STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Karina · Chanel

I want to move..

Karina · Chanel

also, i'm in corp. retail purchasing by the way, if anyone has any connections.. thanks :)

Aurora · Marc Jacobs

Pm-ing mikacat would probably be your best bet as far as tips for finding a job in another state as she did it last fall and found a job pretty fast. I know her posts on tips for interviews and resumes around that time were excellent.

The only thing I would advise you to do if you haven't already (I'm sure you have though. You seem to be a smart cookie) is to make sure the cost of living won't be a huge difference from what you are use to and how the job situation is down there in case the job you start with isn't for you and you want a change. It would suck to get down there quit a job and be in a slow job market with a high cost of living.

Good luck and keep us posted. :)

Kel · Coach

I am not very familiar with moving long distance, but I know Macy's Florida is headquarters in located in FL. You could start looking for a job there.

mikacat · Coach

Hi Karina-
i contacted a recruiter and got help that way and started networking like crazy. I posted all the regular ways---Monster, hotjobs, etc. And contacted alums from school and professors. I started looking in October and started at Sears on Jan 8th. So the process was pretty fast, but I searched for a job at least 5 hours a day or more. I think they are sites out there just for retail jobs or CPG.

When I actually interviewed in Chicago, I looked around while I was here on my interview. Before we moved, I googled and looked at Real Estate a lot on line and places we would want to live once we moved here. We came up together once I got the job and DH stayed here for a week and looked for places for us to live. I worked for a month up here alone and then went back to NC and drove up with DH. Relocation packed and moved us but we had to sell a car and a house. Luckily it sold fast (within that month). It is a lot but doable. Do you have family in Miami?

I hope it all works out for you.

jacL · Coach

I really hope I am not stepping on toes, but from the sound of your post, it seems as if V is no longer in the picture--is he still there for the kids? If so, have you considered the impact it will have on their relationship with him? I am asking because as a child, my mother was once close to moving us away from our father (they were divorced) and I have always been very glad she decided not to.

Karina · Chanel

mikacat wrote:
Do you have family in Miami?

I hope it all works out for you.

i do have family and friends in miami ... so it wouldn't be too bad. thanks girl!

Karina · Chanel

jacL wrote:

I really hope I am not stepping on toes, but from the sound of your post, it seems as if V is no longer in the picture--is he still there for the kids? If so, have you considered the impact it will have on their relationship with him? I am asking because as a child, my mother was once close to moving us away from our father (they were divorced) and I have always been very glad she decided not to.

yes, we haven't been together for over 7 months, and he is and isn't there for the kids.. it's hard to explain without going into too much personal details, but i have discussed this move with him, and how we would work out time for the kids to be with him as well. i am still in the beginning stages of thinking about this, so of course, i have to analyze every aspect and how it would affect me and the kids.

Sunshinegirl · Kate Spade

I'm sorry and i do not need to butt in because i do not know what is going on with you personally, but i agree with JacL in that you should stay near their father.

I have these haunting memories of my husband curled up in a ball crying his eyes out every time he had to put his daughter back on the plane because his ex-wife didnt care enough to keep their daughter in the same state as he was.

It was gut-wrenching.

Karina · Chanel

Sunshinegirl wrote:

I'm sorry and i do not need to butt in because i do not know what is going on with you personally, but i agree with JacL in that you should stay near their father.

I have these haunting memories of my husband curled up in a ball crying his eyes out every time he had to put his daughter back on the plane because his ex-wife didnt care enough to keep their daughter in the same state as he was.

It was gut-wrenching.

i'm sorry to hear about your husband, and i don't know the circumstances of his divorce with his ex, but while i don't want the kids to be away from their father, at the same time, their father did not take into consideration what i had to go through to move our small children out of our house, get our own place to live and me continue on with life as a single mom as if nothing happened... but, of course, the children shouldn't suffer because their father and i couldn't work things out.

Maat · Kenneth Cole

Karina, I'm so sorry to hear about your break-up. I had no idea. I just moved out of state and wonder why I didn't do it sooner. NJ is so expensive and doesn't really have all that much to offer for the amount of money you pay. As far as jobs, the ideal situation is that you stay with your same company and transfer. This way they have to keep you at the same or higher pay. Of course, this is not always possible. I think you will do fine. It seems scary, but things like this always seem to fall into place.

Re: living near V for the kids. Miami is totally open for him to move there, too. You shouldn't have to make all the sacrifices. If you can have a better life there, go for it. It's hard enough making it in Bergen County even without children.

Hermes

I don't have any advice beyond what has been given, but I hope everything falls into place for you and that ultimately you and the kids are happy smile

Karina · Chanel

Maat wrote:

Karina, I'm so sorry to hear about your break-up. I had no idea. I just moved out of state and wonder why I didn't do it sooner. NJ is so expensive and doesn't really have all that much to offer for the amount of money you pay. As far as jobs, the ideal situation is that you stay with your same company and transfer. This way they have to keep you at the same or higher pay. Of course, this is not always possible. I think you will do fine. It seems scary, but things like this always seem to fall into place.

Re: living near V for the kids. Miami is totally open for him to move there, too. You shouldn't have to make all the sacrifices. If you can have a better life there, go for it. It's hard enough making it in Bergen County even without children.

I totally agree -- Bergen County is sooooo expensive. I am barely making it on my salary right now. If I made what I make now in Miami, I could have SUCH a better life for the kids... and of course, the nicer weather helps too :)

He is open to move to Miami in 2 years, so it wouldn't be THAT bad. How is Ohio going?

Karina · Chanel

D wrote:

I don't have any advice beyond what has been given, but I hope everything falls into place for you and that ultimately you and the kids are happy

xoxox thanks hon

shopgirl82 · Chanel

i moved from philly to chicago and i set up a long weekend with about 5 interviews. i was offered five jobs that weekend (but that's the nature of my industry). the initial plan was to find a place after i moved, but i ended up moving in with the bf. i did a lot of house research from philly after walking around the areas that i was interested in. i think it's best to actually go to the areas that you're interested in while they may look good on paper (close to the water, close to public transportation), they may not be for you. just to throw an example out there for you, i've seen a lot of friends move to the mostly gay area in chicago without even realizing that that's what the area is known for. an honest mistake, but ultimatley it wasn't the best area for them.

i also budgeted a lot before moving. i set a map of what i could realistically afford (including all utilities), and what i thought was totally different than what others who lived there told me. i totally under budgeted.

so i guess my advice would be to research companies you would actually want to work for, and then try to set up as many interviews during a visit as you can. then i would walk around different areas to get a good idea of which is the best fit. finally i would talk to as many people that you feel comfortable with about budget because they may be able to help you realistically set a budget. if you will need child care, you might want to set that up before you move or the kids move.

best of luck, i hope that everything works out the best for you and the kids, and remember that it's YOUR life. you need to do what you can be happy with.

-- Edited by shopgirl82 at 12:20, 2007-04-13

jj · Kate Spade

I think Shopgirl's suggestions are fantastic. I recently moved across country to be closer to my family, and so far, so good.

Because we have family here, we were able to visit several times. During each trip, we met with a realtor to look at neighborhoods and homes. We networked like crazy!! We talked to our parents' friends, friends of friends, anybody really. I contacted a lot of people blindly too, and I was always surprised at how quickly they responded and how open they were to meeting with me. So definitely do not rule that out. Networking and informational interviews are also great ways to polish your interviewing skills.

Is there any kind of networking group or trade association for your industry/job? I joined one here (for public relations) and it has a listserv for jobs that might not be advertised elsewhere and monthly networking events. I found tons of job leads that way and made a bunch of friends too.

I hope this helps - it may take time, but you cn absolutely do it!!