When I read this Hub request I laughed out loud. In 2000 I decided to pack up all of my belongings and take my two cats and my husband all the way to Arizona from Massachusetts. Due to my very poor planning, I ended up being offered a job back home and moved back three short months later. Please, learn from my mistakes. I beg of you.

If you know where you are moving, get a feel for the job market first. Don't limit yourself to the national job boards. Check out the local newspapers, many of them can be found on line as well. Do a little research and find what is in the area. Check out the local companies and see if they have any open positions. Craig's List is also very good for finding local information. If there is a CL section for the area that you are moving too, you should get familiar with it. Post your resume there with a note that you are moving. Also, be sure to see what is going on at the local malls. If all else fails, you can get a retail job to pay the bills until you find something else.

When you get a feel for the area, you can start customizing you search. Getting anyone from out of state to look at your resume can be a little tough. If the company does not want to pay to relocate someone, then your resume will likely go the bottom of the pile. I suggest placing a note on your actual resume that says that you are moving and when you are moving. In your cover letter you should state that you are moving. Use your spouse as an excuse if you have to and say that he/she is being transferred. This will make the situation far more palatable to future employers. It doesn't matter where you are in your career. If your spouse is transferred it provides you with a reasonable excuse to leave. If you know someone in the area that you are moving too, see if you can use their address for your resume. This is at least keep your resume from being passed over. When you receive a call you can say that you are still at the old location but that you are using your temporary address on your resume.

If it is possible, check with your current employer. They may have offices in the location that you are looking to move to. They may or may not provide relocation assistance, but you will at least have a position there when you go. That gives you time to find something else without losing on salary. If you take this option, make sure that there is not a clause in anything that you sign that would keep you as an employee for an extended time or that would require you to pay back any relocation provided if you leave within a certain period.

If you don't have significant savings, then moving before you get a job can pose a problem. It will also limit the amount of time that you have to interview before moving. Start sending out your resume about two months before you plan to move. If you can, in your cover letter you should let future employers know that you can interview at a specific time. For instance: I will be in the area August 12th through the 22nd looking at housing. I would gladly make myself available for any meetings during that time. If you are able to line up a good three to five interviews for the same couple of days, then it could prove very worthy to go out and interview. Depending on where you are going, you can get some pretty inexpensive air fair on some sites like cheap tickets or jet blue.

The other issue to worry about is housing. Once again, in big city area's Craig's List is great with this, but the local paper and other web sites can have more of a selection. When I moved across the country I didn't use a mover because I didn't have enough money. I used Budget and everything was fine for the move. My husband and I packed everything ourselves and he drove the whole way. It wasn't great, but we didn't get divorced until three years later, so I would recommend it as a money saver.

Cross country moves can be hard and they are best if planned far in advance. Think about your reasons for moving and make sure that you are doing it for all the right reasons. Good luck!