getting a job on the road

[andy90]

Just wondering if any of yall actually do the whole drive for a while then stop and work for a while thing. If you do, what do you tell a company that wants a permanent address? I know if I stop around my "base" address I can just use that, but what if I am out of my usual area? I'm a mechanic, so my usual job would probably be at a place like jiffy lube or some other quick lube place. I know they have a high turnover in places like that so I figure that will probably be my best bet.

Not that I have a problem with working fast food or anything else, I would just prefer my skill first. Anyway, what would be your advice on getting a job with no permanent residence in the area?
Thanks
Andy

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Give em the address on your license, if they ask you just moved to the area and are at {insert rv park you researched ahead of time here} till you can find something more permanent.

 

[Patrick46]

perfect!! ^^^

 

[andy90]

thanks! that is a great idea. I do wonder if they might eventually wonder if I never bring it up again, but probably by the time they think about it, I'll be long gone lol

 

[Reducto]

I've used a box at a privately owned mailbox store without issue. It just looks like an apartment address. The only time I see it being a problem is with really small towns where the HR person might recognize the address as being a strip mall.

I wonder if there are some traveling mechanic jobs out there. Do large construction operations hire their own guy to work on the machinery? Just thinking out loud. I work as a traveling poker dealer, working 1-7 weeks at a time at tournaments so it's considered normal for me to have a homebase far away. There must be other jobs like this and they probably pay well because they have to attract people with specialized skills to go on the road.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

My only thought on this subject is that if you are going to give a potential employer a local rv park as your current temporary address, it's probably a good idea to actually be staying there while you are looking for work. It's way too easy for them to check your story with a simple phone call, and a response of " Who? Never heard of him." will certainly kill any chance of landing that job.

Once you get a job, you can go back to stealthing in parking lots or whatever.

Anyway, that's my $0.02, and I can assure you that it's worth every penny!

Regards
John

 

[Patrick46]

As an employer, I've never given second thought about an applicant's address, (unless I suppose it was on the other side of the country...and I may be a bit more 'open minded' than most employers)

I was always far more concerned with talking to his previous employers about the quality of his work, and his work ethic. This is what will make or break a person getting a job with me.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Patrick,

As you may have gathered from my nom de web, I tend to be a trifle on the suspicious side.

Considering it will cost me no money and only a couple of minutes of time to make a local phone call, why wouldn't I make it?

It might vary somewhat depending on the job, of course. Say a cashier vs a janitor. A job that would give you access to a cash register full of money would demand a higher level of scrutiny than one that didn't.

I'll bet you never made a prospective employee submit to a piss test for drugs, either, but more and more companies are doing it. I had to when I got a part time job at Gander Mountain selling guns a decade ago.

Regards
John

 

[Reducto]

I work in the casino industry, jumping from state to state so I undergo a tremendous amount of scrutiny - drug tests, credit and background checks, etc. Nobody has yet said anything about my "home" being a PO box. They do try to send me things from time to time, though, so it does need to be a place I can retrieve things from.

If it does ever come up that your address isn't a real one you can just tell them it's a mailing address and that you haven't settled on a permanent home in the area yet.

 

[andy90]

What's a mailbox store? I've never heard of that before.

 

[highdesertranger]

a mailbox store is like a privately owned post office store where you can have an address. like a po box but you get a physical address. most have a mail forwarding service to send your mail wherever you want or you can pick up in-store. I think that kinda explained it. highdesertranger

 

[andy90]

Huh. I dont think I've ever seen one of those before. I'll have to check into that. Thanks!

 

[Almost There]

Depending on what state you're in, where you're going to find them. If you're anywhere near any oceans, a lot of the mail forwarding services started up to serve those who live nomadic lives on the water.

If you're in the mid-west they might be harder to find.

I had one in Green Cove Springs Florida.

 

[Patrick46]

Considering it will cost me no money and only a couple of minutes of time to make a local phone call, why wouldn't I make it?

Since the OP was based on the employee's point of view, I thought I could shed alittle light from an employer's point of view on the question.

Again...I don't care where you live, as much as 'can you do a good job? Do you really have the experience/background that you claim to on your application, and lastly, are/were you a good honest, hardworking employee that got along with the others???

I'll bet you never made a prospective employee submit to a piss test for drugs, either, but more and more companies are doing it.

Nope....but if my employee ever showed up with red eyes and sloppy speech and mannerisms...I'd give him 2 choices. Pee test or hit the road. What you do on weekends is your own affair.

 

[Kroswind]

As others have said, a PO box is your best bet. If by some off the wall chance they ask you about it, just claim you've recently moved into the area and are still in the process of getting an apartment/permanent address, etc. You can even use a PO box on your license if need be. Just put down the address of the post office and use the box's number as your apartment number. I dont think anyone will typically ask any questions about it.

I do have a question of my own though. Does anyone use temp agencies? This has been my plan for quite some time, as I live in a pretty economically depressed state that doesnt offer many diverse employment opportunities, or, well, employment opportunities in general. I have been planning on traveling from state to state, signing up at different temp agencies and working there for weeks or months at a time, saving money, then proceeding to live off the generate income for weeks or months at a time, then go to another state and repeat. Has anyone else done anything similar? I'm interested to see if this plan would actually work. As far as I can tell, I dont see why it wouldnt. Temp agencies seem to take just about anyone, and as long as you're willing to work, most of the time they can find you something to do. After all, the more people they get working, the more money they make, so it works out for both parties. Temp agencies seem to be all over the place these days since the economy has pretty much crashed, I dont think I'd have a hard time finding them, but I could be wrong. I figure I can pretty much pay all my bills online these days, so im not too worried about having a permanent address. My goal is to maximize my time off, and temp agencies seem like a great way of picking and choosing my work and working on my own terms. If I hate a particular job and can afford to, I can just walk away without any repercussions and start over doing something else. Of course, I'm not above biting the bullet and staying there for a while if I absolutely have to. Let me know what you think.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Temp agencies are a good place for short term work, but usually you will find them in larger cities. Also use the skills you all ready have for work now, and you can also find work in tourist towns in the summer months also. Paying bills online is no problem now, I pay all mine online except for my land payments which I would have to pay an extra $15 to pay online or $20 by phone so I just do it the old fashion way by mail for 45 cents.

 

[Kroswind]

I plan on sticking to larger cities/more urban areas. Rural areas seem like a waste of time as theres usually no work and no place to park. I dont really have any skills or work experience, and I'm not some die-hard job hunter so I'm not gonna go around posting my relatively blank resume everywhere. Like I said before, I'm doing this to maximize my free time, so I only particularly want to work when I absolutely have to. I want to go the temp agency route for that very reason: its only temporary. I dont want/need permanent employment, as I'll probably keep moving around for a while. I've never had any luck with craigslist jobs here, and I'm sure I wont have any luck with them on the road. Temp agencies are my only option, but as long as it works, thats all I'm concerned with.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

ive done temp work, both professional and day labor, its a great option especially if you dont have a lot of experience yet!

 

[Ariel]

I wouldn't write off Craigslist while on the road - anyone looking for temporary or seasonal help will list there.  College bookstores need temp parking attendants and cashiers before quarters start, there's pumpkin and tree sellers seasonally, paint prep gigs... things you won't find elsewhere and might be just the sort of short-term cash infusion things you'll be looking for.  Cleaners and servers are jobs with rapid turnover that won't blink an eye if you leave after a month or two, either.  If CL isn't working for you where you are currently, it may very well have more to do with your location than with you.  

I'm somewhat lucky in that my industry typically has specialized temp agencies in major cities with whom I can get in touch for short term work - but that's just major cities.  I'll be hoping for the best in rural areas, which is where I want to spend the majority of my time. I'll likely just fill the coffers in cities so I can spend my time how I like elsewhere.  Camp hosting sounds lovely, but seems like it can be a pretty major time commitment in prime travelling season.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Krosswind: Do consider learning a skill it will help you get higher paying jobs so when you want to travel you will have more money and more time to travel. I have learned a few skills in my lifetime and don't regret the time I put into it, it has helped to get better paying jobs. I plan on adding one more endorsement to my drivers license so I can drive buses. There are many seasonal jobs transporting tourist around in the summer months. With good pay I will be able to save money for when I get laid off at the end of the season and also collect unemployment for the winter.