Out-of-State Job Searching

Long-distance job-searching is both an art and a science. There are certain strategies you should follow — that’s the science — but sometimes getting a job offer (or offers) before you actually move is the art — your finesse at finding opportunities, phone interviewing, and more — and sometimes, it’s just pure luck.

Let’s look at the basics of looking for a job in NC when you live in NJ. I assume you have a specific city or region in North Carolina, correct? So what can you tell me about the major employers? Have you contacted each of these firms? You can easily find these companies through any number of sources, including state government or economic-development Websites, local chambers of commerce, local phone books, geographic-specific job books, and more. Once you made a list of these companies, did you contact them directly or through their Websites? Have you looked into local chapters of professional organizations or clubs that you currently belong to — or that you want to join? Have you contacted your alma mater’s career-services or alumni offices to get contacts of alums living in that area of North Carolina? Have you visited the Website of the local newspaper(s) and/or subscribed to the print version? Have you looked into recruiters? Have you used North Carolina-specific job sites, such as the North Carolina Job Bank? Have you actually traveled down there and established some contacts?

As you can see, there are lots of strategies for tackling a long-distance job search. Now, if you want all the details and specifics, along with links and other resources, please read our article, New City, New Job: How to Conduct a Long-Distance Job Search.