How Did You Successfully Find a Job in New York?

I was about three years into my career and working in a front office role at a big firm that had offices everywhere. I'd been on the phone a couple of times with guys from the NYC office who were on my level, so I'd developed a bit of rapport. I asked one of them one day whether he knew of any needs out there, and it turns out they had one. I was already a dating a girl out there long distance and the Partner I was working under (in Texas) was aware of that. I mentioned something about hearing of someone else who'd transferred offices and he already knew where I was going and basically let me know that if I wanted to move closer to the girl, he would support it because he'd rather have a smooth transition that kept me at the firm than to lose me abruptly. He was and is a great fucking guy by the way, and he was sort of a wise old uncle/father figure to me, and I made a lot of money for him, so everyone else might not be so lucky with that sort of conversation.

Anyway, as it turned out, there was a need for someone at my level of experience. I contacted the NYC Partner, who contacted that same Texas Partner, who gave me a glowing recommendation. I was offered a transfer before I even came out and physically interviewed in NYC.

But if you're at one firm and trying to move to another in NYC, it can be tough. Maybe start visiting the city frequently on weekends. The concern is that someone moves there and decides they hate it after six months, or they can't handle it.

I did alright and left after four years for a dream job back home, but I had only planned on staying for two years when I arrived; I'm not a fan of the radical left-wing authoritarian progressives, and those people are everywhere in NYC these days. Especially after the 2016 election. I would try to explain why I voted third party and then people would start into how I was "part of the problem" for not voting for Crooked Hillary, so yeah, NYC has some great people but there are enough whack jobs to kind of ruin it. It's like the "rural Mississippi truck stop" of the political left. It's hilarious because so many people in NYC who think they're so enlightened are just retweeting a bunch of senseless bullshit from people who think the same way they do. Like any other thought bubble, an independent thinker can only take so much of it.

Anyway, make sure you know why you want to move there and be prepared to articulate that and convince them you will enjoy the city and you know what you're getting into. And yeah, network. And cold call. New Yorkers respect hustle, almost universally. It's probably the city that's most receptive to the old Bud Fox "I want to meet with Mr. Gekko" routine.