Argentina and Job Hunting Questions

Ok, couple questions:

Does anyone who's done the long-distance job search, have an idea of how much time should I budget to travel for job interviews? I'm going to try and complete the nearly impossible task of finding a job on the opposite coast.

Is it too late to think about going to Argentina this year? I'd like to have accomodations and transportation somewhat planned. I'd only be going for a week and in a timeframe like that I don't want to wing it.

I'd like to go, but I'm trying to budget my time. I need to have time available to fly out for interviews and possibly visit the areas (hopefully this could be done around a weekend). I also need to save some leave for at least a week of skiing in the winter. With the amount of time I currently have and will earn, I have enough to go to Argentina and come back with 2.5 days of leave left. By the time January rolls around I will have enough time to have done argentina and to go on a week long trip and have 4 days for interviews.

If they bring you out to the other coast they are serious about you; hence you probably won't get many trips. A friday per interview if you are willing to take a thursday night flight.

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Originally Posted by shmerham

Ok, couple questions:

Does anyone who's done the long-distance job search, have an idea of how much time should I budget to travel for job interviews? I'm going to try and complete the nearly impossible task of finding a job on the opposite coast.

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I just did this last year...didn't get one hit on the resume until I moved. Of course, it depends on your profession: my fiance is a nurse, she had two interviews lined up before we moved back.

If you can find a recruiter that will work with you long distance, that would probably help get you in the door.

I would recommend finding a friend in the Bay Area (it is SF, right?) and send out resumes with their address listed. Then, when the HR people actually start to ask about coming in for an interview you casually mention that you already have a place to live, but you won't be moving until X date. This is what my best friend did(graduated from school this year) and he got flown out AND offered the job he wanted in LA...

My older brother who did the coastal switch used a head hunter but he had two things that made his switch easy. Job experience and a tech/computer job that he was looking to get.

In the business I work in the people that have done the coastal switch usually approached it this way. If they didn't have a local address to use on the resume, lots of well written cover letters, addressed to people with job titles that don't have anything to do with HR and that say I'm going to be in town in another month and will be leaving. (about two weeks later) Followed every letter up with as many phone calls as it took to see if the person actually got the letter. Smooth talking secretaries went a long way and you could a least get an idea if the company had any plans for hiring. Executive secretaries always know when positions will open up because they usually have to send the postings to HR.