Most people dream of climbing the corporate ladder and landing a cushy job somewhere at the top of a company’s hierarchy. They’d do almost anything to take their career growth to the next level. However, sometimes your next big career growth opportunity isn’t down the street. It could be several cities away, requiring that you move cross-country.
Moving is stressful, and having a deadline by which to move makes it even worse. In order to successfully pull off a move for a new job, you need to prepare. After all, you want to be mentally and physically ready for your first day of work! Here are four tips to ensure a seamless move.
1. Prepare financially.
Relocating can be costly. Besides paying the transport costs, you might need to make a few trips to the area to hunt for a place to live. If you don’t find a house or apartment by the time that you move, you need to find temporary accommodations. You might also need to pay for a place to store your things before you move in. Additionally, you’ll need to have enough money to cover your expenses until you earn your first paycheck.
Some employers cover these costs for their employees, but if your employer doesn’t, you’re better off saving until you can afford them. If you don’t have enough money in savings, find ways to earn the money that you need. For instance, you can turn your home into a rental property. If you do, contact a property management company since you won’t have time to manage the property yourself.
2. Talk to your family and friends.
When you move, you leave the people you’re familiar with behind. If you are single and with no kids, you probably are leaving your parents and siblings behind. You will still need to inform them and say goodbye. However, if you are married and there are kids involved, you must sit down and talk through the move. Your partner in particular would have to wait a little while before finding another job in case he or she moves across the country with you. Your kids will have to start over making new friends and getting used to a new school. You need to talk about the losses and the setbacks as well as the opportunities available for them in the new location.
3. Familiarize yourself with all the essentials
Having landed the job months ago, the last thing you want to do is be late for your first day at work. It would be best to familiarize yourself with the best driving route to get to work in time. If you would be relying on public transportation, find out the quickest way to commute to work. It is also good to scout for the best neighborhood in terms of costs and amenities such as good schools and hospitals. If you have a medical condition that requires you to keep up with a doctor, ensure that you research the best doctors in your new location.
Additionally, you wouldn’t want to get stranded looking for the grocery store, market, or other essentials such as the dry cleaner and the like. Take your time to figure out and locate all the essentials that you might need in your new location.
4. Take care of things in your current home
With all the chaos that comes with relocating to a new area, it is easy to forget to take care of important details at home. You need to take a few weeks before your move to notify the necessary persons of your move. For instance, you need to change your address at the post office, your bank and insurance company, and the like. Besides, you need to terminate your subscriptions with vendors that you no longer need. With money probably being so tight, you can’t afford to pay for gas, internet, and electricity when you no longer need it. Make a point of notifying the suppliers of the date that would not need the services.
While doing that, it is good to take the time to subscribe to these things in your new home.
Moving jobs can be scary. Moreover, it gets worse if you have to uproot your whole life and move to a new geographical location. However, odds are that you would be risking your career growth by sticking to a company with limited career growth opportunities. It is good to take your chances and chase your dream no matter where it takes you. Just be sure to put in mind the above tips when making the move.
Featured Image by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
