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3 questions to ask yourself before relocating to take that new job
If you ever feel that you are not advancing in your present job and do not feel that your current city presents the right opportunities, then you should seriously consider relocating. However, moving for a job is a big career decision where you must carefully weigh unknowns that all boil down to answering the question of, ‘is it worth it?’ Moving for a new job can be the jump start your career needs. Here are questions you need to ask yourself before you start this new job.
- Will this job make me happy?
A good new job should be an opportunity for growth that will outweigh all the pangs of relocation. If you are leaving friends and family behind to live in a place where you will have to start over, that could be a major constraint. It is also important to recognize that no job is perfect but a new job should fill you with more excitement than dread.
- What’s the financial cost of moving?
Before you accept a job offer to move, you should always ask to see if your company will cover your relocation expenses and you should aggressively negotiate for your salary to be above the median salary in that city for your job. Do your research online and find out what the salaries are for your specialty in the new place. A general rule of thumb is that you should earn 10% to 20% more than your current salary when changing jobs in the same city. You need to calculate what you will need to live comfortably in a new place.
- What’s the future of this company?
Although no job is certain, the best way to mitigate the risk of being laid off shortly after relocating to a new place is research. The more you know about the job, company, and the new city, the more educated your decision and the less stressful the choice will be. Ensure that you completely understand the job description; meet your prospective boss and several coworkers at least twice at their offices; tour the new workplace; and get a sense of the work environment and culture. It means talking with employees who have the jobs you would want to have and it means digging into why people have left the company. Once you have done your homework, you will have a clearer sense of the company’s future and whether you will fit in its vision one year to five years down the line.
