Should you relocate for work? The pros and cons.

Nearly three fourths of job seekers say they are willing to relocate for work, according to a recent study, and hiring managers find local candidates more attractive. Should your job search hit the road?

It might be time to put your hometown in the rearview and set out in search of more bountiful career prospects.  That sounds rather old-timey, but 72 percent of job seekers say they’re willing to relocate for work, according to Monster.com.

The Internet has made working remotely a possibility in many industries, but geography still matters – proximity can certainly play a deciding role in whether or not you land a job.  There is something to be said for face-to-face communication, after all, and wouldn’t you expect hiring managers to prefer applicants whom they’ve actually met in person and who don’t come with the added baggage of relocation costs?

Yes, the aversion many hiring managers have toward out-of-town applicants is fueled in part by cost consciousness, especially in an uncertain economy.  They can’t be sure a candidate will actually relocate when push comes to shove either, as research shows that moving can be a tough sell in certain industries and regions of the country due to local talent pool dynamics as well as the country’s complicated real estate situation.  As a result, many hiring managers will immediately dismiss a resume just because it bears an out-of-town address given the perceived cost, hassle and improbability of success.

So, if you’re serious about your willingness to relocate for work, you might want to get a move on.  And if you aren’t, you might want to think again.  Here are the basic pros and cons of proactively moving to find employment: 

Pros

• Increased Opportunity:  A 2013 CardHub report revealed wide disparities among the opportunities available to small business job seekers in the nation’s 30 largest metropolitan areas.  For instance, monthly salaries for new hires range from $1,890 in St. Louis to $3,665 in Washington, D.C.; average hours worked per week are anywhere from just over 33 in Sacramento and Las Vegas to almost 38 in Houston; and the number of small businesses per capita ranges from 14.9 per 1,000 people in Riverside to 30.3 in Miami.
   
   
• Exciting Experience:  Not everyone has the personality for it, but moving to a new city where you might not know too many people can be a fun and exciting experience.  Think of it as an adventure, and you might happen upon some treasure.

Cons

• It’s Scary:  What’s exciting for some is terrifying for others.  Some people simply don’t like all that goes into moving – finding a new apartment, hefting a bunch of stuff from place to place, settling into a new routine, meeting new people, etc.  If you’re one of them, you might want to take another crack at looking for a local job so you can at least give yourself some time to process the notion of relocation.
   
    
• It’s Expensive:  Whether you have to ship your belongings, hire movers, or rent a U-Haul truck, there are inevitably going to be costs associated with a major move.  The average cost of shipping household goods for a domestic move was $12,459 in 2012, according to the workforce mobility association, Worldwide ERC. One’s costs might also include new furnishings, gas or airfare for your travel, and any number of other charges big and small.
• A Job’s Not Guaranteed:  While moving to a new city may make it easier to land a job, considering the preference hiring managers have for local applicants, it could also leave you in limbo while you look.

Tips for Finding & Landing the Right Job in a New City

• Make a Plan:  Finding a job, not just moving for the sake of moving, is your end game here.  You should therefore do a bit of research into where the best opportunities in your chosen field can be found and set up some interviews before even taking a visit.  It’s helpful to focus on cities in which a close friend or relative lives, as this will enable you to crash at their place for a few days while you interview and check out places to live.  You can even use their address to make yourself appear to be a local candidate.  Hopefully, this will enable you to land a job before actually making a new city your permanent home.
   
   
• Customize Your Pitch:  When you send a resume and cover letter to an employer, what you’re really doing is pitching your abilities to them with the goal of attaining a job.  Unfortunately, many applicants shoot themselves in the foot by applying in bulk.  Think of a hiring manager as an audience for your pitch.  Since every hiring manager is different, your pitches must be different too.  You must explain – albeit briefly – why you are right for each position and why you want it.  If there are no good answers to these questions, then you have to ask yourself another:  Why are you even applying – just because it’s on a list on a website?
   
   
• Be Your Own Private Investigator:  Not only should you thoroughly vet a company before accepting a position there, but you should also vet yourself even earlier in the process.  More specifically, change the settings on all social media accounts so only your friends can see them and prepare thoughtful responses for any negative information that may turn up from a Web search of your name.

Odysseas Papadimitriou is the  founder and CEO of the credit card comparison website CardHub and the new personal finance social network WalletHub.