Roommate City: Moving to NYC For Work

It seems that every year new graduates look to move to NYC for work. It’s not a cliché like moving to Hollywood is, but it’s just as common.

Kids from everywhere appear every spring and call recruiters in hopes of landing a job. They call, email, Linkedin message, and even show up in person….

They all want the same thing. They all want that illusive Entry Level job in the city.

Well, hate to break it to you, but unless you’re connected, it’s probably going to be a very tough road to travel.

I’ve had dealings with lots of new grads who want to move to NYC for work, and I’m going to tell you what I would tell them…well, I’m actually going to be more clear with you. If you’re reading this, then you can listen and read with less emotion.

How To Move to New York Without a Job

One of questions people don’t tend to ask is if they should move to New York without a job. They simply go straight and move to the city, or else they expect to interview remotely. There are serious problems with both approaches, but you have to pick one.

As a general rule, you won’t land an entry level role straight out of college if you live outside of the city. It is hard.

It’s much easier to get hired by a company if you live in the city. As I’ll cover in more depth later on, employers are hesitant to hire someone who doesn’t live in Manhattan or somewhere else nearby.

So, how do you move to New York without a job?

Well, lots of people do it. It’s sort of common. It used to be way more common when the rents in Manhattan weren’t outrageous.

But anyway, how do people move to New York without a job?

They tend to save, and most of the time they move with roommates. Simply put, the cost of renting an apartment in NYC is so expensive that most young professionals share apartments with roommates.

Manhattan, Brooklyn, and to some extent Queens are where recent grads tend to move. Rents in these areas are the highest in the country.

Landlords in NYC have what is called a 40x rule. You need to make 40x the rent. So, if the rent for a 1 bedroom is $1,900, you would need to make around 76k. This is far outside the entry level salary for most professions.

Many roommates have their parents cosign on their rental applications. This is honestly how most of the young people who move to New York city are able to rent apartments.

There’s a whole other group who have their parents actually pay their rent. These grads are able to move to the city, have a nice apartment, and take their time interviewing for different jobs because they have no need for money.

There was and still is a bit of a stigma surrounding them, but most aren’t trust fund kids, most are just sons and daughters of wealthy people.

But the fact is that anyone who is moving to the city as a recent grad is going to have wealthy parents who cosign their lease. It’s just a fact.

The plan would be to save up several months living expenses (rent, food, transportation) and then find someone who you could rent an apartment with.

Some people move to the city and stay with friends. Others move to the city and hop around from AirBnB or Couch Surf.

As a general rule, it is better to come to the city with a job. Following that, if you are unable to come to the city already with a job offer, then make sure that you are coming with enough money and more importantly, parental approval and the promise of cosigning a lease.

The rental market in NYC is very difficult to handle. It’s not something that you can simply dip into and get an apartment as soon as you apply. It’s more difficult than that unfortunately.

What I suggest that you do is make sure that you’re going to come to the city with a plan. If you just show up to the city by yourself then you are in for a world of heartache.

Make sure to budget out 6 months expenses if you don’t have a place to stay or a job.

If you do have a friend that you

Moving to NYC After College?

Before you pack your bags, buy an airline ticket or train ticket, decide if you really want to move to NYC. Yes, it sounds great, but have you ever been?

I’ve worked with a lot of new grads that have never even visited New York. But they tell me that they want to live there full time.

The best option is for people who have spent some time in NYC before. This might be during an internship, or maybe staying with friends or family.

Whatever the case, I highly suggest that you come and see NYC for yourself. Certainly, do not ever rent in an area where you’ve never been.

As a recent college graduate, you will want to live in Manhattan. But those rents are too expensive for most people unless you happen to have rich parents helping you.

Not to scare you, but there are areas of the city where it’s unsafe to live. If you’re experience of NYC comes only from movies and tv shows and music, you might not have a good idea of what’s safe and what’s not.

I had a friend who had move to the city and I spent time with her before I moved, which I think is a great way to go about moving to NYC.

But if you are just moving cold, without any info, then please do your due diligence and read up on where is safe.

You do not want to end up in an area where you are at risk for mugging, or more serious crimes like murder! I suggest checking out the neighborhood on Reddit and the local CityData forums and asking questions.

Also, Google Street view is your friend….use it to view the area and see what type of buildings and businesses are around.

You do not want to end up in a desolate, residential area an hour away from the city by multiple trains. It will kill your vibe!

There are several dedicated services that help new college graduates find roommates. I recruited a few different people who used them. I personally can’t vouch for them, but if you’re interested, here are a few to reviews to check out:

1- A review of 9 different apps (they include some common ones like Facebook and Craigslist)

2- Same deal here. A review of 10 seperate services. They also review ones like FB and CL

3- This App is popular.

4- And yet another popular app.

How Much Does it Cost to Live in NYC?

It’s expensive. Check out the listings on sites like Zillow, StreetEasy, or any of the others sites, then you’ll see how outrageous the prices are.

For instance, looking for a 1 bedroom in Manhattan you will see the following rates:

And it only gets worse when you look at a two bedroom.

So, for someone who is moving to the city it is obvious that it’s clear that you will need a lot of money. And if you don’t have a lot of money, you will need a high paying job or roommates, or else parents who will cosign your lease and promise to cover the cost.  

The bare minimum for someone who wants to live on their own in NYC is going to be 50k. That number is bound to rise when rents increase. And with a 50k salary, you’re going to be focused on very specific areas such as the Yorkville area of

Outrageous, you might say. There are thousands and thousands of people in NYC who don’t make 50k!

Well, you’re right. But you’re not them. You don’t know what situations they are involved in. There is a extremely large and complex government housing program in the city: Section 8, NYCHA, Voucher Programs, etc…

A large percentage of the city are living in subsided housing. Note, these programs are not designed for recent college grads that are moving to the city. They are geared towards low income people.

Another large section of the population live in multi-generational households.

But that’s not you! You’re situation is unique to you. You are only tasked with worrying about your own situation.

If you have roommates, you can swing New York on 30k. But that’s going to be a struggle. You will need to hustle. Because one of the difficulties in landing an apartment is proving income.

If you look for roommates on Craigslist or one of those other sites, you’re going to be able to land a room with little problem when it comes to proving income. But those can be dangerous sites to use.

Other established websites do vet more carefully and they would check income. So, if you’re planning on landing in New York and doing odd jobs or waiting tables occasionally, then it can pose a problem.

Remember, a large percentage of NYC apartments are owned by real estate developers and landlords that are involved in Non-Profit and Government voucher and social welfare programs. Why would they risk renting to a recent new college Graduate when they could have the government pay the rent for a low income tenant on a no-risk basis?

My NYC budget for new grads? Her it is:

• 2k a month, after taxes.  That means you should be making 35k and have some savings.
• Get a roommate you know. Be very careful sharing a room with someone you’ve never met.

Roommates save you money! If you and your college roomie both want to move to NYC, you’re halfway there.

• Get your parents to co-sign your lease if possible. Why? Because apartments that don’t require cosigners are sketchy as F$#&.  You want to be evicted from a makeshift basement apartment some night by a city inspector? No, then get a cosigner.
• Careful on parting! Everyone wants to be Sex and the City, or whatever it is nowadays! But don’t blow your paycheck partying. Find a good bottomless brunch and make that a hit.

What’s the Deal with Roommates?

Alright, so let’s take a side trip and look into the world of roommates!  Because moving to New York with one is much easier than without.

So, let’s talk about roommates. How you find them. How you vet them. How you choose them. If you need them?

Most people would prefer to choose a roommate as someone they’ve already roomed with. Obv, right?

Well, if you’ve roomed with someone in college that you think would be a good roommate when you come to New York City, then by all means hook it up and go that way.

But if you don’t know of anyone who is moving to the city, then your best bet is to secure a job before moving, or else get your parents to cosign on a small studio. You can find some good deals in Yorkville, which is always a good deal and an ever popular college section of Manhattan.

Be warned, steer clear of certain areas in Brooklyn because they are so dangerous. Many recent graduates will come to NYC and simply look for the cheapest rent they can find. Now, they never look at Staten Island or The Bronx, because they aren’t “cool” for some reason, so they end up looking at Queens and Brooklyn when they see that they can’t afford Manhattan.

When you’re selecting a roommate, some important things to consider is that you should want someone who is also a professional.

If you want to work in a professional office setting, you want a roommate who also keeps professional hours. That means someone who will work a typical Monday to Friday schedule, 9am to 5pm….approximate.

You want to avoid people who do not work. You’d be surprised, but there are plenty of people who live in New York City who do not work and are reliant on voucher programs, government housing and non-profit systems. They might have a different schedule then you because they do not have to get up at 9am work.

Also, do avoid rooming with medical workers such as nurses. While nurses make a lot of money, they keep odd hours. It’s also important to remember that nurses and other medial workers are not professionals. If you’re coming from a good college and are someone who is used to professional behavior, be warned that nurses are not necessarily going to have the etiquette and behavior of a professional person.

If you need a roommate, try your best to find someone who you have known before. You do not want to go into a situation with a complete stranger.

Do You Need  A Job Before Moving to NYC?

Yes, in almost all circumstances, you need a job before moving to NYC. I know, I know it’s a catch-22. You want a job in NYC, but don’t live there, and the employers don’t want to hire people who don’t live there….!!!!

It’s crazy making.

But the fact is that people who make the move to NYC are most of the time either already have a job lined up.

Now, if you’re someone who is graduating from college, that’s not that likely. Unless you have a connection at a company, there are very few situations where a company will hire you for a NYC location if you live elsewhere.

Even thought NYC work from home policies are the strongest they’ve ever been, most companies still require new hired people to come into the office at first. You need to get trust from your employers before you go out and demand a work from home situation.

The other contingent of people who move to NYC without a job are people who have funds or assistance with rent. Either they are moving with someone who has a job and living with them, or else they have family helping them out.

It’s that simple.

Can A Recruiter Get You A Job To Help You Move To NYC?

I don’t want to say it’s impossible, but if you’re looking for an entry level job right out of college, then you’re going to have a hard time.

Most people who graduate from college are going to have a better time landing a job through connections. These connections might be internships, family or friends, teachers, or some other personal relationships.

You might even be hired directly on campus by campus recruiters.

However, agency recruiters in NYC are not very likely to be able to assist new graduates who live somewhere else in the country.

Why is that? Well, for a few reasons. The major one being that employers don’t want to extend an offer to a new grad who hasn’t even moved to the city. They are too high a risk.

New grads are seen as flighty to begin with, so a company isn’t going to waste time hiring someone who doesn’t even have a place to live in the city yet. There are just too many variables at play.

My advice for a new grad would be to try and find a job through a connection. Friends, family, school connections. Cold calling agencies and submitting your resume on Indeed won’t be a great approach.