6 Tips for Job Seekers Relocating to a New State

All types of detours the course of life doth hurl in our path! One of them is when, for reasons either personal or professional, we move to another part of the country, needing to find work. To make sure your employment status proceeds along with as few hitches as possible, I would like to offer up the following six tips for job seekers set on relocating to a different state:

1. Get a thorough understanding of relative cost-of-living and salaries. A marketing manager may make $12K more or less per year in your target state than where you currently work; the cost of rent, a meal, an electric bill… even a meal out… may also vary greatly. You will need this information in order to find appropriate jobs in the first place, as well as to properly negotiate salary and total compensation when the time comes.
2. When writing your cover letter, explain that you ARE moving to Rhode Island… not that you WOULD move there if offered the position. By making it clear that you’re going to The Ocean State independent of the job, it will seem to your target employer that there’s a greater chance you’ll actually accept an offer were it made. Employers often waste their time and resources interviewing candidates who say they will move, but then don’t.
3. If possible, operate out of an address in your target state (e.g., if your mom/uncle/friend lives there and you are assured you can receive mail there). Stick that address in the contact section of your resume and cover letter; employers and recruiting firms will respond more favorably to your application.
4. Understand your tax liability in the new state. If you live and work in New York City, you may pay taxes to Yonkers, but if you move four miles west to Hoboken, NJ, you may not (even though you will continue to work in New York*). These types of details can make a notable difference in your take-home.
5. Search by state. Job boards, LinkedIn and other online hot-spots offer simple filters so job seekers can search for and find jobs, contacts, target companies, chapters of professional groups, and so on, by state. This makes it easy to narrow your search.
6. Investigate a state’s culture, economy and needs. Maybe they have a greater need for a person of your profession or maybe they offer something that you never thought of making a living at before in your old environment, but now you have the opportunity to do so.

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* Note: This is just a hypothetical tax scenario. I am not an accountant, nor do I play one in my blog. Do not take this as tax advice—it is not that.