How to get a job out of state! 5 Essential tips

Will you be moving to another state, county, province, or town soon? Not sure how to leave your old career behind and get a new out-of-state job that fits your needs? Read the article below for tips on how to research local job opportunities before you move, attend work shifts/interviews remotely, and work with your current company to set up a smooth transition.

This blog talks about how to unlock career opportunities as you plan your move out of state and covers the following topics:

• Looking for possibilities for taking your job with you to the new state

• Activate your professional network for your job search

• Creating an out-of-state job search strategy

1. Look for openings at your company’s local branch

If you’re currently working for a business with branches all across the country, your best bet might be to find a new job at your current company. Talk with your business’s HR department to see if the town you’re moving to has a company branch nearby; if so, ask if that branch has any job openings you could fill.

If there is a local branch and there are job openings you could fill, talk with your supervisor about the move you’re planning and your desire to keep working for your current company. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor, they might be willing to write a letter of recommendation, contact a colleague at the other branch, or find some other way to boost your chances of getting hired.

2. Ask to work for your current company remotely

If your current company doesn’t have a local branch in the state you’re moving to, you should still try to talk to your current supervisor about the move. The sooner you mention your plans, the more time your supervisor has to plan for your absence. Mentioning your move early also gives your supervisor time to consider whether they could (temporarily or permanently) keep you on as a remote worker.

Switching to a remote work schedule as you’re about to move has several perks. On the employee side, remote work keeps you from going through a period of unemployment once you reach your new city or town, freeing you to pursue local jobs at your leisure. For the employer, remote work lets them keep the services of a competent employee. Even if they’d prefer an in-person employee, your remote work would give them extra time to set up your replacement.

3. Make an out-of-state job search strategy

The moment you decide to move out of state, design a job search strategy where you’re searching for/applying to job openings in the area you’re moving to. The simplest way to find out-of-state jobs is to search on job board websites such as LinkedIn. 

If you want to be more precise with your research, you can try to tap into the hidden job market with these approaches

• Find and attend business conferences for your industry

• Sign up for job post email lists and other career-focused subscriptions

• Make a list of companies near your new place using sites like Google Maps

• Following local companies on their social media platforms

• Find or hire a recruiting agency that knows the local job market

4. Reach out to your professional network

As you search for out-of-state jobs, take some time to reach out to people in your professional network. Old supervisors, work colleagues, college alumni, or professionals you met at mixers are all contacts who might know about a local job opening that would fit your needs and background perfectly.

When you do reach out to people in your professional network for job opportunities, make sure you message them about more than just your needs. Follow your contacts on social media websites to see what they’re up to. Ask them questions about recent events in their life. Show your contacts that you genuinely care, and they’ll care more about your job search and upcoming move.

5. Ask if hiring managers can set up convenient job interviews

If the new business you’re applying to is close by or does interviews remotely, you probably shouldn’t worry about getting to the job interview on time. If the company you’re applying to doesn’t do remote interviews and can’t be reached with a short car drive, though, you should talk with recruiters in advance to make sure the job interview schedule is convenient for you and them.

First, contact the company’s HR department and see if they can make an exception to their “no remote interviews'' policy. If they can’t, ask if they’d be willing to pay the travel expenses you'll incur while traveling to the interview location (gas, hotel fees, and so on). Finally, make sure recruiters know you’ll be moving to their company’s location soon (via information in your resume, cover letter, emails, phone calls, etc), making you an accessible, reliable future employee.

Check out Career.io’s Job Tracker tool if you need help keeping track of your ongoing job applications!

Key takeaways

1. If you want to keep working at your old company after moving out of state, try switching to a remote work schedule or searching for job openings at local company branches.

2. If you want to work for a new company near where you’re moving to, start the job search process well before you make the move. 

3. Networking and attending business events are a great way to find your “dream” out-of-state job.