So I'm looking to move out of state next year. Would you recommend finding a job before moving or leaving a current job with no job lined up? Will most places know better than to contact my current employer on a resume or will they do so anyway and get me fired? I asked my mother and she said they skipped the guy who said not to contact his current employer as it was a red flag.
Erm, I guess it depends. Without knowing the circumstances, I would recommend finding a new job beforehand. But that's because I like stability and don't like to take big risks. Then it's also a matter of being able to afford being out of a job for a while. If you're not, you should probably have something new lined up... As for the contacting your current employer. I wouldn't tell them to not contact them. If I were to interview someone for a job, that would make me suspicious... And also, don't you have to give your employer a notice anyways. Isn't there like an amount of time the work contract is still in place after you quit? I guess this depends on where you're from, but where I live that's usually the case. So if your boss knows that your leaving, there shouldn't be an issue with future employers getting in touch with them?
In my experience (corporate America), a potential employer will be leery of contacting your current employer as that has the potential to open up a major can of legal worms. Meaning you might sue them if you lost your job because of their actions (or just claimed you did because of their actions). Some companies will ask if they can contact your current employer, but you can always say no. Others will make you an offer contingent on you passing their background and/or references check. Truly the biggest part of your chances is going to be based on how well you do on the interview. In terms of the 'just go and find a job after' optoin, how much money do you have saved up? Conventional wisdom in the circles I move in is that it can take up to 6 mos to find a job (or longer depending on how the economy is doing). Can you live on savings that long? That said, it may also depend on the field you work in and where you are moving to. My 2c worth, Todd
Hi there! Usually, prospective employers won't call your current employer, or even your past employers out of the blue and ask for a reference but instead will wait until they receive reference from you, either with your application or after an interview (at least here in Canada, and I would imagine it would be similar in the US, given what AKTodd mentioned). You do have to prepare yourself for prospective employers asking for current references or asking for a reference from your last employer or previous supervisor though. Some can be specific with their requirements. That said, you usually have a choice as to whom you would like to provide as a reference. I think it would be a good idea to check out the labour market in the area that you want to move to, and what kind of employment opportunities are available, and get everything in place for your job search there. If you find a position, you would like to apply to, I'd say give it a try and see how it goes. You might also try wanting to connect with a couple of employers, and introduce yourself to them, and do a career research interview, which already would give you some contacts and possible referrals. If you end up relocating without having a job lined up, and if you start doing some of the leg work before you move, it might not take all that much time to find employment in the new area. As AkTodd asked, do you have savings that would allow you to live in the new area for a few months, or until you find sustainable employment? If you don't mind me asking, what are your reasons for wanting to relocate?
I want to move for personal reasons as well as for career reasons. I work in the IT industry and would like to move to the Dallas Fort Worth area. IT is a pretty hot industry in Texas. Not to mention Texas is a good place to live financially. I don't think it will be super hard to find a job with the two years of experience I already have. Oklahoma doesn't have very many high tech jobs, mainly low wage service jobs here. For the personal side of things, I don't feel very welcome where I'm at. I feel very rejected by family and I never feel like I'm at home here. I have lived In the same town for 20 years and it's easy for me to become depressed. I took a trip to Dallas early this year and I felt like it was someplace I belong so I'm now looking to relocate. I think it's something that will greatly improve my happiness and satisfaction with life. I will have over 10k saved up but I'd rather not depend on that to live on. I'd much rather find a job to support myself comfortably and only use the money saved for moving expenses and extreme emergencies.
Some good advice here, what the last two posts said is very good advice. I am in a position of hiring people. We don't do reference checks until the very end, and only to the person that we are going to offer the position to. We do not contact previous employers directly (unless they were listed as a reference). Like it was said there is to much of a legal issue with contact previous employers. On both ends - we just avoid it. ---------- Post added 16th Jul 2014 at 07:01 PM ---------- I Just saw that you do have a decent amount of money saved up. If you do decide to move with out a job, I would still recommend getting a part time job, even if its only 15 hours a week. The supplemental income will go a long way into making your savings last longer.
Hi there! You certainly have compelling personal and career reasons to relocate. I'm sorry to hear that you feel rejected by your family, and that you no longer feel you can stay. (*hug*) Given what you have mentioned, and that is if you decide to start applying to positions already, I would suggest that you mention your desire of wanting to work in the Dallas area as you feel that it would be a better fit, and it would allow you to contribute your skills/knowledge and experience better. If you have the time and the financial resources, and given the competitiveness in the IT field, I would suggest that you travel to Dallas for a couple of days, set up a few introduction meetings and try to connect with potential employers. Doing that, and if you decide to apply to a job with a company in which you have a contact, or you indicate on your application that you spoke with somebody beforehand about potential career paths and the IT field in general, your application has a much higher chance of being considered or reviewed and receiving an invitation to an interview. Having $10,000 of savings is good, but and as Jwis has mentioned, it might be good to be prepared to take a part-time job to start with or until you get back into your career field. It would be good if you are prepared to be looking for a job for a couple of months to several months. I hope it goes well for you and that you'll find something that you will like.
While you are looking at moving and job hunting, I'd suggest looking at the list maintained by Human Rights Campaign to see which gay friendly companies might have operations (and potential jobs) in the area you want to move to. This can range from nondiscrimination in hiring policies to providing benefits coverage for a same-sex partner or spouse and their children, and such. You should also check out the company reviews on glassdoor.com. While you want to keep in mind that more people are inclined to post complaints than praise, it's possible to spot trends that can give you a sense of whether or not the company seems to be having issues you should be concerned about. Finally, I'm not sure what you do, but if possible don't overlook the possibility of telecommuting. For some jobs, where you live and where your employer is located can be largely irrelevant. So you may have more options than just the DFW area, even if you are living there. Hope this helps, Todd
