Considering a move from Dallas to Cincinnati (Columbus, Cleveland: sales, apartments)

[Treasurevalley92]

Hi!

I'm considering moving from Dallas to Cincinnati when my lease is up in about 10 months and wanted to ask a few questions!

I'm a 25 year old male who has been living in Dallas. While I have enjoyed my time here, I would like to move north to some better 4 season weather and more walk-able neighborhoods. I'm originally from Idaho but I have family in Louisville and Indianapolis and I have visited Cincinnati before for XU games (grandpa is a season ticket holder).

The things that really appeal to me about Cincinnati are the Architecture and traditional neighborhoods, low COL, the 4 season weather and the nice people.

I work in Sales and Account Management for a large company and there is a possibility that I could transfer. If not though I would be looking for a job (before I moved of course). I've priced apartments and they seem very reasonable even in Downtown and OTR.

My questions are as follows:

1) How is the job market? According to the numbers online, unemployment is pretty similar to Dallas, but that doesn't always tell the full story. Does it seem to be on the uptick or downtick? Will being out of town hurt my job chances? What is the local business culture like?

2) What is the scene like for mid 20 somethings? I know with the Universities, there are a ton of students, but what about those who don't have kids yet, but aren't super interested in College bars? I guess on the same train of thought, what is the dating scene like?

[WILWRadio]

I can partially answer question one.

Job market is pretty good. There is a plethora of light industrial, warehouse and even manufacturing jobs available in the area. Lots of Help Wanted signs in front of stores and other businesses which had been absent for a long time. This indicates that at least the entry level working class job picture is good in this area. While this is not directly of interest to you, it still has to be a sign that the overall job market is good even for some White Collar fields. I suspect that your background in Accounting will yield a job pretty quickly. You could always start out as a Temp at a place like Kelly Services or one of the many others in the area just to get your foot in the door.

I don't think being an outsider is much of an issue. I'm originally from Connecticut and now live in northern KY. A couple of years ago I had a hiring manager in the area mention that in the Cincinnati area, employers are more concerned with whether or not you can do the job and have the skills they need. Who you know is not as much of an issue like it is in Indianapolis. Indy operates much along the lines of an Ol' Boy Network. Who you know is all that seems to matter to most employers and they care little about hiring anyone they can't find a direct link to via a employee or some other contact. Very parochial in that sense. In other words they let their feelings get in the way of sound business practices. Cincinnati from what I've been told does not operate in this manner.

Cannot comment on Point 2. I'm a Baby Boomer and lead a quite uneventful life outside of work and little drama these days. Thankfully. LOL

[Coseau]

On point 2 the scene for young adults without kids in their mid 20's would be in Over The Rhine especially Main Street, Downtown, Court Street, Madison Avenue in Covington Kentucky's Central Business District.

[SonnyDaze]

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

2) What is the scene like for mid 20 somethings? I know with the Universities, there are a ton of students, but what about those who don't have kids yet, but aren't super interested in College bars? I guess on the same train of thought, what is the dating scene like?

Cincinnati's urban core has solid nightlife for young professionals. Between Downtown, OTR, Mt. Adams, as well as Newport and Covington (both in Northern Kentucky) you have a large mix of sports bars, nightclubs, lounges, breweries, beer halls and a little bit of whatever else you're looking for all within 10 minutes of each other.

I can't comment on the dating scene as I met my wife while living elsewhere, but like in any medium-large sized city, if you're able to make strong social connections through work, active hobbies, your church, etc then you should have plenty of worthwhile dating opportunities.

[joyeaux]

Finding a job with an out-of-town address is not easy, regardless of the city. I have a 28 year old friend going through this.
He had phone & SKYPE second interviews with one particular Fortune 100 company and was passed over for 2 different positions. Being persistent & highly qualified, he ripped into the recruiter for the "why". The guy finally came clean with the fact that the company was going with one promotion from within & one just because all other things being equal, the other candidate lived in town.
My friend finally left here without a job to move to his chosen city. Guess what? Another position opened up for him at the same company that had already passed on him twice. One true example of what many of us project as true: have a local address before applying. Commit or don't.

[Treasurevalley92]

Originally Posted by joyeaux

Finding a job with an out-of-town address is not easy, regardless of the city. I have a 28 year old friend going through this.
He had phone & SKYPE second interviews with one particular Fortune 100 company and was passed over for 2 different positions. Being persistent & highly qualified, he ripped into the recruiter for the "why". The guy finally came clean with the fact that the company was going with one promotion from within & one just because all other things being equal, the other candidate lived in town.
My friend finally left here without a job to move to his chosen city. Guess what? Another position opened up for him at the same company that had already passed on him twice. One true example of what many of us project as true: have a local address before applying. Commit or don't.

I can see what you are saying, but I guess my concern is how long it could take to get a job once you get there. I've had a few friends loose their jobs over the last few years and it took them an average of 2-4 months to get new jobs. The hiring process itself can take several weeks.

With that in mind I probably wouldn't be comfortable moving to another city jobless without at least 6 months expenses saved up which is essentially a down-payment on a decent house in greater Cincinnati.

I've had friends get jobs in Houston, Chicago and NYC while living in Dallas, is Cincinnati that different in this regard?

[Treasurevalley92]

Thank you everyone for the advise, I really appreciate it!

[joyeaux]

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

I can see what you are saying, but I guess my concern is how long it could take to get a job once you get there. I've had a few friends loose their jobs over the last few years and it took them an average of 2-4 months to get new jobs. The hiring process itself can take several weeks.

With that in mind I probably wouldn't be comfortable moving to another city jobless without at least 6 months expenses saved up which is essentially a down-payment on a decent house in greater Cincinnati.

I've had friends get jobs in Houston, Chicago and NYC while living in Dallas, is Cincinnati that different in this regard?

Treasurev,
I didn't mean to mislead you -- my tale was not specific to Cincinnati. It was just a proof of what is often speculated about searching for a job while living elsewhere.
My friend took a calculated risk.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

Hi!

I'm considering moving from Dallas to Cincinnati when my lease is up in about 10 months and wanted to ask a few questions!

I'm a 25 year old male who has been living in Dallas. While I have enjoyed my time here, I would like to move north to some better 4 season weather and more walk-able neighborhoods. I'm originally from Idaho but I have family in Louisville and Indianapolis and I have visited Cincinnati before for XU games (grandpa is a season ticket holder).

The things that really appeal to me about Cincinnati are the Architecture and traditional neighborhoods, low COL, the 4 season weather and the nice people.

I work in Sales and Account Management for a large company and there is a possibility that I could transfer. If not though I would be looking for a job (before I moved of course). I've priced apartments and they seem very reasonable even in Downtown and OTR.

My questions are as follows:

1) How is the job market? According to the numbers online, unemployment is pretty similar to Dallas, but that doesn't always tell the full story. Does it seem to be on the uptick or downtick? Will being out of town hurt my job chances? What is the local business culture like?

2) What is the scene like for mid 20 somethings? I know with the Universities, there are a ton of students, but what about those who don't have kids yet, but aren't super interested in College bars? I guess on the same train of thought, what is the dating scene like?

I'm the same age as you, grew up in southwestern Ohio, graduated from a traditional 4-year college in the area that primarily has students from outside the area, moved away for a year and a half to elsewhere in the Midwest, and just came back. Let me help you out.

1) The job market, knock on wood, is good. Historically speaking, Cincy is pretty stable. In general the city hasn't hit the major lows or super highs of other places. At the moment unemployment seems to be going down, I know north of town the companies there struggle to find workers, skilled or unskilled, to fill positions because the demand for labor is so high.

2) The scene is really good in Cincy, I'd argue it's better than Indianapolis or Columbus, equitable to Cleveland or Pittsburgh, and not as good as Chicago. So if you take some time, leverage your connections here, and put yourself out there it'd be amazing here. But if you don't have strong connections here, struggle to put yourself out there, are uncomfortable with extended periods of loneliness, etc. it might be a struggle, just as it would be anywhere else. If you do want to come here and are looking for specific neighborhoods, try Northside, OTR, Hyde Park / Oakley, and maybe Clifton, aka the usual suspects around here.

[WILWRadio]

Consider my suggestion to start at a Temp agency like Kelly Services. Gets you working and can lead to something permanent in some cases. At the very least it gets you here and you will then have an opportunity to look for a permanent position in your spare time while gaining immediate income during the transition period.