Should You Relocate To Chase a Job Offer? Ten Questions to Answer Before You Make Your Decision
May 18th, 2012Maybe you decided to enter your career field because you enjoy the work you do. Or maybe you were attracted to the high compensation. Maybe you got your foot in the door through some serendipitous convergence of opportunity and timing. In any case, you’ve been living in the same place and immersed in the same career for several years. But now the winds of your career are starting to blow in a new direction, and you have two choices: follow your job to another state, or stay put and find a new gig.
If your employer is has decided to transfer your position to a new city, or if the active hub of your field is shifting from New York to Miami, or if you’ve simply been offered a new position with a new employer on the west coast even though you live in Maine, should you go? Ask yourself these ten questions. If you answer yes to more than five of them, get packing. If you answer no for more than five, reconsider.
Relocating to Chase a Job Offer: Considerations
- Are you driving your own destiny? If you’re excited about the idea, keep pondering and plotting. If you’re dragging your feet and feeling nothing but dread at the prospect, stop. Don’t let your boss make your important life decisions for you. Another opportunity will come along soon enough. Have faith.
- Have you talked about the move with your spouse or significant other and taken his or her input into account?
- Regardless of what he or she says, do you truly believe your spouse will be happy in the new location over the long term? Will she be able to find work? Will he be able to tolerate the weather?
- If your spouse is not planning to move with you, will you be okay on your own?
- You’ve factored in the compensation, but will your new salary be enough to cover intangible costs associated with moving and living expenses in your new city?
- What boost will this relocation provide for your overall career? Does the new position offer unique opportunities for learning and growth that you won’t be exposed to if you stay?
- Do you have a plan in place for your children? If they’ll be moving with you, staying with your spouse, transferring to a new school, or adjusting to a new lifestyle, make sure they have the resources they need to adapt.
- Have you explored the opportunity costs of both options– in other words, the opportunities that you might lose when you choose one option and turn your back on the other?
- Do you know exactly how long you’ll be expected to stay in the new location?
- Are you ready to roll the dice and accept that not every aspect of a dramatic life change will unfold exactly as you expect?
This simple test can help you decide if you’re ready to follow a job across the country. But weaving your career plans into your complex life decisions can be a serious challenge no matter how many simple tests you take. For more guidance with your specific career planning issues, contact the experts at CSS.
