Seattle is famous for its Space Needle, food carts and coffee, however it is also a brainy city that attracts well-educated job seekers. Technology, healthcare and engineering are three important industries with a high demand for new hires.
The city’s economy has been steadily growing largely thanks to its burgeoning technology industry powered by companies like Microsoft and Amazon. Home to aerospace manufacturer Boeing, the city is a major production center of airplanes.
Before you decide on getting a job in Seattle it is important to find out if Seattle is a good fit for you. The city is well-known for its liberal politics as well as the infamous “Seattle Freeze”. That is the name given to the purported coldness Seattle locals show to outsiders and tourists.
Microsoft, Amazon, The University of Washington, Nordstrom and Providence Health and Services are the top hiring companies in the city. Microsoft alone has 4,277 openings for new employees.
While Seattle offers many high paying jobs, it is not the best city to live in if you have a low paying job. Seattle’s housing costs for rentals are about 20% higher than the nations average. The cost of living in the city has been on the rise for the last 4 years. That doesn’t mean you should be discouraged, but it does mean you should carefully research your prospective income vs. cost of living before you make the move.
Although the city has a great job market, it is important to nail down a job before you make the move. Depending on where you are moving from the cost of living may be a bit of a shock to you, for this reason it is important to be sure you have a job waiting for you.
It may be impractical (or just too expensive) for you to fly or drive up to Seattle for a job interview. For this reason, you will be happy to learn that many technology companies in Seattle will accommodate you by doing interviews online over services like Skype or Yahoo video chat. If your skill set is in high demand the may also be willing to pay for your flight.
According to a recent study, Seattle is among the top 14 job markets in the country. If you are drawn to Seattle’s culture and you have a professional background in technology, engineering or healthcare, moving to Seattle could be a great career move.