Tips for moving across the country to the Bay Area?

3 points by KnowledgeSponge 13 years ago | 1 comment

I'm a Chicagoan who's been looking to relocate to the Bay Area (not SF). Unfortunately, I see a lot of companies posting "Local candidates only" positions.

I'd really appreciate any tips folks can offer on how to job hunt across states like that without getting immediately disregarded for being out of state.

Also, are there any good comprehensive guides on moving to the Bay Area that give overviews of the various areas, housing considerations, transport, etc.? I know this is all scattered out there in some form or another but I haven't found any good consolidated guides and was wondering if something like that exists.

Also, any general suggestions on making the shift would be appreciated. I'm looking for online marketing/digital media director-level roles FWIW if anyone is hiring ;)

And before anyone asks, the reason I am not looking at SF is because of the astronomical rents and my wife's and my desire to live in a quieter suburban neighborhood with nicer weather than SF typically offers.

NonEUCitizen 13 years ago |

"not SF" can be "Peninsula", "South Bay," or "East Bay." Look in craigslist jobs section for cities (and type of work available) in these areas.

I'd suggest an intermediate approach. Instead of worrying so much about [what looks like] a big step such as moving, plan to take a 1-2 week "interviewing vacation" in the Bay Area. Contact companies beforehand so your days here are scheduled with interviews.

Tell companies you talk to you'd relocate here if they offer you a job. Preferably, they'd pay for relocation, or if you really want to move here, you can pay for it yourself.

Once you have a job offer, then worry about the move.