Relocating to another city, state, or country has now become a part of life; however, it still causes headaches because of the personal and professional adaptations required. Knowing some of the below will help you minimize the inconveniences related to relocation and help you prepare better for your move.Know the difference between a handsome salary and great financial benefits
Of course, the dollar amount on your expected paycheck is a big consideration while you are contemplating a job offer, but don't forget to take into account the benefits of the new job and the expenses that you may incur, such as moving costs, in order to take up the job. For all you know, when you add up everything, you may be getting a raw deal. For instance, when an investment banker moved to Chicago from Boston in order to join an investment fund, he found out that the company did not have a relocation costs reimbursement policy. During the job negotiations, he had taken such a reimbursement for granted and had not bothered to clarify the details, an oversight that cost him quite a few thousand dollars! What was worse was that he had passed upon an equally good job offer that also included reimbursement of his moving costs.
He also learnt to his disadvantage that the new company did not offer him a 401k plan and allowed for few vacation days. His old company was better on both counts. To add to this, the performance bonus was also capped at an insignificant amount, unlike that at other investment funds of a similar size. All in all, his negligence of checking out the entire benefits package because he was momentarily blinded by the monthly take-home amount led to considerable disappointment. Hence, it makes good sense to whet out the entire offer in detail and consider all aspects of the job and not just the salary before deciding on accepting an offer, especially when relocation is involved. You definitely don't want to move to a new place and then realize that you are not happy with the benefits that your new job offers.
Know your day-to-day responsibilities well
When you move to a new place, you anyways have enough to deal with and definitely don't want any added surprises in the form of job responsibilities that you were not aware you would have to handle. Hence, ensure that you read the job description well and clearly know what you are signing up for. After all, the last thing you would want after relocating is to find out that the new job is not what you expected it to be.
A senior radio station director echoes this and states that knowing that she would be handling two roles in one helped her prepare better for the new job and makes the necessary arrangements in her personal schedule.
Know that an early start to scouting homes is smart
Don't wait for the last minute to look for suitable housing, especially if you are moving lock, stock, and barrel. Both the investment banker and the senor radio station director agree that had they taken more time to scope out the new city for rentals and the best areas to live in, they would not have had to move houses shortly after relocating to the new city. While one discovered that most landlords in Iowa were not very happy with her moving in with her two dogs and good rentals were quite expensive and in demand because she had moved to a university town, the other realized that he was not too happy with the Chicago neighborhood he had moved into and that he could have avoided the extra moving costs if he had just done a bit more research.
Know that it takes time to adjust
Everything is new and everything is strange when you move to a new city. The culture is different, the people seem weird, and the right shops are hard to find. But, trust me it gets better with time. Don't let the small things scare you away from the idea of relocating or a great new job.
Another professional seconds this though and shares that relocation to new places led to great new experiences for her. She got the chance to see the depths of the ocean and the heights of some of the largest mountains on the continent only because she took the chance and relocated to new places whenever a suitable opportunity arose. She says that relocation made it possible for her to experience different ways of life and different lines of thought, all of which have gone a long way in shaping her well-rounded personality. She believes that relocating to a new place is a great idea and given a little time to adjust, you would enjoy the new place as much or perhaps better than the places you have already been to.
