Looking Abroad...

Maybe you're not looking on another continent for a job, but you're looking some distance away that's not exactly an easy walk or drive.

So what does it feel like to do a remote interview for a position?

(I'm not talking just an average Zoom remote interview like you do locally.)

I've had a bit of experience with this myself and since this week we're talking about relocation, I thought it a good time to share it.

I landed an interview with a small tech company in Houston, TX about 15 months back. The research process I took for this particular interview is one that I've never done for another position as thoroughly.

Here's how I prepared.

1.) Glassdoor and other review sites - I read every review about this place I could find.

2.) LinkedIn - I was all over my interviewer's and the entire company's pages, finding their likes, their hobbies, what they care about. I also looked

3.) Google maps. I researched where the actual company was at in the Houston Metro Area and used this as the center point for my next step and to plot my potential commute.

4.) Zillow. Yep. The house hunting site. I was not about to go into an interview, land a job, and then not be able to find housing within a reasonable distance of my potential future workplace. This was also a great time to check out local governments, police departments, and school district websites to find out how that community stacks up.

5.) I dressed the part. It was a remote interview, but even then I went for actual dress pants rather than the button down shirt and whatever loungewear I had handy.

6.) I was 10 minutes early to the Zoom call with my notes in hand, penning a few last minute questions.

The interview unfortunately was unsuccessful for me, but it taught me a TON about preparing the other aspects of a potential move.

Step #4 was particularly important. Finding the neighborhood you may move to ahead of time is incredibly important when it comes to relocation. Not just for crime, not just for affordability, but for basically every reason you live the place you do now.

You need to be able to find a location to live in that ticks a lot of boxes for you and your family. So while sites like Zillow and municipal websites aren't necessarily job search sites, they can certainly be a valuable resource to make sure that if you do decide to relocate you're doing it to a place that fits both your new needs as a recently relocated employee and your family's needs to prosper.

🔥🔥🔥 ~RH 🔥🔥🔥

(This article originally premiered in Recruiting Hell: Overtime on 5/18/21. Subscribe here and catch Recruiting Hell on all of your favorite Podcast Platforms.)