Old house on the market? Check. Boxes to pack your stuff in? Check. Real estate listings for Bellevue, Washington? Check. Are you leaving anything off of your relocation list? You sure are! How about a job? You should never assume that simply moving to a new city with your hand notcher and wood working tools will be sufficient to support you unless you've done your research on opening small businesses in the area. You should start looking for a job as soon as you decide to go and have one lined up before you get there.

Resources

Those who have spent the past few years working for a Toronto SEO will be well-versed in how useful the internet can be when searching for something - like a job - that you need. However those of you who are traditionally newspaper readers when it comes to job searching should learn to use computers. Online job banks like Monster.com and the websites of companies that have open positions are now the leading sources of job information. Computer users: don't neglect newspapers and employment offices as information sources, not every company has a website.

Top Industries

You could be in for some trouble if you're moving from a blue collar job sector like Alberta. Franchises and stand-alone firms based in Bellevue tend to be of the high technology persuasion. This is great for anyone with a white collar office or computer technology background, not so much for former auto factory workers. The other big industries in Bellevue are health care, education, transportation, construction, finance, publishing, hospitality and real estate.

Major Employers

As soon as you can pry the heat shrink sleeves off your boxes, you'll want to print off some resumes and start handing them out to local firms. Here are some places you'll want to try. Video game developers: 5th Cell, Valve, ArenaNet. Other technology: Microsoft, Drugstore.com, Expedia, Generations Network, Infospace, Motricity, T-Mobil. Finance/business/insurance: Eddie Bauer, Symetra, ShareBuilder, Clark Nuber. Manufacturing/Construction/Health Care: Boeing, Coinstar, MulvannyG2 Architecture, Paccar, Orahealth.

Your Chances

You'll need a good job if you want to pay off your student loans and wedding rental. Hamilton residents with a background in one of the above industries are likely to secure gainful employment in Bellevue. The unemployment rate there is a respectable 6.7%. Those with no relevant experience are advised to invest in some sort of retraining if their job applications in Bellevue aren't netting any callbacks.