Heights, MD; Laurel, MD and Washington, DC.

Which one of those you think have less congested access to Reston?

win2k8

I am a former employee of Sprint Nextel, and i used to work in the NOC in Reston, VA. I too was hired on as a contractor without ever meeting my manager at Sprint. And they were telling me was going to be windows support helpdesk turned out to be completely different... cisco routers etc... So i would speak to the direct manager as well before accepting anything, because recuriters are just out for themselves they will tell u anything, just to get the$$$$. Another thing about Sprint Nextel... they dont hire many people full time atleast at the NOC, I knew somebody there who was working for them for 4 years, and they would just keep extetnding his contract before it expired. And just so you know you dont get any benefits like discount on sprint phones/wireless card if your a contractor. And they treat their contractors like their aliens or something, their always like 2nd priority over regular employees. Good luck.

Hope this helps,

win2k4

singh8281

win2k4 wrote:

I am a former employee of Sprint Nextel, and i used to work in the NOC in Reston, VA. I too was hired on as a contractor without ever meeting my manager at Sprint. And they were telling me was going to be windows support helpdesk turned out to be completely different... cisco routers etc... So i would speak to the direct manager as well before accepting anything, because recuriters are just out for themselves they will tell u anything, just to get the$$$$. Another thing about Sprint Nextel... they dont hire many people full time atleast at the NOC, I knew somebody there who was working for them for 4 years, and they would just keep extetnding his contract before it expired. And just so you know you dont get any benefits like discount on sprint phones/wireless card if your a contractor. And they treat their contractors like their aliens or something, their always like 2nd priority over regular employees. Good luck.

Hope this helps,

win2k4

Thanks for the insight win2k4, I'll definately get the things straight with the manager before packing my bags.

cbigbrick

singh8281 wrote:

Using appartment guide as my source I did search on appartments within 30 miles of reston and came up with few areas that have reasonable rent. They are Triangle, VA; Capital Heights, MD; Laurel, MD and Washington, DC.

Which one of those you think have less congested access to Reston?

DC to Reston is not a bad drive. Just hit the toll road. There are some great places to live in DC. LOTS of FREE stuff to do in DC too!! Take a look at Alexandria. Look for someone renting rooms like in town house or something. I know of a guy who is renting rooms in a townhouse in Fairfax for around 700/month plus utilities. The drive from Fairfax to reaston is 30 minutes. I know because I drive it.

If you had to pick between Woodbridge and Triangle, I would pick Woodbridge. Triangle is down 95 a little further. And as mention before avoid some of the major hoghways (95, 395 & 495 oh and 295)

If this is a part time job, you realize that you will get little or no benefits. Just pointing it out.

Hit craigslist.org and scope out some rentals in DC and ask questions!!!

Good luck!