Move together or in shifts?
I've been pondering if it would be more profitable to my fiance and I to delay moving to Florida together immediately. The reason I have been thinking about this is because although I will have a job transferred down there, I will not have a place to live right away. I will be staying at a friend's until I can be sure of where my fiance and I should live. Transitions are never easy, I've just never done one so many miles away! My fiance has a job in Virginia and he can continue working there after the honeymoon. I am tempted to tell him to keep working and stay in Virginia while I try to secure a place to live. Why would I say this? Well he has only one interview offer in Florida right now and it's not the job of his choice. Perhaps he should continue applying to a few more jobs before joining me in Florida. After all, he would be earning money for us in Virginia.
Here's another thing I have been wondering. Would employers take my fiance more seriously if he listed the address of our friends (with whom we will stay until we get an apartment) as his current one? Would they be more likely to call him and offer him a job? I think they would take him more seriously if they saw he was in the actual area of the job. Perhaps employers do not believe we actually want to relocate. Just some thoughts, and any input would be greatly appreciated.
I'll start from the bottom and work my way up.
Some employers are willing to pay relocation costs. So that's one of the things your fiance should be evaluating as he applies -- whether relocation fees are part of the sign-on package and to what extent. The HR person at the company would know. And researching the company beforehand would be a good idea in order to filter where he applies. So, my take on the address issue is that the willingness to relocate should be included at the bottom of the resume as well as in the body of the cover letter. Once said, it should not be a factor affecting the legitimacy of an applicant's response.
Where your fiance is during and after the honeymoon and as you prepare for the transition is very important to you. You're absolutely right (in my opinion) that the more he can earn toward your togetherness and future, the better. This is something you and he will have to discuss very carefully and agree on together without having outsiders (who are not involved in any of the realities of your situations) dictating and pontificating about what you *should* do.
Living with your friends on a temporary basis is a great idea. At least you'll be starting out with a support system -- people you already know -- so that you can simply grow your circle instead of starting it anew. And the benefit of having existing friends in the area is that they can tell you about areas that are close to what you find acceptable so that you'll have fewer missteps and a shorter amount of time in finding them. Your friends can also tell you why a particular area is or is not safe.
You have a big job cut out for you. You also have some great systems and plans to making it happen with a little headache and disruption of your normal routine as possible. I commend you.