You have just decided to find a new position. Among the myriad of things to consider is how much money is needed to find your next job.

Here are some considerations, but you may come up with other costs that are unique to your situation:

MOVING EXPENSES. This can be as simple as finding a pick up truck from a friend (cost: pizza and alcohol) to renting a truck ($300-500 per 150 miles) to a professional mover doing all aspects of the move ($5,000-8,000 from one coast to the other).

Most employers will reimburse some part of your moving expenses, whether you do it all or a use a professional mover. Almost always, you must provide a receipt for each expense. Your time in moving is therefore not reimbursable. This is important to know because the benefit package or the offer will usually give a maximum amount. This amount is almost never given just for showing up for work on the first day: only receipts count. (The IRS's requirements for bookkeeping are funny like that.)

The worst experience I know of involved a PA who lived in California and accepted a position in a Northeastern state. To same money, he and his wife rented a large U-Haul truck, loaded the truck themselves, and drove 2000 miles accross country. They budgeted $2,000. The trip took three days longer than planned because the truck could only go up mountains at 30-35 miles per hour. When they added up their receipts they had spent about $4,000!

Moving expenses related to new employment and paid by you are deductible from Federal Tax Returns. Those paid by the new employer are excludable from taxable income. Remember that many employers will ask for two or more estimates for professional moving services.

TELEPHONE. These costs can be lowered by just asking employers and recruiters if they have an 800 number, as many do but do not give it unless asked. The long distance rate for your phone in the evening is usually 10-11 cents a minute, whatever the carrier used. This compares with the 20-26 cents a minute during business hours that most of us pay.

INTERVIEW EXPENSES. Most employers will reimburse you for all or part of reasonable interview expenses. This can be as simple a check for mileage, to as complex as reimbursement for all expenses that have a receipt, including mileage, plane fare, food, and overnight lodging.

Some employers consider you as professional staff, and extend the same courtesies as given to physicians, such as a limo at the airport or reimbursement for a rental car.

I believe it is important to know what costs will be covered or reimbursed by the employer before agreeing to a face to face interview. Poor communication is endemic during position interviews. A wonderful job offer can be tainted when you discover after the interview that the employer would only pay for half of your plane ticket or none of your interview lodging expenses. Conversely, it is common and fair for a PA to schedule multiple interviews in another state and only ask employers to reimburse an equal share of the travel expenses.

MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES. Resume layout (some recruiters offer free of charge), resume paper (not as important as once was because many are now faxed), and postage costs are small costs to consider.

You may have to fax a resume, references, or copies of airline tickets to an employer or recruiter. Typical costs at a print shop (Insty Prints, Kinko's, etc.) to send a fax can be as high as $4.00 for the first page, and then $1-4 for subsequent pages. This is for faxes you send or receive. You may wish to be creative and ask your accountant or lawyer (or one in your neighborhood) how much they would charge.

Indirect cost to consider are your current retirement plans. Before you decide to look for a new position you may wish to thoroughly investigate the plans under which you are now covered: defined benefit, 401K, 403B, TSA, TBA, etc. You may find that you are not yet vested and need to stay with your current employer a little or a lot longer.

Vested means that some of the retirement money is yours. Full vesting means that you are entitled to 100% of the moneys set aside for you in the plan. Space does not allow a full discussion here of retirement plans. Consider gathering all the information on the plans under which you are covered, and then discussing your options with your accountant. It is always a good idea to also have your accountant (and attorney) review job offers before you accept them, for the same reason.

You may spend $100-200 to have this information reviewed, but could save thousands based on their advice. In my experience, very few Pas are familiar with retirement plans. It could be a financial disaster for you to leave a position after four years, only to discover that your current employer's retirement plan only provides for full vesting after five years of service. This type of mistake can literally cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars when you reach retirement age.