Did you find a JOB before closing the distance?

[carbonell2910]

Hello !

I am planning to move to Atlanta. It is kind of difficult to me to find a job because I work with communications and i don't speak English perfectly yet.
I don't know if I would have to get a job in other field and make less money of what I make now until get a good job...

How did you move? Did you find the job before? Can you tell me your stories?

Need advice on how to do this.

[lyonsgirl]

While we haven't closed the distance, this is an issue for me & my SO. I will probably be the one who ends up moving to close the distance, and I have told him that I am not going to until I have a job. He agreed that would be the best choice. But, this is our choice. I recommend finding a job before you move so you're not completely relying on your partner. If you think finding a job in another field is your best option, then go for it.

I'm not sure if your English is a huge deal, unless you want to be a news anchor or something. That would definitely be something to look into with possible employers. So, I would suggest looking for a job, and hopefully talking to potential employers.

Best of luck to you!

[snow_girl]

I got a holiday work visa and had no job before I came to live with my SO, it took my 6 months to find a job but I had savings and he has a good job that could support us both while I was looking.

[mllebamako]

I had a job lined up before I left, but it was a job that I had had when I lived in my SO's country before.

I think the best thing to do is do a bunch of research: write down company names for places that you are interested working at and look up questions about your field of work in Atlanta specifically (the city-data website usually has good information about average cost of living and good forums where you can find out about your field of work in various cities). I feel like it may be easier to find a job once you are there, but try to do a lot of research beforehand. Then, like snow_girl did, make sure you save up 6 months in expenses so that you can take that time to really job search.

[Haley53]

I plan to e-mail places about work before I leave for my working holiday in Ireland, though seeing as my visa won't be stamped for sure for a year until I arrive at the border, I'm not sure how many places will be willing to take me on. Still, it will get my foot in the door if I end up contacting them after I've been approved into the country and check to see if the position is still available.

My opinion would be have savings, because it can take months to land a placement somewhere, and make sure to talk to your SO about what happens if you can't find work immediately. For example, I can stay with my SO and I won't effect anything until I start bringing in income, and his payment will resume, as it was, once I leave, as the payment he's receiving is based on the income that's being brought in (he's switching to a student payment, so he's essentially being paid to go back to school and further his education). I likely won't be bringing in enough that it will off-set his payments significantly, and therefore, it's doable, but we had to think about what happens if I don't get a job straight away and also what happens if someone's interested in speaking to me/interviewing with me before I even arrive here!

But I have always learned the early bird gets the worm. If I want to add a class, for example, I make sure to talk to the professor about it via e-mail beforehand. It's good to get your foot in the door. If you e-mail someone after researching their company and openly/honestly explain your situation but that you're interested in working for the company, you're going to make an impression. You're going to seem more serious than if you simply waltz in there the day after you receive approval to work (or the day after you move, since it's not international). Being in the same country will also help as well, as you'll be able to contact via phone without any real messy cost to think about.

So my advice would be to start looking before you move, but plan for what happens if you don't immediately find work.

[Zephii]

We didn't have jobs lined up.

When I moved to Canada we stayed with his parents until we found jobs. I had two jobs within two weeks I'm in unskilled labour though - so they were minimum wage jobs. Finding a job for Obi took longer - he ended up with seasonal work at first and then a job in his field like six months after we got home.

When we moved back here to Oz, again we had no jobs. We stayed with my family until we got jobs. It took me a month to find work (and I wasn't really putting much effort into it) again, unskilled. He arrived in Oz basically at Christmas time, so the job market was slow. No one really does much hiring in early December, then with the wedding and everything he didn't secure full time work until mid February.

I think the time of year you move and search for jobs really matters. Most jobs have a peak hiring season, and some jobs (like visual effects) tend to close for the holidays and aren't hiring new people. So researching your desired field is important.

[13000km]

I didn't have a job lined up, I had school lined up and ready when I moved, and had saved a lot of money a year before the move so that between his part time job and my savings we could live comfortable for a couple of months. My visa restricts my job options to on-campus jobs only, which made the job hunting hard and it took almost 9 months to secure a part time on campus job. I would suggest either start job hunting before the move, move and look for temporary/part time jobs while looking for your career job, or save enough money to where you know you'll be comfortable for a period of time to live off of while looking for a job.

[efish1042]

I may have a job lined up for me when I close the distance in a few weeks. My regional president for our corporation has proposed that I work on Saturdays and their office in Tampa. That would work great for me so I would be able to devote all my weekday time to school and Sundays to relax/catch up. I have enough scholarships and loans to cover school so this would just be supplemental income/spending money/personal expenses. Hopefully, the job comes through for me

[Sharon Q]

I dont have a job yet but I do have money saved up. It isnt a lot, enough to get me by until I find a job.

[iHeartt]

I actually have a job there, and I'm thankful/lucky that they will hold the position till I get there. When we decided that I would be the one moving, I first visited the places I wanted to work in person. Then I did my research on those companies, searched (this was the hardest part, waiting till a position came open) and applied for jobs. Many many emails and phone calls later, I lined up a couple interviews, went to the companies, met some people, toured the places, etc. Was offered a job, and now its mine.
I do also have some saved up so I can take a few weeks moving, getting things settled in place, etc. I'm a bit nervous, but thats to be expected!