Local vs. National Job Search

As a candidate, should you only look for local opportunities, or should you conduct a national search? In most cases you already have an answer that’s driven by your individual situation. Perhaps you don’t want to pull the kids out of school and relocate your family to another city, or you don’t want to move away from friends and family. Maybe you don’t want to deal with the hassle and headache of moving. Or possibly you just really like it where you live right now.

But consider that most people will move several times in their lives, whether for work, school, or other life changes. So is it really such a bad thing to pick up and move for a new job? Unless you have deep roots in a community, I’d say you should at least consider it.

Perhaps you’re a bit too comfortable in your job and your current life, and that sense of comfort is keeping you from making the next move in your career. That move could bring a new job with more responsibility and more pay, and which also opens up new opportunities for growth. And who knows, you might even enjoy your new home and your new friends better than your old ones.

I personally have relocated several times myself for work and for school. Each time it was a pain to pick up and move, though being single and unattached made it a bit easier. But as I look back, I believe each move was, if not necessarily a clear move forward, still a step in the journey that brought me where I am today. And all in all, I don’t think that’s such a bad thing.