How to Get a Job Before Moving

Moving to a new town often means finding gainful employment and making sure that it is waiting for you when you arrive. This can be a challenging process if the job market is suffering but there are things you can do to increase your chances of finding a job before you move. Employers may wish to interview you in person before they hire you but you can improve your opportunities by lining up numerous interviews before you plan a trip to your future town.

• 1

  Speak to the human resources department associated with your current employer. Companies often move employees between branches and if your current employer has a branch office in the city where you are moving, they may be willing to transfer your employment to that office. This ensures that your current benefits package is not disturbed due to a short unemployment. Additionally, this transition can reduce the time it would take you to find new employment elsewhere. If you find a position in the other office, the human resources department can guide you through the transfer process.

• 2

  Prepare an electronic resume as well as a physical one. Save this file in multiple document forms; popular formats many businesses use include Microsoft Word and even plain text in an e-mail, but a standard, cross-platform format is Adobe's Portable Document Format, or PDF. Whatever format you use, make sure that you can open the file and that it looks professional -- it must be spell-checked and grammar-checked.

• 3

  Check the Internet for employment opportunities in the city where you are moving. Focus on .us and .gov websites. These are often supported by the state employment agencies and are regularly updated. Provide your information to the websites as well as your resume. Perform regular searches of these websites as new jobs post every day. Change your employment objectives and run multiple searches for a range of employment criteria. Finding the ideal job may be difficult depending on the employment opportunities in the city where you are moving, so consider other options. These websites allow you to apply for numerous jobs online and provide your online resume.

• 4

  Search the Better Business Bureau from the region where you are moving and inquire about companies associated with your specialization. Check websites for each of these companies. They may not have posted their job opportunities with the city yet but their official websites often have up-to-date employment lists. Check these websites daily for new opportunities. Online applications should be available at most companies, along with an option to send them your electronic resume.

• 5

  Check local newspapers for the city where you intend to move. Many job opportunities are found in these and you can gain access to these through the internet. Call prospective employers and explain your situation. They may ask you to send your physical resume through the mail. These jobs may require a physical appearance to apply. If you do have to take a trip to your destination for application or interviewing, schedule numerous interviews for the time that you will be in town.