Working in Human Resources I’ve seen the toll a decision like this can have on families. Couples can get divorced.  A great new job can become a layoff situation in a heartbeat. The culture and norms of the new geography may be hostile to you, your children or your spouse’s mindset.

A rich relocation package?

So if you are going to relocate to another state for a job, you’ll want to work with yourself and your family to minimize the financial toll and the emotional pains this might cause.

To that end I found a great website, called Relocation.com which had some great ways to avoid scams, plan your move and transition as smoothly as possible.

One article I liked in particular was one about saving money on your move.  One of the suggestions that really struck a chord with me was the idea of eliminating 10% of your stuff.  The logic here was that 10% of your crap, you could probably do without anyway and it will actually cost you an extra $300-500.    As someone who has relocated twice, I wish this site was available about 10 years ago.

You might also want to consider reading Next Stop, Reloville: Life Inside America’s New Rootless Professional Class, by author Peter T. Kilborn.

This book may give you pause before considering the big move, or at least make you think it through before calling the moving company.  One of my favorite quotes from this book was the following: “By buying houses similar to those they leave, Relos concoct illusions of stability that allay the trauma of moving.”

Next Stop, Reloville: Life Inside America’s New Rootless Professional Class

One last thing I want to say about relocation — watch out for employment “clawback” clauses that will seek for you to return relocation money.  I am familiar with a company (won’t say who) who offered thousands of relocation dollars to someone but the person had to pay back a pro-rated share if they left the new company within the first 13 months.  The person was not sure the company would be laying her off, so she quit, got another job in a different state, and the firm that offered her the relocation went after her for the money.   They subsequently did layoff that department, so in essence she made a good decision and was punished for it.  So watch what you are signing for when the recruiter is happily sending you all the on-boarding materials.

Are you making the assumption that since the economy is bad, it will be hard to find a position, or find a highly desirable position? Keep in mind that while unemployment is high, most people are working. One way of looking at employment is reversing the meaning of the statistics you hear in the news. If unemployment “soars” to 8%, then reversing that means 92% of the 140 million strong workforce in the US are employed just fine. That’s not as newsworthy, but it’s true.

And this workforce ages every year (tipping past 40 average age this year), and many (millions) of them will retire or downshift each year. That should open up some opportunity. Also keep in mind that the education you are acquiring in school is completely fresh, while those of us who have been in the workplace for 10 years plus, have a “shelf-life” to our education and degrees. Your newly minted skills and recent education is an advantage that employers will need.

I would also recommend taking the additional step of trying to identify job markets that may be traditionally overlooked (non-profits for example, or internship programs which a seasoned, laid-off person would not want). You can often find well-paid, meaningful work, and increase your probability of success because you are looking where others can’t or won’t look. Comments?