Relocating to Plano, TX – Any Job Leads or Networking Tips?
Posted by mcaptain01@reddit | plano | View on Reddit | 61 comments
Hey everyone,
I’m currently living in St. Louis, MO with my spouse and our two toddlers, and we’re planning a move to Texas, ideally to Collin County, with Plano at the top of our list. Before we make the jump, I’m trying to line up a job and could really use some advice or pointers from locals.
I’m a certified project manager with 7+ years of experience across multiple industries, so I’m open to opportunities in a variety of fields. I’ve been actively applying through LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter but haven’t had much luck so far.
If anyone has tips on where to look, companies to keep an eye on, or even networking groups in the area, I’d greatly appreciate it!
shineOmark@reddit
What is your field of experience?
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Telecom, supply chain, logistics, distribution. However open to any other field. Nice thing is PM skillets are pretty transferable.
shineOmark@reddit
Please, look at the following company websites:
Good Luck, looking forward to updates.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
This is a great list, thanks so much!
GheistHund374@reddit
Stay there if it's cheaper. Don't move here without a plan. Our population is aging in place, everything is expensive,, schools are consistently getting worse, and the economy is shitting the bed.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Absolutely, will be planning it thoroughly before we move out of here with our family.
Aggravating_Brief337@reddit
FedEx Office headquarters is here in Plano. Check there website and apply. Don’t look on job sites. Lots of scammers and fake profiles.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Will keep this in mind, thank you!
Aliecat78@reddit
Look into Tyler Technologies. They are based here in Plano. But you may also want to check out any of the new opening that may occur at TI that is being built in Sherman
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
They had a PM role which I applied for but unfortunately got rejected. I’ll continue to keep an eye out for any other opportunities there. Thank you!
thetruckboy@reddit
Look at local trade businesses. Stop applying through LinkedIn and zip recruiter and such.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
How do you look at local trade businesses?
thetruckboy@reddit
Google maps, localize the map over Plano and surrounding areas. Then start typing in electrician, HVAC, plumbing, etc. Or, start searching Google for trade contractors near Plano, Richardson, Frisco, etc. The businesses spending money on Google search results are worth seeking out.
Call them up and initiate a conversation.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Great idea, thank you very much!
derideesq@reddit
I've lived in Dallas my whole live but went to school at WashU and was in STL a total of 6 years (3 degrees). Very different cities, but both are friendly.
Good luck on the job hunt!
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I’ve done quite a bit of research and can already see there are clear differences between the two. However, from your perspective, what do you think are the most significant differences between them?
NeverGiveUp75013@reddit
What neighborhood would you be leaving in STL. Collin County 18 years. STL native.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
South county. How do you like it there vs living in STL?
NeverGiveUp75013@reddit
I left from South County, Oakville. Ringer and Forder. I’ve liked. It’s more active and social. Most aren’t native Texans. I live in Allen. North and East of Plano. It still has a smaller town feel for 115,000 residents. Diverse but socially more cohesive than Plano, Frisco and McKinney. Because, there is one massive HS. It’s like a modern Webster Groves. 5 times larger. Home prices in range for 250,000 to 1.4M. Excellent schools, parks and recreation. Strictly, zoned and planned. Very Midwest organized. You should check it out. It tries to stay off the radar. It’s never marketed itself as the hot new boom suburb like Frisco and McKinney. Traffic is less than the other 3.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Glad to hear that! I’ve heard of Allen and it’s been on our radar. How’s the commute from there to downtown Dallas if I end up getting a job out that way?
NeverGiveUp75013@reddit
Not any worse than Plano because you’re closer to the highway. The on and off interchanges are much easier to navigate, less crowed and move the traffic faster. I’ve you’re think downtown. You might consider the Dart rail if you’re commuting at normal office hours.
Definitely, don’t consider North of Allen. McKinney wasn’t built for their current or future traffic. Only consider SW McKinney near 121. Bottlenecks and not enough lanes East and West off 75. It’s faster to stay on 75 and go past it at rush hours to Melissa and Anna. Never considered Princeton. It’s a parking lot of traffic and no social or physical infrastructure.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Coming from St. Louis, adjusting to that level of traffic will definitely take some getting used to, so it’ll be important to look for areas without major bottlenecks and with easy access to highways. I really appreciate all the information, I’ll be keeping all of this in mind.
EaseLongjumping5733@reddit
We've had success finding employment with the Southlake Focus Group and Frisco Connect, as have our friends. www.southlakefocusgroup.com www.friscoconnect.org Good luck to you, and welcome to the Metroplex.
No_Counter4019@reddit
I was about to jump in and recommend these groups. They are a great resource with people that have deep connections. They’ve always been who I go to when I’m between jobs and they’ve always come through for me.
saplinglearningsucks@reddit
what type of industries?
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Telecommunication, IT, Supply chain and logistics. Open to any other industry that may be a fit.
Kindly-Might-1879@reddit
Intuit, Capitol One, Vizient, Dr Pepper
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Great list, will look into them. Thanks!
wes45454@reddit
Oncor the utilities provider I think is looking for project managers, and I know apex has lots of telecom projects, just unsure of their hiring and also they're not really Texas, I just know a few who work there remotely from Texas
BeekeeperZero@reddit
Richardson is the Telecom corridor and easy commute from Plano. Look at iFinity. It's a Fujitsu someone opening a new office and hiring. For IT if you have deep knowledge and experience with development there is still an OK demand for PMs.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
This is very helpful to know, thanks!
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Good to know, I’ll look into that. Thank you!
tanyasstre64@reddit
AT&T
goose-and-fish@reddit
Jabil is opening a new plant. They might need PMs.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Never heard of them, will definitely look into it though, thank you!
mrcmcpro@reddit
I make this same move in a couple weeks. Following
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
All the best, I’ve heard great things about Plano.
CrisisCommsChris@reddit
As an STL native approaching a dozen years in Plano, welcome @mcaptain01. I hope you love it. Lots of really good companies here: Toyota, JPMC, AT&T, SWA, AA, Caterpillar, and so many more. Where you work will absolutely dictate where you want to live. It’s far from the 20 minutes to anywhere commute. DM if I can be helpful in anyway.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Great suggestions, I’ll definitely look into them. I’m going to DM you.
edmonet@reddit
Ericsson has an office in Plano. They’re a telecommunications company
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
I’ve applied there but unfortunately I did not hear back, I’ll keep checking them out. Thanks!
shineOmark@reddit
There are several ‘Professional Network Events’ both in Plano and Frisco. Please research…GL
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
I will look into, thank you!
OkBox1870@reddit
Good luck! I’ve been in Plano for 8 years and have been happy here.
There are a lot of tech companies in Plano and the neighboring suburbs and the DART makes it easy to get to downtown Dallas where there are obviously even a ton more companies.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
That’s great to hear, thank you for the insight. I’ve been a bit hesitant in applying for jobs in downtown Dallas because of the commute/traffic. Definitely good to know that DART makes it easy.
ahava9@reddit
There’s lots of companies in DfW but the job market is very oversaturated right now. If you have prior experience, I suggest you try to use any connections you have to get your foot in the door. Use LinkedIn. I cold-messaged a Capital One recruiter and got a job interview. While I didn’t get the job, i did get lucky. I ultimately landed a job thanks to a preexisting connection with my former company president.
Good luck!
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Honestly, this is the way. Thank you for the reminder.
Skinnieguy@reddit
Your best bet is to google and map search all the corporations in the whole DFW area (you might want to work in sections). From there, go to their website and look up their open positions. Apply directly. There are tons of smaller companies that LinkedIn job crawling tool will miss. Best of luck!
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
Most of the jobs I’ve applied through LinkedIn takes me to the company web site. Isn’t that the same as going directly to the site? It’s very frustrating taking the time to film out the applications just to get a response back saying that my application was rejected or for whatever reason they’ve cancelled the position. But I know it’s part of the process, unless you have some solid connections.
BeekeeperZero@reddit
What's this job crawler tool? All I see are jobs posted direct by the company. Those are paid advertisements and promotions. Didn't think that LinkedIn would willing build features that are free and useful.
Skinnieguy@reddit
Idk if that’s the correct term but companies like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, etc goes and scrapes the internet looking for open positions. Then goes and filters them down to your search criteria. If they just gave you everything of your search results, you probably had hundreds of openings to look at. Anyways, to make it easier and for you to visit the site more often, they might only show you dozen or so every time you look.
On top of that, your search results may or may not match your actually job you can do. Since you’re a project manager, I bet you can do some product management, BA, product owner role, client services, etc too. Some companies may use different titles but for similar roles. Your search may or may not return those open positions.
Anywho, if you aren’t getting any results for linkedin types of sites, go google DFW companies and see what they are hiring for.
Just a warning, like everyone said, this is bad time to look for jobs, especially for PM.
BeekeeperZero@reddit
You called it the right thing but that is not how it works. Google is your best bet to get that result however things have changed once they started paid job promotions. Unfortunately LI will notnot do that. Aside from an initial "first one is on us" the clients have paid for everything you are viewing. You are 100% right on PMs and BAs. It's too broad of a term. Focus on what will get you interviews listed in their requirements. They are. With the oversaturation they can be uber picky and your resume has to smack them in the face for what they are looking for. This is not a new hiring trend. Just sucks having to go through this again and again.
tanyasstre64@reddit
I’m sad to say the job market is pretty bad right now. I’ve applied to around 250 jobs since June and though I’ve had some interviews they’ve been from companies that don’t pay a living wage. Good luck though
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
It certainly is very tough. All the best to you as well!
HiTop41@reddit
I learned applying directly to companies and not thru LinkedIn has had better results.
Honestly, there are so many companies that use PMs. It sucks, but honestly googling companies by different industries and checking their openings may be the right way to go.
DadDong69@reddit
5th street pizza is about it for St Louis style pizza in the area but that’s my recommendation
SanSoo@reddit
Shocking that no one outside of STL is excited about eating saltines with plastic melted on it. I worked in STL for years and hated every single time they ordered pizza. That cheese is a hate crime.
Prestigious-Oven3465@reddit
The job market is massively oversaturated down here, especially in anything tech related. I wish you the best and good luck, but try not to get your hopes too high for something to happen even remotely fast
stumpinandthumpin@reddit
Just stay out of the hood.
goonwild18@reddit
Unfortunately project managers are one of the first professions getting nailed in this declining economy. There's no region-specific advice here. I wouldn't come without a job - the safety net in TX, along with not knowing anyone could make things tough.
mcaptain01@reddit (OP)
It seems that way unfortunately. Absolutely, we will not make the jump without first securing a job.