Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Woe is me (First world problems)

I am the guy that gave George the lead in Helena. I did as many of you described and in my mid 20's I packed up and moved 1,800 miles away from everything I ever knew and settled in Montana for an ok job. That was in 2006. Now many dead elk, deer, ducks, and roosters later, I have a very good gig working as a professional in local government (It's the State Capital so you Governement haters can GFY).

Helena has a lot of good paying jobs and for someone working in the IT field, there is a lot of opportunity both private and public sector. There really is no downside to living here if you are an outdoorsman, and the winters are a freaking cakewalk in Helena.

I for one am glad you could offer George a lead. I could only offer advice and my experience. I hope if it works out for him he enjoys his new life as much as you seem to have taken to yours.

Geno

Steelhead,
12.5mm osteochondral lesion on talur dome killed that one, though I think of It as The Lord looking out for me.


So, what dollar figure is appropriate for "pack up and drive"?
10k?
15k?

Any advice from those that have been-there-done-that?

Not a thing wrong with having a job to move too.

If you play it safe and not go for broke.

You need enough to get wherever it is, have enough to live a month, enough to get back to your old job base and live a month reestablishing if it doesn't work out.

So depends on where, alaska would obviously take more.

Even if you were offered a job you need to have the same in case it doesn't work out from their view point or yours. Which does happen.

Also depends on what you have now. A truck and travel trailer can keep your expenses low for an interim.

Kent

Hurry the $#@! up!

Its your life do what you want. Having a bunch of dudes on the internet decide your fate isnt going to work.

In this economy it'll be hard to get a tech job out of state, when there's a bunch of locals also looking for work.

But if you need 10-15k to pack up and move, it proves your not the type of guy to wing it.

The one thing that George has done right thus far is to work his network so that you, RatFink, offered him a lead.

Believe me, otherwise, in today's market, he is going about it wrong to generate the kind of position he wants. I have been there and done that myself. I had to redirect my approach completely.

Now I realize that it is all about networking and personal references. Headhunters, job applications, working through the HR department, etc. is not the way �� unless you like pain with no results.

George, look at "Ask the Headhunter" website by Nick Corcodilos (www.asktheheadhunter.com), subscribe to his mailing list, maybe buy his books and by all means look at the back posts on his blog. He tells it like it really is. Nick spells out how you should conduct such a search �� and what is a waste of time.

I am just about to report the results of my own plan to relocate my family to the Western States, for much the same reasons as George �� but also because I have a young son who needs to prepare for college in the US.

As an international lawyer, that means a kind of "repotting," to use the B-school buzzword, but I have found a way to do that �� and it is something that I feel passionately about.

It also should make me an awfully nice income, I will work with a super high class outfit and great people and do some good for others. Did I mention that I can locate anywhere I want?

More later. George, if you need more tips, PM me.

Just to comment on that particular wrinkle of job interviews, it is very common for HR types and managers who do not know any better to throw in "trick" questions to catch you off guard and see how you respond.

You'd simply better prepare your mindset for this and be ready to answer with either a joke, a challenge or best of all, a reply that shows how dedicated and excited about the job. Yes, I know the last seems dopey, but it works.

There are actually books on how to do this and what to answer. Most HR people don't seem to know that. Check Amazon.com. One is DeLuca and DeLuca, Perfect Phrases for Negotiating Salary & Job Offers. Also get books by Roger Dawson and Michael Zwell.

If you are serious about getting a new job, it is worth the effort to learn how to do this properly, especially since the great jobs are very desirable and most employers know that. Most of us are not naturally good at it, so it needs practice.

Interestingly, I've read that tests show that the very best job applicants are actors who fake their credentials and are almost always hired. This shows that it is personal style and not job skills that count in interviews. You have be ready to charm, not come across as a sad sack who can do the work but is no fun to be around.

The best story I heard was from a guy who became my boss at one company. The CEO required everyone be interviewed by a psychologist. The latter threw at him "How's your sex life?" My boss smiled and bounced back with "Compared to whose?" He got the job.

Another approach, and one that had outstanding results for me on the move I'm about to announce soon, is to tell interesting stories to make a point. I read that Warren Buffett was challenged by someone to get to the point and he replied, I have to tell it this way, that's the way my mind works. That way he controlled the conversation.