Looking to Move to Denver?

Buckeye Native 001 · #1 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 8:32 PM**

Rather than deal with the negativity of the City Data forum, I decided to come here to ask for some advice.

I'm tired of Arizona, even though I live in one of the better parts of the state (Flagstaff). Climate wise, I figure its similar to Denver (Denver's actually at a lower altitude), so I'm not in for any major shock there. I need a relatively dry climate because of my asthma.

I'm in the process of finishing a masters degree and am looking to work for either the government (federal, county, city or state) or something closely related to the criminal justice field in the private sector (insurance, law offices). I've interned/worked for Coconino County, AZ for the past year and a half, so I have some experience in working at the local government level.

I know the job market almost everywhere is terrible, so I'm well aware of what I'm up against in trying to move to a new city, and I know there's probably hundreds of thousands of local candidates as qualified as I am for jobs in the Denver metro. I'd rather not sugarcoat the issue.

I don't have any particular place in mind, I'll pretty much take whatever I can get at this point in the Denver/Boulder/Aurora metro region. I tried looking at California, but really can't afford the cost of living there, and if you're not a local already, you're pretty much SOL in trying to find a job there.

I reckon its the same in Denver, but how hard is it for a potential transplant to find work? How much harder is it than, say, 10 years ago? I'm only asking because there appears to be a surprisingly large number of jobs available compared to Arizona (I'd rather not move back to Phoenix if at all possible) based on the job searches I've done on USA Jobs, Government Jobs.com, Indeed, Monster, Jobing and Career Builder, as well as Craig's List.

Any input, suggestions, or even a "Give it up, Buckeye, you'll never find a job here and you'll be stuck in Arizona forever" comment is greatly appreciated.

Strange Meat · #2 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 8:36 PM**

Move to Denver, it's awesome here (just, please, don't contribute to I-70 traffic in the winter, thanks.

)

I don't imagine you'd have a very terrible time finding a job. Can anyone there help you with networking here?

bunt_q · #3 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 8:41 PM**

Well, job hunting is tough, but not as bad as many places. At least there are some great ways to kill the time, as long as you're a patient fellow.

As far as not being a local... I think that's an advantage. I know it sounds somewhat strange, but I almost feel as if being from here is a disadvantage in an interview. We all live in the same place, but people who make the correct choice to move here are somehow smarter than people who are from here and never found a way to leave. Go figure.

Government jobs are the same anywhere, so look online and start applying. As for other professional firm jobs, what's your master in, crim justice? Yeah, you'll find something.

Buckeye Native 001 · #4 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 8:45 PM**

Criminology, but what I've done with the local innocence project (working to free wrongfully convicted people) is akin to working at a law firm, and I've got a decent recommendation from the director.

One of my applications cleared Boulder County's HR department, now its up to the hiring manager whether I get called for an interview. I'm heading down to Phoenix in mid-August to take a civil service exam for another job I applied for in Denver via USA Jobs.

Thanks for the info, guys

bunt_q · #5 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 9:06 PM**

Not sure if I know anybody on the criminal side... I took those classes because I had to for the bar, not because I wanted to.

Buckeye Native 001 · #6 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 9:27 PM**

Where'd you go for your law degree: UC Boulder or University of Denver? Out of state? Law school's something I'm considering way on down the line...

bunt_q · #7 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 9:32 PM**

DU. I went to CU for undergrad and grad school, it was time for a change!

BoiseAirport · #8 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 9:56 PM**

Out of curiousity, have you checked out other Mountain West cities like Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, Reno, or Boise? IMO, as far as a place to live in the US, you just can't beat the quality of life in the Mountain West region, so if you find Denver doesn't quite suit your needs (which I can't imagine it wouldn't, Denver's a great place), there are a lot of other great cities in this region of the country.

The Dirt · #9 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 10:28 PM**

Denver/Boulder has the largest concentration of government jobs outside of DC (at least according to wikipedia), but in Boulder this is mostly in research. You're right about the climate, as I'd say Flagstaff is pretty similar. If air quality is a concern, I'd say you would do better sticking to the cities closer to the mountains, like Boulder and Golden. On the other hand, that Arizona wildfire gave us all a pretty bad few weeks. Personally, I'd stay put until there's a job offer and perhaps someone offers to cover moving expenses.

Buckeye Native 001 · #10 Posted **Jul 24, 2011, 10:47 PM**

Yeah, I wouldn't move until I got a job offer. My track record with that, however, is horrible for a myriad of reasons (primarily, I suck at selling myself).

Air quality's not really an issue (I've lived in Phoenix and Orange County, CA). My biggest asthma triggers are mold/humidity. There's a reason I left Ohio...

I've checked out other Mountain West Cities and wouldn't mind living in any of them, really, but I'm looking primarily at the Denver area because of the metro's size. Little more opportunity than some of the other places (all better than Arizona's cities, of course).

I really can't emphasize how badly Arizona was hit by the recession, and I'm looking for something different, if that ever happens.

wong21fr · #11 Posted **Jul 25, 2011, 1:57 PM**

Good luck, Buckeye, on finding a position in your job search. Hopefully you'll be able to call Denver home soon.

Since you are looking at federal positions do you have any suggestions on crafting the federal resume? I've been looking at some positions on and off and decided recently to get serious about applying for a few federal jobs.

Buckeye Native 001 · #12 Posted **Jul 25, 2011, 2:09 PM**

Its pretty much the same as any other job application, just a matter of tailoring your resume to what they're looking for in the job description. Applying for federal jobs is a hell of a lot easier now than it was two years ago (you don't have to do those god awful Knowledge, Skills and Ability essays during the initial application process). Once you edit your resume and answer some position-related survey questions, its just a matter of time before you hear back.

Being the government, however, means it could take a while to get a response. Being a vet should make it a hell of a lot easier to find a position, though.

bunt_q · #13 Posted **Jul 25, 2011, 2:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Applying for federal jobs is a hell of a lot easier now than it was two years ago (you don't have to do those god awful Knowledge, Skills and Ability essays during the initial application process). Once you edit your resume and answer some position-related survey questions, its just a matter of time before you hear back.

Depends on the agency. Some of them still have some pretty nasty essay-like stuff to complete up front.

wong21fr · #14 Posted **Jul 25, 2011, 2:48 PM**

^Well, State is always behind the curve. It must be the ingrained sense of entitlement.

wong21fr · #15 Posted **Jul 25, 2011, 2:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Being the government, however, means it could take a while to get a response. Being a vet should make it a hell of a lot easier to find a position, though.

That's true, I pretty much always bump up to the front of the line unless veteran's preference is not applicable to the position.

Do you put in the relevant coursework under the academic portion or just summarize your education? I'm trying to figure out whether I should streamline the resume, or instead be a bit more wordy in order to get in as many keywords as possible.

bunt_q · #16 Posted **Jul 25, 2011, 3:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wong21fr

^Well, State is always behind the curve. It must be the ingrained sense of entitlement.

As Bunt gently wipes the verbal dirt off his dinner jacket...

CastleScott · #17 Posted **Jul 25, 2011, 4:19 PM**

Hi there and I hope you do decide on metro Denver, I'm a 4th generation native from my father's side (mom's side is from west-central Illinois). I happen to work for the federal goverment (DHS) and yes theres usually a good range of federal jobs to look at around here (its been said theres the most federal jobs here as for another area outside DC), heres a good website: www.usajobs.opm.gov. By the way look at Castle Rock since its right off I-25 and going towards the Springs but still in metro Denver...

The Dirt · #18 Posted **Jul 25, 2011, 6:20 PM**

Oh yeah, there's a new (and large-ish) FBI building in Stapleton (east side of Denver).

texcolo · #19 Posted **Jul 25, 2011, 7:29 PM**

Look into the Federal Center in Lakewood.

Buckeye Native 001 · #20 Posted **Jul 26, 2011, 12:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CastleScott

Hi there and I hope you do decide on metro Denver, I'm a 4th generation native from my father's side (mom's side is from west-central Illinois). I happen to work for the federal goverment (DHS) and yes theres usually a good range of federal jobs to look at around here (its been said theres the most federal jobs here as for another area outside DC), heres a good website: www.usajobs.opm.gov. By the way look at Castle Rock since its right off I-25 and going towards the Springs but still in metro Denver...

Thanks, I'm using that site pretty liberally. I'm supposed to go down to Phoenix in a couple weeks to take an exam for a DHS/immigration officer position that I've applied for in Denver. We'll see how that goes, but I'm also using every online job site known to man.