I want to move. Where in the world do I begin?

Have you thought of moving, but just aren’t sure where to begin? A number of the people I’ve met lately are thinking of just this idea. There are a few main reasons they want to relocate:

There aren’t many jobs in the city where they live
The economy is looking up and there are more opportunities to chase after
They’re looking for something different in terms of lifestyle.

Whatever your reason, moving can be equally intimidating. If you’ve moved before, chances are good that it was when you went away to college, or for your first job after college.

Back then, you’d move to any city. You didn’t have as many preferences yet. You moved to where the job was.

But now, you want to move somewhere warm — or somewhere closer to family — or to a bigger city — or to a small town. You probably have two or three cities picked out as targets.

But, you have no idea how to move to one of those cities. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Select your target cities. Do your homework here. Think about what’s important to you. Is it schools? Crime? A political party affiliation? List out what you want out of a new city, and find out which cities best fit your needs.
Visit the cities. Before selling your home and closing up shop, visit the cities you’re thinking of moving to. Scout out neighborhoods. Spend time there. Verity you really would like to consider moving there.
Get connected. Find ways to get involved in your new city, even though you don’t live there. This can be tough for a lot of people. In college, your activities and peers were nicely packaged inside one campus. As a professional, getting connected is a lot more work. Check out sites like Meetup.com and look for activities that interest you.
Start saving. Years ago, relocation was pretty standard — especially for corporate jobs. Heck, I even received relocation as an intern. But, in today’s market, many companies don’t budget for relocation. If you’re really set on moving, start putting together your own relocation fund. You may need it.
Leverage your existing contacts. If you already know people in your target city, take the time to connect with them. Find out if they’d be willing to help you.

And, if you don’t have many contacts, make new ones. A great place to start is with recruiters. If you’ve never worked with a recruiter or headhunter, you may not know where to begin.

Last week, I took a trip to Dallas, Texas to learn more about the hot job market there! On tomorrow’s Copeland Coaching Podcast, I interview Sarah Brown, a recruiter based out of Dallas. Sarah’s firm, PrideStaff Financial, specializes in accounting and finance opportunities in the Dallas area.

Sarah shares her tips on how to connect with recruiters. She also talks about transitioning from one career to another. And, she gives the scoop on why Dallas is a great city for you to consider!

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

Also, be sure to subscribe to my Copeland Coaching Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Happy hunting!