Do you line up work before you move, or land first and search on the ground? I can see arguments both ways and I'm paralysed. What worked for you?
Landed first and searched on the ground. I think you interview noticeably better once you’re not visibly desperate about visa timing in the room.
Lined up work first — wouldn’t have had the risk tolerance to do it the other way around, personally.
Did a hybrid — several remote interviews lined up before arriving, final rounds done in person. Worked well for balancing both concerns.
Did anyone find employers hesitant to interview someone not yet in the country, or was that mostly a non-issue?
To Rajesh's question: yes, in my case several companies in Brussels wouldn't interview me until I had my residence card in hand, even though I already had the right to work through my wife's status. They weren't being unfriendly. HR simply didn't want the paperwork risk. Once I had the card, the same companies answered within a week. So I would say: search before you arrive, but expect the real offers to come after.
still looking over here, doing freelance bits in the meantime. samir's point about the card matches what i'm hearing too
Before, for me, and I'd do it the same way. I couldn't have handled the uncertainty on top of everything else.
Freelance, so I cheated. The clients came with me.