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Ask HN: How can I relocate for a better job?

2 points by jasonneal ↗ HN
Hello HN,

I am a web developer from an area of the United States on the East Coast that is very limited as far as available web developer jobs. I am employed, and have been for the past 2 years. My pay is decent considering the low cost-of-living, but well below the national average for the work I do. I am an expert with PHP (OO), MySQL, jQuery, of course HTML & CSS. Also others, but I'm trying to keep this short.

I am a single guy in his mid-20's, and I would love to relocate almost anywhere in the United States for a PHP Developer position. I have found hundreds of jobs, but most of them say locals only and never reply. By the way, back in 2007 I did receive an offer of employment and fully paid relocation to Seattle, WA after an application I was working on for a local company was sold to a Seattle based company, but couldn't accept because I was married at the time and the wife didn't agree.

I'm okay with not receiving relocation benefits if I find the right job, but it would be nice to receive at least some sort of assistance in the moving process. Either way, I'm not really sure how to go about landing a job in a place I can't drive to.

- THE QUESTION -

Have you ever landed a job or even a face-to-face interview for an opportunity that required relocation? Do you have any tips on how I can do the same? Would it be unreasonable for me to negotiate the prospective employer to pay all or part of the price for a plane ticket for an interview? Lastly, I'm searching in various places including Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Boston, Richmond, do you know of other cities with plentiful jobs in web development that I should consider?

Thanks for any help, and I hope this post hasn't ended up being way too long for anyone to read.

[edit] Would anyone recommend moving before being offered a job? If I don't find something by early next year, I was thinking of just picking a city to move to without a job, and then trying to find one after moving, but most people tell me that it would be stupid to leave my current job without having something else lined up first. [/edit]

7 comments

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tocomment
You should be able to find companies that will relocate you. Look on the Joel on Software and 37 signals job boards perhaps. Perhaps focus on jobs in SF?
jasonneal
I haven't checked either of those, so I definitely will now, thanks. SF is on my short list. I really like the idea of going there, but a friend who has worked all over the west coast says I should try outside CA first, and go there if nothing else comes first. I hate just going off one person's opinion which is part of the reason I am asking these questions.
paulsingh
I grew up in the DC area and moved to SF for a couple of years when a company hired me out there. They ended up paying for the move, the airfare for the interview, etc.

My advice: don't worry about the move, worry about finding a company you love. They'll inevitably ask you about relocating during the screening/interview and you'll simply say "yes."

In my case, I was looking for an employer prior to moving (so they'd pay for my wife and I to move there).

jasonneal
Thanks for the advice. I think it makes sense, and I agree that I should focus on the job and not the move. I will add, I had a phone interview with a large website/company for finding used/new cars, and it sounded like the perfect opportunity (California), but in the phone interview I was told that they don't offer relocation because there are so many talented people in the area, they have no reason to pay to relocate someone there. This kind of rubbed me the wrong way, mainly because I am very passionate about my work, and I felt this position was perfect for me. I'm hoping this kind of attitude isn't the norm - I equate this to telling a current employee they are "replaceable."
paulsingh
Don't let these guys get to you. Focus on being the best candidate and they'll naturally want you to move (and you'll have the leverage to ask them to pay).

An alternative is that you pay for yourself to move out there prior to the job hunt. :)

michael_dorfman
I'm hoping this kind of attitude isn't the norm - I equate this to telling a current employee they are "replaceable."

Employees are replaceable; so are jobs. The important thing is to remember where you are in the process.

Take a look at what you wrote: it sounded like the perfect opportunity, I felt this position was perfect for me. Remember that they person on the other end of the phone is not interested in if the position is perfect for you-- he's interested in if you are perfect for the position.

If I were you, I'd make sure that I was sending out a vibe of "this is how I can solve your problems", not "what can you do for me?" If you can convince them you are the best guy for the job, getting the relocation paid won't be a problem-- trust me. I've hired employees from far-off countries, at great expense and hassle with visas, because I felt they were the right person to do the job.

jasonneal
Thanks for pointing that out. I don't want to come off as arrogant. Going forward I will be more constructive as far as explaining what I can do for the company and what problems I could solve, rather than just saying "I feel I'm a perfect fit" like I have been saying. I really appreciate the help.