Hi everyone,
I'll be moving to the Zurich area in February. Would it be a joke to employers there if I started applying to positions now? In my cover letter and newly "Swiss- ified" resume I mention how I currently have an A.1.2 level of German and I will be married to a Swiss citizen late this year so work permits should not be a problem.

Any suggestions? I am focusing my search heavily on pharmaceutical companies (I have a B.S. in Economics and my M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management)

I'm very excited to make the move!

Hi Alayna. It is not too soon at all. Things move much more
slowly in Switzerland which is a positive thing at times.

I would continue with the German. You might want to try a few
of the Goethe exams to beef up your German. The site is in
English as well.

www.goethe.de

I wouldnt mention the permit getting either. just tell them you have it when you want to start.

Interesting, I've gotten some mixed answers on if I should mention it in a cover letter. I just want to make it clear to employers that I'll be in town for at least five years and that I'll have a permit. Should I just say I will have a working permit by the time I move to CH?

Yeah, disregard Anthony1406's advice, he's completely wrong. Employers expect to see your permit status om your CV, and since it can be hard for an American to get a permit, it's very useful to mention that you'll have one! It reduces your chances of the CV being binned without consideration. I would even write "married to a Swiss as of dd/mm/yy" or such as your civil status (also expected on a Swiss CV).

Good luck!

This is a really tricky one IMHO. Is there a chance you could go
ahead and get a fiancée visa? It might give you a jumpstart on
looking for a job.

I would look for jobs and apply to them anyways.

Thought I have never heard of doing the "married to a Swiss as of date" thing, it might not be a bad idea.

There is no fiance visa. They are either treated as married or not. The best that can be done beforehand is to make sure all the paperwork is in order.

1) dont mention that you will be here "for at least 5 years", as that is considered short-term here.

2) do mention that you are married to a Swiss

3) remember that you only get one chance to make a first impression.

4) Hello and welcome to the forum.

Yes agreed, mention your marital status. 'Married to Swiss Citizen as of ....'

I have heard the exact opposite. Where do you get your information
from?

Thanks for the "5 years" tip, do you think I should still keep the line in my cover letter about my fiance pursuing his PhD at ETH to get some sort of long term- esque message communicated?

Personally, I don't think so. You write your best cover letter explaining
that you are the best for the job. No "I am staying 5 years" or "might
pursue PhD", IMHO.

Thanks for the info everyone. I am editing my cover letter and resume now. Here goes nothing...

just as FYI.. I always mentioned my having my permit in my cover letters and received at least two comments in interview that they were curious to talk to me to see how I obtained my permit so quickly ( ok , that was 10 years ago )

p.s.. say hello to Boston for me...this time of year I sometimes miss the place ( never in the winter tho )

Interesting to hear. I did put "Married to a Swiss as of..." and "Permit B status as of....". So far I've applied to about 7 jobs and no response, normal, but curious to see (if) when someone starts responding what they say about that.
As for Boston, I like the Fall and Spring better I get so hot in the city especially commuting. And for some reason I feel like there is less trash in the streets during the seasons other than summer.... But a cool summer's early morning/ evening is always perfect for a run alongside the Charles! I shall say hello for you

good luck.... I think I sent about 40 C.V.'s before I got so much as a nibble... I was getting abit discouraged.

I used to love cycling early evening along the embankment.. and scaring the holy bejeebers out of the joggers

40 CVs? i feel like that's nothing! I'm at 7. I got my first official rejection email, in a way I feel more legitimite now.

Cycling in cities scares me, but hopefully I'll get over that someday. The worst on the Charles are the tourists that rent those bikes from the Liberty hotel. I guess being able to ride a bike and stay on a straight path is something only New Englanders are capable of?

Liberty Hotel?.. thats the old charles st. jail isnt it' ? ( like I said I've been over here for a while now.. things change... )

In the IT drought post Euro/ Y2k I sent out around 800 c.v's most of the time I did not get an acknowledgement