Ideally, when you move to a new city you would have a new job lined up and you’d have an apartment all lined up too. But life is rarely perfect. It can be difficult to find a job in a new city when you’re not in that city yet.
Employers are often reluctant to hire someone who hasn’t made an official move to that city yet. And it’s difficult to be available for interviews when you don’t live in that city.
But not having a job in a new city doesn’t mean you can’t start over in a new city. You can start over in a new city with no job.
If you’re ready to start over after a divorce, after college, or just because you are ready for a new phase of your life here’s how you can do that without a job already lined up.
Table of Contents
Getting Started In a New City With No Job
Get A P.O. Box
When you’re applying for jobs or even for apartments in a new city it helps to have a local address. A post office box will give you a local address where you can receive mail. You can use that address on your resume or on job applications and also for any apartments that you are applying for.
Having a postal box will show that you are committed to the move and plan on staying in that city, which is important to potential employers. Some employers will not even consider hiring people who don’t have a local address.
Do Some Research
What’s the job market like in the city where you want to start over? Do some online research to see what the major industries in the city are and what companies are hiring.
If you have a good idea of what the job market is going to be like in that city you can create a job-hunting strategy. It’s a good idea to pick a few companies that you’d like to work for and do some research on those companies.
Tailor your resume so you can highlight the skills and experience you have that relate to that company or that industry. Instead of spending time applying to as many companies as you can and hoping that something sticks focus your efforts on doing what it takes to get hired by the company you really want to work for.
Network
When you’re moving to a new city and you don’t have a job yet that’s the perfect time to lean into your network. Use your social media contacts, any alumni networks from college, fraternity or sorority connections, and even friends and family members to help you find a good job.
Let them know you’re looking for a job in that particular city and send them copies of your resume. You never know when a connection could pay off and get you an interview or get you in the door at a company where you really want to work.
Look For Part-Time Jobs
While you look for that perfect career job you should look for some local part-time jobs to get some money coming in right away. While getting that great career job is still your ultimate goal while you’re searching there’s still rent and bills to pay.
Look for some part-time jobs that will help you cover your expenses and pay the rent so that you can get established in your new city while you’re searching for a better full-time job.
Service jobs are plentiful in every city.
You can find work at a coffee shop, bar, restaurant, or any stores that are near your new apartment.
Another good option for part-time work is working as a senior caregiver or working in a nursing home or hospital. Health care related businesses always need workers and because they need help around the clock it’s easy to find shifts that won’t interfere with your full-time job search.
For example, if you want to leave your days free so that you go on interviews and make calls to companies that you’re interested in working for you could pick up an overnight job in a hospital or nursing home so that you can be earning money but also giving yourself the time to search for the career job you really want.
Try Freelancing Or Contract Work
Another option you can try when you need to start working but you’re in a new city and you’re still looking for a great job is freelance or contract work. These days a lot of companies are hiring freelancers and contractors for every type of job.
You can find freelance and contract work doing administrative work, customer service work, graphic design, or technical work.
The most important thing to know about freelancing or contract work is where to find jobs. There are hundreds of remote freelance and contract jobs posted on LinkedIn and other major job sites like Upwork
so you can start your search there.
Post your resume, decide how much you are going to charge, and you can start working almost immediately.
Just like a part-time job freelance and contract jobs will give you the flexibility you need to continue searching for your dream job while at the same time giving you some income. And there’s always the chance that one of your contract jobs could turn into a permanent remote job.
Start Your Own Service Business
If there aren’t a lot of places near your new apartment that are hiring and you are worried about making ends meet while you continue to look for a great full-time job you can always start your own service business. Some easy ways to make money right away include things like:
- Pet Sitting
- Walking Dogs
- Delivering Food or Groceries
- Tutoring
- Cleaning
- Baking or Cooking Meals
There’s probably a market for just about any type of skill that you have.
Go To School
You also could go back to school to further your education or train for a new career. With the money that you get from student loans, scholarships, or grants you could live comfortably while you go to school and prepare for a new career.
Starting over in a new city may mean starting over in a new career as well. Going back to school can help you completely restart your life.
Final Thoughts
In this article, I talked a lot about how to get your career up and going in a new city. And while having a good job that you enjoy is important, life is much more than just your job.
If you need some tips on finding new friends in a new city, we have you covered there too!
