- Start early and be patient - The rule of thumb is that it takes a month of searching for each $10,000 you expect in salary. I thought I could get a job faster than that, but not really. If I weren't employed while looking, it would have been easy to panic. Whenever I look for a job in the future, I'll have to keep that guideline in mind and just be patient until I find the right position.
- Don't settle or give in - I knew the whole time that I didn't want to work for one of the major manufacturers here and despite all of the suggestions from people and offers from people I met, I refused to apply there. I could've gone that way and maybe found a job faster, but I stuck to what I knew I wanted and it worked out in me getting a position with a company that I'd rather work for.
- Keep options open - There was a company that I interviewed with and after the first interview I really didn't think I wanted to work there. But, I didn't rule them out and went back for a second interview. After the second interview I saw a lot of good things and felt that if my first choice didn't work out that I would like to work there. At the same time, though, I learned not to lead a company on if I'm not interested in working there. I kind of did that with one company to see if they'd give me an offer, even though I felt like I would have to decline it no matter what.
- Know what's important - I knew I didn't want a long commute, so I screened all positions and excluded ones in suburbs that I was unwilling to commute to. This was one major screening criteria, but I also had a pretty good idea of what kind of company culture and work environment I was looking for. It ended up that I found a company that I feel will be a very good fit on all criteria that I felt were important. This goes along with #1 and #2 above; once I knew what was important, I didn't panic and settle for less than what I wanted.
- Applying to individual companies is a good idea - I applied directly to some job postings, but the other prong of my attack was applying to individual companies. I bought a book that listed local companies, I did searches for local companies in the industries I was interested in, and I also used Google Maps to search for companies nearby. I found a lot of different companies and just had to slog through all of their websites to determine what they did and whether I thought they might have positions I would qualify for and whether the company itself would be a good fit. From there, I followed the process for applying to them, whether by uploading or emailing my resume. This is how I found the job that I ended up selecting.
- Job postings aren't as important as I'd hoped but they're not worthless - Once I got my resume and cover letter ready, I started looking at job postings on the major job sites. After a few weeks of applying and hearing nothing back, I began to feel like applying to individual job listings was worthless since I was competing against so many other people doing the same thing. I almost gave up on browsing job postings, but kept going to make sure I didn't miss out on anything. It took a while, but I finally got some responses from my applications, in fact two of the three companies I interviewed with I made contact with by applying to their job posting on one of those major career search websites.
- It takes time to learn to sift through job postings - The first few weeks of my job search, I tried to filter the available jobs with the highly inadequate searches on the major sites. Then I normally read most of the postings I found in my search, finding a very small percentage worth applying to. It was discouraging that it was taking so long for me to review all the job postings and then more discouraging that there were so few jobs that I could actually apply to. However, after a few weeks I got much better at identifying positions that I would possibly be suitable for before clicking on them and then in skimming the posting to quickly determine whether it was worth my time to investigate further.
- Don't stay somewhere out of fear I can't find something better - One of my first jobs was with a good company to work for. Everyone who I talked to there said it was a good company to work for. They paid well and had good benefits. I chose not to work there again. The next company I worked for had tons of perks - free tickets to sporting events (in a suite), travel, nice views from the office, good bonuses. But, I'm leaving that company. The company I'm going to seems like a much better culture fit, and it has been rated as one of the top companies to work for.
We moved to Seattle in February 2008 and shared blog posts and photos during our first few years in Seattle.
- Troy & Lesley H
Monday, July 21, 2008
Lessons I learned in my job search
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21 comments:
I feel like you should never quit one job until you have another one lined up. I believe employers do not like gaps in employment.
I don't think employers have a problem with gaps of employment if you have good reasons for it. Maybe they'd have issues if it was a rather long employment gap and you didn't have any good reasons.
I quit working for that financial planner in Fort Worth in March of 2007 and didn't get a new job until June. No one ever said anything about it or questioned why I was unemployed for 2 months.
YOU should be a headhunter.
Good article. Submit it to a magazine or newpaper and it could get published.
I'm serious, no BS.
yeah, for jobs/positions that require an education they tend to be more lenient from what I've seen.
These are good. Did you create these or is this something that you read elsewhere? - MOM
I wrote it myself based on my experience.
This has been published at QuintCareers.com, which is a great site for job-seekers, full career, job, and college guidance. Click below to read this article published there.
http://www.quintcareers.com/job-search_lessons.html
again thank you for the helpful tips. ive been wanting to move in seattle. I started looking for a job there two weeks ago.
-dianne
I'm going to bookmark this site. So helpful! I live in Florida, and when I get my degree and some cash saved up, I hope to move to Seattle myself. Thank you so much for posting your experiences in moving long distance!
I have been going through this myself...I really want to move to Seattle from Costa Rica. I have been applying to companies for a few weeks now...and I know it takes time but I just hope I'm not being excluded because how far away I am. It can be an issue for interviews. I don't think I can take off without securing a job. I'm giving myself until March 2013 to find something and make my move, your comment regarding the 10,000 per month is so interesting and fits perfectly with my expectations. Thanks for your blog, it has helped a lot!
Patience is a virtue! Don’t just settle for what is available, there are a lot of jobs out there where you can apply your skills. Take your time, and in time, opportunity will soon come a-knocking on your door.
-Sherlock Best
Thank you so much for posting this! I am looking to move in January without a job .. b/c I find so many jobs want an interview in person or I can't start immediately .. a little scared .. but your blog is helping me ease my worries :)
I love your site. It's so informative. I've been wanting to move to Seattle for a while. I'm almost finished with my degree and I had a question for you. Would anybody hire me if I sent a resume from a different state? I've heard employers first consider people that are in-state first. Thanks!
Well, our resumes were from another state and one of us was offered a job. It helped that we were persistent as I'm sure some employers would prefer to hire someone local, but applying for jobs from a distance doesn't appear to be insurmountable.
First off I love this site. My wife and I are currently trying to relocate to Seattle from Dallas and this site has been a big help whenever we need some further motivation when hope seems lost. My wife has been on the job search since October 2012 and still has not been able to land an interview. She has tried individual postings, recruiters, and applying to job postings. We are trying our best to be patient, but it is getting somewhat discouraging now. Would you say this is normal for trying to apply from Dallas as you have? any extra tips or suggestions you can give?
I think we started looking in August and Lesley landed her job in January. Some employers might want to interview you but won't want to pay to fly you in. So, you could plan a visit and send some letters to let people know that you'll be in town on a certain date range and see if that entices them to contact you. Good luck.
This blog has helped me beyond measure. I now feel like I have a base line of steps in planning my move to Seattle. Hopefully within the next year. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
are there any good construction or oil-field jobs in Seattle or its surroundings, like welding or fitting metal? I live in Corpus Christi and hate the Texas weather
Thank you this is extremely helpful. We're in the early stages of planning a move out west and I've already narrowed down some companies using this guide.
There aren't many oil jobs in Seattle, but there are quite a few construction jobs. Seattle has been building quite a few mid-sized apartment buildings over the last few years and recently construction has started back up for high-rise condos, apartments, and offices.
My son & I drove from Dallas TX to Spokane WA in 2010 with 3 cats & a Yorkie from Sept 16 - 22. What an experience! We're moving on to Renton in July for him to start college. This blog is so helpful - I just hate job hunting! Maybe because I'm so bad at it :). Anyway thanks for your work here and how generous you've been with good advice. I recommend this blog to everyone!
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