Applying for far-away jobs

[RoJoHen]

One of the things I am hoping to do within the next 8 months or so if move back to the Chicago suburbs. But when I get there, I'm going to need a job. Ideally, I want to get a job at a gym working as a personal trainer.

However, I've never really applied for a "real" job before. I've worked at grocery stores and restaurants, but I haven't done anything that would qualify as a career. And I certainly haven't applied for a job that was more than a 15 minute drive from my house.

So what do you suggest? Figure out when exactly I'm moving before I start looking for jobs? Or should I just start putting applications out there even though I'm not sure when I would be able to start working? What about interviews? In your experience, do many places do interviews over the phone if you live too far away?

I'm trying to be grown-up here, but I don't know what to do.

 

[Leroy]

Depending on how far away the job is I just apply for the job and then go to the interview if I get one. I've had places do phone interviews and face to face a lot of places do both. I've spent whole days just driving for an interview across the state. I would definitely get a job secured first and then move.

 

[Lindley]

It depends just how "real" the job is. I know my current job came as a result of

1) Submitting my resume at a college job fair,
2) Responding to an additional email questionaire,
3) Telephone interview
4) Fly-out on the company's dime for an in-person interview

I (and the others hired at the same time) were later told that each of those steps eliminated approximately half the remaining applicants.

Are you likely to go through all that for a job at a gym? I rather doubt it. But the point is, the company is likely to be willing to at least do the preliminaries over the phone.

 

[RoJoHen]

Well, I'm probably going to be moving regardless. If I'm really desperate, I can transfer to another TGIFridays while I search for a real job.

 

[JAG]

That is probably the best idea. This way, you have income until you can decide where you want to work.

 

[Finn]

I got my old job over a phone interview and several emails back and forth.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I lost my job in December, and there wasn't much available in my field in Indiana, so I ended up doing a lot of phone interviews--Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, etc.

I got this job (in New Jersey) after a recruiter saw my resume. She asked me some questions, then forwarded my resume on to the company. They interviewed me over the phone and had me do a programming test. They were impressed, so they had me fly out, for which I was reimbursed. A few days after I got back to Indiana, they made me offer, and now I'm here.

So, yeah, phone/email correspondence is very common these days. The workforce is mobile and companies know this.

 

[SmoothieX]

I would start by doing all your typical searches: company websites, monster.com type sites, recruiters in the area.

Explain when and why you are moving in your cover letter, and when you think your start date could be. If you are coming from out of town, you will often get an interview further in advance than a job across town because you will need time to find a place to live, make moving arragement, etc. A decent employer will understand this. Not sure what you do, but when I moved last year, various places suggested 3-4 months in advance for someone like me. (I'm a mid level civil engineer for what its worth)

When you start to hear back from firms about interviews, explain to them that you will be in town on a certain week, and would like to arrange all interviews then if possible.

Go on those interviews and hopefully get some interest. Do follow ups by phone if possible. If there's something different in your industry across state lines, check into it and see if you can address it in the interim. For example, I used the lead time to get licensed in this state and read up on the regs.

Good luck and go get 'em!