relocating w/ significant other - job market question/discussion

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eyang22286

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hey guys, first off sorry i know the significant other discussions have been beaten to death, but hey at least they're usually interesting to read!

okay so after doing some searches i think my question is takes a different spin on things. me and my gf have been discussing our plans if i get into medical school (i'm from CA, and not looking so hot w/ CA schools... got no love for us, bah). as of right now the chances of me getting accepted are probably on the east coast (NY or DC), but anyways this question pertains to your SO finding a job when relocating with you.

practically speaking, if you get into an MD Program, the other should uproot and move out (if relocation was already agreed upon). impractically speaking, your SO does have to find a job in the region, and also in this current economy. with that said, she's thinking of moving w/ me right now, but also that it will be difficult to find a job. her major is econ/management and she's had several internships and etc, so i believe she's a relatively competitive candidate.

however, is there any way to search for companies and jobs in the area you're moving to? this can work, but it is going to be tremendously easier if there's that security of a job. for those that had gone through a similar process, how have your SO searched for jobs in a place you've never really been to? what are some of the strategies/tactics you've employed? share the knowledge! thanks ahead of time

*update*
thanks guys! lots of good resources and info in this thread. so here's actually another question that might also address some issues of other people... (see post 14 below). basically, how would you professionally address to companies in cover letters (or should you even..) that you would be interested in more than one location given the variable nature of med school acceptances.

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I don't know but I'd definitely be interested in hearing the answer.

(Sorry, this was in the vein of a 'bump')
 
It is a tough situation, I don't have the answer either.

My significant other is moving with me. With are both graduating this year and she is going wherever I go. However, she isn't very sure about what she wants to do for her future, so it is much easier for her to just go wherever I go (She works as a nanny during school and will probably do that for a bit wherever I go. People are always looking for nannies and she has years of experience with children). In terms of the future, and a more structured job...we haven't thought that far ahead :eek:
 
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It is a tough situation, I don't have the answer either.

My significant other is moving with me. With are both graduating this year and she is going wherever I go. However, she isn't very sure about what she wants to do for her future, so it is much easier for her to just go wherever I go (She works as a nanny during school and will probably do that for a bit wherever I go. People are always looking for nannies and she has years of experience with children). In terms of the future, and a more structured job...we haven't thought that far ahead :eek:

ah ic ic, yeah the other problem, and i guess it's also another plus in our situation, is that she doesn't exaclty know what she wants to do. the whole econ/management/business field has so much going on (frankly i'm quite ignorant about a lot of that stuff too), so it's pretty much what she can get. im' just scared of how bad the job market actually is right now.
 
I'm from California as well. If I don't get into a state school (crossing my fingers), there is a possibility I need to move (North Carolina, if I get in..). My boyfriend has agreed to move..but with the current economy it is a difficult decision to make. We've been out of college for two years and he has a stable job in accounting. He makes decent money with room for advancement and I feel guilty if he may have to give it up if we move. We've never live out of state and finding a job from so far away is difficult. He'll probably try to network with some coworkers. If he can't find anything, he may just have to stay here for a few months until the economy gets better and something opens up out of state. But, at this point it's all up in the air...

Good luck!
 
it takes a lot of long distance grunt work, but it's not impossible to have some things lined up for your arrival.

approach it practically: you/your SO know the industry/location, so start researching companies. ask friends/family about some good companies to work for in the area, and find out if companies that you already are interested in have offices in NY/DC. if you're desperate for ideas, craigslist and careerbuilder are not bad for figuring out what companies are hiring in the area. luckily you're considering some major cities, so there's a lot of potential (although the times are bad).

then when you have a good list of companies, start contacting HR/hiring department to find out about current openings and submit your resume. try to schedule an informational interview (if they don't have official openings) and hopefully do a phone interview if they are hiring. somewhere along the way, tell them why you are relocating and emphasize your interest in the job/company. then follow up and follow up again.

the (realistic) best-case scenarios are:
1. you get hooked up with a job through a connection you have
2. you get scheduled for a/some job interview(s)
3. you get scheduled for a/some internship interview(s)

you can't really expect to get any better than that without showing up in-person for an interview, so your SO might consider lining up several interviews within a one-week span and traveling out to do them all in one trip.
 
it takes a lot of long distance grunt work, but it's not impossible to have some things lined up for your arrival.

approach it practically: you/your SO know the industry/location, so start researching companies. ask friends/family about some good companies to work for in the area, and find out if companies that you already are interested in have offices in NY/DC. if you're desperate for ideas, craigslist and careerbuilder are not bad for figuring out what companies are hiring in the area. luckily you're considering some major cities, so there's a lot of potential (although the times are bad).

then when you have a good list of companies, start contacting HR/hiring department to find out about current openings and submit your resume. try to schedule an informational interview (if they don't have official openings) and hopefully do a phone interview if they are hiring. somewhere along the way, tell them why you are relocating and emphasize your interest in the job/company. then follow up and follow up again.

the (realistic) best-case scenarios are:
1. you get hooked up with a job through a connection you have
2. you get scheduled for a/some job interview(s)
3. you get scheduled for a/some internship interview(s)

you can't really expect to get any better than that without showing up in-person for an interview, so your SO might consider lining up several interviews within a one-week span and traveling out to do them all in one trip.

ah ic ic, guess it's going to take a good amount of searching. seems like you've had some experience with this?
 
My husband is relocating with my from VA to PA this summer so I can go to school. He's a teacher and already has some interviews lined up.

With the economy it's hard to find a job for anyone, let alone people with little experience. I think your SO will have the best chance in finding a job once you all get to your new city. Obviously your SO should start looking now, but a lot of employers won't take you as serious if you're in another state. I would definitely recommend that your SO put something in the cover letter that says I will be relocating to the area on X date.

Try to make as many connections in the new area as you all can. Networking is key. Check out www.indeed.com if you haven't already. It searches all of the job sites, newspapers, etc at once for you.
 
1. Networking. Easily the best way to find a job. Also use craiglist to find jobs.
2. Don't wait until you move to apply. Why risk it when you can put your resume/cover letter out there for different jobs? It can't hurt. Just see if anyone bites. And use craigslist.
3. CRAIGSLIST! From personal experience, monster.com, careerbuilder.com and all those other sites are crap. I seriously can't describe to you how much I love this site.
 
My husband is relocating with my from VA to PA this summer so I can go to school. He's a teacher and already has some interviews lined up.

With the economy it's hard to find a job for anyone, let alone people with little experience. I think your SO will have the best chance in finding a job once you all get to your new city. Obviously your SO should start looking now, but a lot of employers won't take you as serious if you're in another state. I would definitely recommend that your SO put something in the cover letter that says I will be relocating to the area on X date.

Try to make as many connections in the new area as you all can. Networking is key. Check out www.indeed.com if you haven't already. It searches all of the job sites, newspapers, etc at once for you.

thanks so much for that link! my husband will have to relocate with me if i get in and he is a pharmacy tech. that sight popped up with tons of results!
 
It depends a lot on your SOs field and what city you're moving to. We moved from a large CA population center to a much less populated east coast area. My wife was able to work for the same CA company from home, but we figured that'd be short term while we got settled. Well, turns out the job market here is pretty terrible if you're not a nurse, doctor, lawyer, or teacher.

Most importantly, understand the sacrifice the moving partner has made for you to further your career. Medical school might be hard, but uprooting your life and job to support another is equally as difficult.
 
it seems likes it *could* work. Have you/Has she tried networking with alum from your ugrad institution?
 
it seems likes it *could* work. Have you/Has she tried networking with alum from your ugrad institution?

yeah that's the problem w/ going to UCSD... not very good networking for business/econ
 
thanks for all the responses guys, it's really been helpful. so she's looking into a few pretty cool companies in the areas.

however, the next problem is... how would she address different locations.... let's just say w/ the possibility of NY or DC for me (knock on wood, theoretically), how would she phrase location preference for companies w/ offices at both locations? since she needs to start applying for them asap, but i'll be in the lingo for a few weeks before hearing back from schools.
 
He really shouldn't start applying until you know for sure where you are going to end up. Otherwise he could end up burning some important bridges.

The one piece of advice I will give from when my wife and I did this is once you know were you are going figure out your address. Even if it isn't exact, pick an apartment complex and have him list that address on his Resume. My wife applied to TONS of jobs with our California address and never heard anything back. As soon as we knew our new address (About 1.5 months before moving) we put that on her resume and she got tons of interviews. They call to schedule and you say, "Of course I can be there!" You end up making some quick flight arrangements but at least you don't get ignored because you are out of state.

Good luck!
 
He really shouldn't start applying until you know for sure where you are going to end up. Otherwise he could end up burning some important bridges.

The one piece of advice I will give from when my wife and I did this is once you know were you are going figure out your address. Even if it isn't exact, pick an apartment complex and have him list that address on his Resume. My wife applied to TONS of jobs with our California address and never heard anything back. As soon as we knew our new address (About 1.5 months before moving) we put that on her resume and she got tons of interviews. They call to schedule and you say, "Of course I can be there!" You end up making some quick flight arrangements but at least you don't get ignored because you are out of state.

Good luck!

Helpful advice! Thank you...
 
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