Relocation to the US during the pandemic
I joined ELEKS more than 14 years ago. Over the course of my career here, I have worked in a variety of roles. The majority of my experience was in project management, and in 2018 I was promoted to Delivery Manager. My work has had me traveling at least a few times a year, mostly to the United States, the United Kingdom, and even the United Arab Emirates.
I remember my first business trip to the US back in 2011. I worked with a customer in Atlanta, GA, so Georgia was the first state I visited. I made over a dozen more trips to the US, which took me all around the country — California, Louisiana, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Nevada, among other places. I had a chance to spend several months in Atlanta, GA, and Palo Alto, CA in 2014–2015 consulting for customers, so I learned a lot about the culture, communication, and lifestyle, as well as how to do business in America. It was probably then that I understood that it would be a good idea to move to the US to work for a while to gain that new experience and improve my skills.
Last year the company made the decision to move North American Account Management closer to their customers. I took advantage of the opportunity and successfully applied to become an Account Manager; now I’m leading one of the North American business units and responsible for about a dozen accounts on the East Coast of the US and Canada. Customer satisfaction and success are our main objectives, and I need to do my best to help them grow their business together with ELEKS.
Why Atlanta?
The company doesn’t have an office on the East Coast, so I was able to choose any place for my settlement in the region — Boston, New York City, Washington DC, Orlando, or Miami. My wife and I decided to move to Atlanta for the next year. Certainly, some people will wonder why Atlanta, instead of somewhere more “exciting” and “dynamic”; but there were a few reasons for our choice. First of all, the climate and environment are just what we’re looking for. Atlanta has a comparatively warm and mild winter, and there is a lot of green space in and around the city: parks, trails, forests, a short drive to the mountains, and only a few hours from the coast.
Second, the geography is very convenient. A few key accounts are within a few hours’ drive in North Carolina and Tennessee, and the Atlanta airport is the busiest in the country, so traveling to other customers (or even for leisure) is very convenient.
Finally, Atlanta is very livable, particularly for us. Aside from the cost-of-living benefits, which alone are significant, the city atmosphere revolves a lot more around family and community than many other cities. Over the course of my previous travels to the States, I built a number of connections in Atlanta, many of whom have become friends; and by coincidence, one of my best friends also lives here!
COVID-driven decisions
My wife and I got our visas approval in early March 2021 and were planning to move to the US in May. Lockdown in Ukraine and the USA happened a few days later. It caught us off guard, and we had to postpone our relocation for an indefinite time.
Before the pandemic I mostly worked from the office. We worried that after relocating, the two of us would be together 24/7. Despite all of the problems the COVID lockdown brought, it also gave us the opportunity to prepare for that lifestyle while we were still in Ukraine. We learned how to share the space, plan our calls with colleagues and customers, even book time for lunch and dinner in our calendars to better plan our working day.
A few months later we realized that COVID-19 isn’t going away any time soon. It doesn’t matter where we are, Ukraine or the United States: if you just follow the simple rules, you stay safe. We were concerned about the 12-hour flight because of the large number of people locked in one aircraft, but considering the fairly low risk of being infected during the flight we accepted it. We agreed to move by the end of October to get settled before the end of the year and be ready to start 2021 with new goals and targets. It wasn’t an easy decision, as all of our friends and family are still in Ukraine. My wife has never been to the United States before; I wasn’t sure if she would like this new and unusual world. In addition, as only my visa includes permission to work, she wouldn’t have a job.
Welcome to the US
The first week was a bit complicated because of jet lag. I woke up at 3am and was tired every afternoon. We got tested for COVID-19 on our first day and fortunately the result was negative. The procedure was quick and didn’t require any pre-registration. You just need to find the closest location, drive there, and get your testing kit. The procedure only takes a couple of minutes and the results are sent in the email in 3 days. Of course, it’s free of charge here.
The first thing everyone needs to do after relocating is get a Social Security Number. Unfortunately, most of the governmental offices are closed for visitors now, as well as the Social Security Office. I was instructed by phone to send our documents by mail, and we became those aliens in a foreign country without our documents. Two weeks later they said that I was misinformed and need to get an appointment to visit them in person. They sent the documents back and I wasted two weeks.
Finding a house or apartment to rent is absolutely different here. You can schedule a self-tour and they will just send you a passcode to open a smart lock on the door. In most cases, the houses and apartments don’t have any furniture, so you have a choice: to buy your own or rent a furnished house for a higher price. Each time you apply for a property, you need to pay an application fee. They do a background check and credit score check and could easily decline those who have just moved to the country, as the history is empty. Landlords prefer residents with a high credit score, and even if you have money, it doesn’t mean you get approved for the home you want.
We spent a lot of time traveling around the city every day, miles and miles, 3–4 hours a day to find the best home for us. It was of course a top priority task. It had to be a home and an office, comfortable for work and regular everyday life, and of course in a safe and quiet neighborhood.
Usually, I get up at 6:30am here and start my working day early, which is common here in the United States. I work with my colleagues from Ukraine in the morning and with customers in the afternoon, so by 4pm my workday is over. This is absolutely different from in Ukraine, where I had to work late hours and sometimes have late calls. The new schedule suits us better, as there’s enough time after work for other activities, like sports, hiking, shopping, and learning more about this new culture.
We relocated just before the 2020 US elections. Georgia was one of the epicenters of the presidential race — 0.3% difference, just thousands of voices. Everyone was talking about that. Every conscientious citizen considered it his duty to put up a poster with the name of his candidate in his yard or window. The race is finally over and we got official results. Thankfully there have been no protests here. Not sure what we should expect next, but people seem mostly positive about it.
How about business?
Working within the same region with the customers is a huge benefit even during the pandemic. Most of our meetings are online, but the timeline for these meetings is much more flexible. It’s the same time zone, so you can react and reply to the emails the same day, or even just call them — phone calls are still pretty popular and common in this business world. Despite the fact that the offices are closed, you still can meet people outside. Informal or semi-formal meetings with clients are an integral part of successful cooperation. When you live in the same environment, it’s much easier to talk about some common things as elections, football, recent events, and news, as this is a part of your own life now. All of that helps to build a strong connection with your clients and to understand them better.
Right now the main focus is on growing existing accounts. Employees don’t need to visit the office anymore. The efficiency of those who work from home is the same, sometimes even better. People meet rarely and it doesn’t really matter if you’re in the same city or miles away. The time difference might be compensated by the cost difference and technical expertise, so as a result — better value for money.
As for the engagement of new businesses, all of the outbound campaigns have moved online. There are no conferences and events to visit in person. As we don’t meet new people, building the network is complicated. References from existing customers are almost the only way to get new qualified leads. Joining engineering communities and chambers of commerce could also help to generate new connections, but the conversion of such prospects is close to zero. The marketing strategy needs to be completely reviewed and changed for next year, and this is one of the key initiatives we’re working on right now.
It’s too early to judge whether my moving to the US will be beneficial for the company. We’ll see in a year or so. We are in the middle of the pandemic and it’s hard to predict what will change, even in the short term. Hopefully, the newly developed vaccine will help the world recover from COVID-19 and return (more or less) to normal.
I’m quite sure that the decision to move to the US was the right one, and I’m very optimistic about this experience. Believe in yourself, move straight toward your dream, and you’ll get it!
