Posted by Brian McCullough
A commenter left a brief note last week about job search expenses.
I was thinking of writing a more formal post, but as I sat down to think about it, I thought it better to list all the job search expenses I could think of.
I don’t think a lot of people think about the amount of money they might need to invest in a successful job search. Some of these might get overlooked:
Airline tickets (hundreds of dollars)-
If you’re not looking locally for a job locally, you’re gonna have to factor in the travel expenses.
Hotel stays (hundreds of dollars)-
Ditto.
Gas money (these days, hundreds of dollars)-
Even if you’re looking locally, 3-4 interviews across town could add up in gas money.
Interview clothing (hundreds of dollars)-
A decent suit, a new dress, shoes, that sort of thing. But remember the good advice to not have your new suit look like it just came off the rack. Wear your suit a few times before using it for an interview.
A decent haircut ($20-$70)-
…
A couple of days off work (intangible)-
If you can’t schedule interviews outside of work hours, you’re gonna have to cut off work. Even if you have personal days, those are personal days you can’t use for a day at the beach.
Daycare/babysitter (hundreds of dollars)-
If you don’t interview during working hours, you’re gonna have to go in after hours or on the weekend.
Copies/Paper ($10-$30)-
For resumes and whatnot.
Postage ($10-$20)-
Again, resumes and whatnot.
Professionally written resume ($200-$400)-
Worth it if you want you to stand out from the crowd and have any sort of confidence in your resume.
Long distance/internet expenses (???)-
In the olden-timey days, this would have been a major consideration. But most of us now have monthly plans with a generous budget of minutes. And long distance no longer means anything. So, unless you go absolutely nuts, this should be a major consideration anymore.
Related posts:
