Recruiting for Houston
As a key production center for derivatives and specialty chemicals, Houston is a world leader in the chemical industry. Home to nearly 40 percent of the nation’s producers of basic chemicals, the Houston-Baytown-Huntsville area has an extensive infrastructure, which includes the world’s most elaborate pipeline network. As such, the region is home to 405 chemical plants (for nearly every major chemical company) that employ roughly 36,000 people.

Distinguished for its medical excellence, Houston is home to the world-renowned Texas Medical Center (TMC). Considered a “city within a city,” TMC is a growing collaborative of 59 not-for-profit member institutions that work together to promote the highest standards of patient care, research and education for medical, dental and nursing students. With 8 million patient visits per year, TMC is Houston’s largest single-site employer with more than 106,000 employees. Altogether, the 1,345-acre campus impacts the region with $25 billion in gross domestic product, and it is the eight largest business district in the entire United States. The largest medical complex in the world, TMC is revolutionizing health care and innovations in life sciences and needs top talent in all realms of the medical field to do it. With the city growing as it is, new hospitals and medical facilities continue to be built in the Houston area outside TMC as well, affording ample opportunities for health care professionals to find their fit.

For decades, Houston has played an important role in space exploration at the Johnson Space Center of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA). Despite the end to the Space Shuttle Program, NASA still a major focal point for the science and engineering that goes into U.S. manned space flight, particularly with the further exploration of space and missions to Mars. Tasked with the responsibility for the research, design, development and testing of the space vehicles, NASA also selects and trains astronauts and controls manned space flights. Opened since 1962, the 1,620-acre Johnson Space Center complex has been an international powerhouse of technological development, currently employing roughly 10,000 engineers, scientists and administrative personnel.

With its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico via the active Houston Ship Channel, Houston has solidified its spot as the top exporter city in the nation, even above coastal cities like New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle. Consistently ranking at the top of tonnage and traffic, Houston and its ports engage in an export industry that supports an estimated 400,000 jobs in Houston, and that number is growing.

Many other sectors account for significant industries in the Houston area as well. Support activities for the mining and logging industry offer many high-paying positions in Houston. With the influx of residents and visitors in recent years, the continued development of new buildings in the city mean that architectural and engineering services are in high demand as are top-notch professional educators. Situated near a 20-county coastal prairie agricultural region, Houston is a major center for international agribusiness center with a focus on marketing, processing, packaging and distribution of commodities, and with a number of major financial corporations headquartered in Houston, it ensures that financial service professionals have a solid foothold in the market. Houston also recently was rated the best city in the country for science and technology professionals, even outpacing Seattle and Silicon Valley, with a strong presence in computer software, electronics, engineering and nanotechnology.

A truly metropolitan city, Houston is a great place for workers from every career field and path to find something that meets their needs and fits their skillset.

TRAILING SPOUSES
For those of you whose spouse got that great new job in Houston that was worth moving your family across the country, you have become a “trailing spouse.” While you are excited for your spouse’s new career opportunity, often you now have to find a job of your own again without immediate corporate support. Although relocation is a difficult transition for the new executive, often it is even more difficult for the trailing spouse or domestic partner and the family, requiring them to adapt to a new community, new home, new schools, new friends and perhaps another new job, which can be critical for a successful relocation.

The career transition for a trailing spouse or domestic partner can be particularly challenging; they lack a local contact network and knowledge of the area’s economy and job opportunities, and that can lead to frustration with a long and scattered search. Following are some tips to help you in the job hunt if you’re a trailing spouse.

Keep Your Job. Consider asking your current employer about telecommuting or working in a local branch of your company (if applicable). If your job is done in front a computer for most of the day, your boss may be happy to keep you on board even in a different time zone. If that is not a practical long-term solution, ask about telecommuting for three months, which gives them time to find someone you and gives you income while you take time to look for a new job.

Ask Your Spouse’s Company. Lots of companies have spousal-relocation assistance, and if not, the company may be happy to help you anyway. It is in their best interest to make you happy because that means their new employee (your spouse) will be happier and more productive with the move. Some bigger companies may even give you job priority if they have a position that fits your skills (most often in a different department from your spouse).

   
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Chapters
Now that you’re relocating to the Houston area, ...
Thanks to a sound economy, Houston continues to ...
One of the highest priorities for relocating families ...
Once you’ve settled in to your new home, ...
Your Guide to Financing a Home Although a newcomer ...
Houston is known as being at the center ...
While Houston is the most populous city, the ...
As the fourth largest city in the United ...
Many Houstonians relate the slogan “work hard, play ...
In this chapter, you’ll find information on different ...
While just the thought of relocating can be ...
Finding Your Home in the Houston Area When Houston ...
Staying Organized Before The Move You’ve just received exciting ...
Buying an Existing Home and Making It Yours While ...
If you are relocating to the Houston area, ...
So you have decided to move to Houston, ...
As expansive as the Houston region is, many ...