Hawaii move – Preparations

Now that I’m done with my preparations and am about to board the flight that will ultimately take me to Honolulu I’ve got some time to describe what it takes to be ready to make the transition to a Hawaii job. 

The first step that I expect to occur to folks is getting an offer for a job in the islands.  In my case it took a month or so of back and forth with the recruiter before she was willing to submit my resume to clients.  It took another month to find a position that both of us felt fit well with my resume.  The interviews, when it came to them went quickly.  In many ways the process is similar to any job search a long way from home.  The recruiters and companies all want to make sure you’re really committed to making the transition.  I gather that Hawaii positions see more of that in the winter when folks want to get away from the cold.  I found that the simplest way to handle that was to talk about the trips I’ve made in the past and about what I’ve learned by researching a move to Hawaii.  Another way to deal with that is to simply move to the islands and as long as you’ve got the resources to live here without a job for a month or so it would probably work well. 

The flight reminds me of just how thoroughly I’ve had to pare down my possessions.  I’ve got two checked bags at just under 50 pounds each, two carry-ons, my coat, and a hat.  Everything else either went into storage or was given away.  The challenge is the cost of shipping goods to the islands.  Oahu is the cheapest but costs range from three to six dollars a pound unless you use the USPS flat rate boxes even there.  Over the next year or more I’ll be looking to bring my books over.  Some of them could come as checked bags and some certainly be shipped. 

I’ve given, or thrown, away all of my furniture.  Most of it went to my sister with a little bit going to my brother and more going to the local Savers thrift store.  If you decide to make the move remember that Goodwill and Salvation Army might do pickups but they’re going to want something like two weeks notice to schedule a pickup.  I sorted through my clothes and gave away three trash bags full.

Another challenge is to find a place to live in the islands.  Realtors don’t help find rentals in Oahu so you’ll have to rely on the internet with sites like Zillow or Craigslist to find options.  Then you’ll have to wait until you get to the islands before you can apply.  The caution here is that some listings are scams intended to take application fees without having a real property to rent.  In my case I’ve got a week lined up through Airbnb in the neighborhood I’m looking to live in at first.  This is also the neighborhood where my new job is.  I’ve got a four or five options lined up for consideration and tomorrow, after recovering from my flight, I’ll arrange time to get into them.  I’ll also go walk about in the neighborhood and check into other options that catch my eye. 

My flight will be boarding soon.  Thinking about that when you go to book your flight you should plan on using an aggregator site and check two or even three weeks out for the soonest cheap flight.  I found in my investigations that the best prices were on Tuesday three weeks out.  At two weeks out both Monday and Wednesday had good flights for only twenty or thirty dollars more than the Tuesday flight.  It isn’t convenient for a vacationer, but if you can manage it the cost savings are best if you fly out early in the week.

 

We’re boarding now.  I’ll put up another post later, maybe later today but more likely tomorrow or the next day on how my flight went