Katrina writes:
I am looking to relocate to another state shortly, and am interested in advice for job hunting in another state. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Long-distance job-hunting is a bit more difficult and requires a bit more planning, but should not be much more difficult than job-hunting locally — especially if you use the right tools for your job search.
Your first step is to devise an overall strategy for relocating, including job-search methods, timing, a relocation budget, and planning for any scouting trips in advance of your move.
Your job-search methods should include identifying key employers in your new locale. Develop a targeted list of hiring managers and mail off cover letters and resumes. Contact your college’s alumni office and get a list of alumni who live in your new locale and contact them and ask for assistance. Contact your college’s career services office and see if they have reciprocal agreements with any colleges located in your new locale; if so, contact those colleges. Use your current network to see if any of them have connections to your new locale. Contact the local chapter of any professional organizations that you belong to and use those resources to build your network and job-hunt. Consider contacting headhunters/recruiters in your new locale. Use geographic-specific job sites for your new locale. Start a subscription or start reading online the new locale’s newspaper(s).
Once you have a number of job leads, plan a scouting trip to meet with potential employers and to conduct more networking and researching.
For more help with a long-distance job-search, please read this article published on Quintessential Careers: New City, New Job: How to Conduct a Long-Distance Job Search. And for some quick tips, read: Long-Distance Job Search Do’s and Don’ts.
Bill writes: Hi. My current job will be ending in late October, so I’ve been busy doing the things job-seekers should do. Since I would really like to relocate, I’ve sent out covers and resumes all over the country. I’m looking primarily for an academic job (teaching, academic or career counseling, etc.) in a community college or university. I would also consider a trainer position at either a for profit or non-profit organization.
To date, I’ve sent out 68 customized cover letters and resumes. I’ve individualized each one, so hours have been spent on this. Since I have an MA in English, I make sure there are no typing errors or anything that might turn a recruiter or HR person off. I’ve tried to achieve a balance of professionalism and a personal touch.
I’ve received no interviews or even telephone responses. Thinking that perhaps employers are hesitant to risk interviewing out-of-towners, I’ve also sent quite a few resumes to local employers — to no avail.
I suspect that a lot of the problem lies in the fact that my resume lists my educational background in English and foreign language (French), but my experience of the last few years indicates employment that has little to do with my training in English. Even though I try to emphasize my versatility in my cover letter, I’m getting the sinking feeling that I’m being boxed into a social-services category. Any suggestions? As for follow-up, very few give telephone numbers and many specifically say that they do not want any phone calls.
The Career Doctor responds: You may not like some of what I have to say, Bill, but just remember that you did ask for my help.
First, let me say that you have been doing many things correctly — so that’s good — but if you recall from my discussion of the Domino Effect, your job search will have a much less chance of succeeding unless ALL of your job-hunting tactics are working properly…and I think you have a few problems.
I’m a little worried about your attitude/outlook. While you generally sound positive, there’s an undercurrent I sense in your letter that may just be frustration, but it may be something more negative. Please explore this issue carefully. I call it job-search karma, and it’s almost as if employers can sense it a mile away. The other thing to remember is that job-hunting is often streaky; you may be in a rough streak right now, but a good streak could be just around the corner (especially with my advice)…so hang in there.
OK. My advice. Let’s talk about the jobs you are seeking. From looking at the job listings, are you qualified for these positions? If you are qualified, have you written your resume in such a way to tailor it to each job/position? Are you just applying to job postings — or are you also doing a direct-mail campaign and using your network? Job-seekers cannot simply rely on job listings to find a new job.
Next, are you writing to the hiring managers? Forget the HR departments. When writing to a community college, are you writing to the head of the English department? It’s fairly easy to get the names of the hiring managers for any job in any organization — it just takes some time. Make sure — for future job searches — that you send your job-search package to the proper persons.
Finally, follow up. I don’t care what the ad says or what your personal preferences are. You simply MUST follow-up ALL job leads. There is no excuse. Employers who say no phone calls do so because they don’t want to answer large quantities of inquiries, but following-up a cover letter and resume is different from calling to apply for the job. Following up shows your interest in the job. And for those employers who don’t list their phone numbers? Look them up! Call information, go online, get the phone number and follow-up! Read more about follow-up in the Domino Effect. You can also find more resources in the Job Search 101 tutorial found on Quintessential Careers.
S. G. writes: We live 60 miles from a large city. My husband is applying for jobs nationwide, with not much luck. My question is: Should we move to an area that has more publication positions available? If so, can you tell me where to find information on publishing companies location?
First, let’s address the issue of job-hunting and researching companies. Since your husband has a specific set of skills for a specific type of company, you need to conduct research on where these companies are located. Because of my background, whenever someone says publishing, I think of magazines, but there are many types of publishing companies. My first suggestion is to develop a list of companies and locations. Contact the industry trade association and see about getting a membership directory. For book publishers, contact the Association of American Publishers; for magazine publishers, contact the Magazine Publishers of America. For other types of publishers, you can easily find a trade association by using, for example, Google.com. You can find even more resources in our Guide to Researching Companies, Industries, Countries.
Second, there’s the issue of a long-distance job-search. Since you live some distance from potential employers, your husband is going to need to work harder and smarter to locate employers willing to discuss job possibilities. Once you’ve identified a set of companies, the next step is getting the name of the hiring manager at each company; do not settle for someone in human resources — you need the name of the hiring manager. If the companies are concentrated in a few locations, you might consider planning trips to these locations — where you can do further research and go on job interviews. While it is always easier to search for a job where you live, I would strongly caution against relocating without having any kind of job offers. You can read more tips in our article, New City, New Job: How to Conduct a Long-Distance Job Search
One final suggestion about methods for researching employers. Our article, Researching Employers through Informational Interviews, takes a unique approach to conducting employer research — and includes some great strategies and tips for gathering in-depth research about prospective employers.
Rose writes: I am currently a New Jersey resident and have been employed by Prudential for the past 15 years in an administrative capacity. I am looking to relocate to North Carolina in the immediate future and have been job hunting online unsuccessfully for a few months. Can you give me some advice on securing a position in another state. Thanks.
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.
Greg writes: I just moved from San Francisco to Laguna Beach and I have no job. It has been six months and I’m worried that it is hurting my search. I also am finding it hard since I do not know a soul down in this area. What do you suggest doing? I was going to pay an executive-search company, but it seems very expensive for something I can probably do myself. What about headhunters? It seems they all want you to post your resume. I want someone that I can sit and discuss my experience and work with closely. Is this possible without paying someone?
I am going to give you some quick guidelines for getting your job-search back on track, but because space is limited, may I suggest you take the time to read our article on Quintessential Careers, New City, New Job: How to Conduct a Long-Distance Job Search.
The first thing you need to do is sit down and devise a detailed job-search strategy. Set a goal to accomplish at least two or three job-search activities daily. Identify the key companies and hiring managers for your area of expertise. Join at least one professional organization and one community organization — and get to work networking. Contact friends, family, and associates from San Francisco and see if any of them have connections in Laguna Beach. If you attended college, contact the career services office and see about job-search help for alums — including potential alum network contacts in Laguna Beach. Contact some of the colleges and universities in the area — I know UC Irvine is only about 10 miles away — and see if they offer any kind of career assistance. Put the recruiter contacts you’ve made to work harder — or find other headhunters who will work for you. Check geographic-specific job sites. Watch the Sunday classifieds and other resources for job-postings.
If you read the article and put into place all the suggestions I outlined in the previous paragraph, you should be closer to at least getting job interviews. If you are not getting any offers after you’ve interviewed, then you’ll need to examine your interviewing techniques. Go to the interviewing resources section of Quintessential Careers for help.
Orlando writes: I have recently moved to New York City. I have 4 solid years of Web development/programming and design experience. I have also worked 2 years, out of the 4 years, as a web-development consultant. On top of my experiences and skills, I am still pursuing my first bachelor’s degree in computer information systems.
For some reason, I am experiencing difficulties in finding a job in New York. I have been sending resumes for more than a month now and generated only one interview, but another candidate was selected. I was wondering if this is because I don’t have my degree yet or is it my resume? How long does it usually take, on average, for someone to hear from companies?
Please help me. I would really appreciate any suggestions you can give me on how to get interviews with companies.
The Career Doctor responds: Job-hunting is all about marketing and selling — and being more aggressive in hunting down job opportunities than other job-seekers. One of your biggest problems is a common one among job-seekers — applying for jobs and then sitting back waiting for the phone to ring. And as you have discovered, job-hunting just does not work that way. You need to get on the phone (or via email if you applied for jobs using email) and call every company you have not heard from and see what the status of your application is — and ask for interviews where appropriate.
I don’t know what method you are using to find job leads, but if you are relying only on job ads — either job postings on Web sites or in help wanted ads in New York area newspapers — you need to move your job search up quite a few gears. Have you joined any professional or social organizations since you moved to New York? Do you have friends or family in New York? I ask because networking is the best method to find strong job leads.
Learn more about networking by going to Quintessential Careers: The Art of Networking.
Don’t get discouraged, but don’t sit at home waiting for a phone call. Pound the pavement. Make your own opportunities.
Finally, one other great source for understanding the importance of marketing in job-hunting is my article: Using Key Marketing Tools to Position Yourself on the Job Market.
Jean writes:
My husband changed positions twice during the past few years, resulting in unanticipated moves; these moves resulted in my separation from the workforce for two years. Now, my new location does not have opportunities in my old profession and I have limited networks, so I am considering a career change. How would you suggest a person begin networking in a new field when they have no local contacts? Can you advise any book or site that documents the progress of individuals who make significant re-careering decisions in their mid-30s to 40s?
I would also like to point out that my experience as an older career changer is daunting because there seems to be a trend towards increased credentialism over the past year that makes retraining longer and more costly. In particular, do you know of any list that shows the best jobs for older workers?
The Career Doctor responds:
Lots of great questions here, and let me try to address each briefly.
Career change — at any age — is daunting. It takes a lot of hard work, planning, and execution, but career change is very possible. We have a whole collection of career-change resources on our site, located here: Job & Career Resources for Career Changers. And the best book on career change, in my opinion, is David Helfand’s Career Change: Everything You Need to Know to Meet New Challenges and Take Control of Your Career (McGraw-Hill).
Tips for building a network in a new career field? Start with informational interviews. Identify mid-level professionals working in your new career, and ask if they would be willing to spend some time talking about their careers. Just about everyone loves talking about themselves, so most will agree to meet with you. Not only are you building your network by meeting with these folks, but you can also ask each person you interview for suggestions on how to build your network… and it all grows from there. Volunteering and searching out organizations are also other great ways to build your network (and gain experience). Learn more in this Informational Interviewing Tutorial on Quintessential Careers.
Finally, credentialing. Your observation is correct. Certification programs have proliferated enormously in the past several years. At a minimum, nearly 1,600 certifications are available, according to the definitive directory on the subject, the Certification and Accreditation Programs Directory. Learn more in this article published on Quintessential Careers: Certifiably Empowering: Hot Fields in Which Certification May Boost Your Career.
Delia writes:
I am planning to move back to California from Utah to be closer to my family. How do I address that relocation in the cover letter without it seeming as though there are professional problems?
The Career Doctor responds:
Why do you need to say anything? In your cover letter — or in the interview — you simply need to say you are relocating for personal reasons. But with people on the move all the time, changing geographic locations should not be an issue.
Now, get focused on the more important issue: your strategy for finding a new job before you relocate. Start contacting those in your network — especially back in California — and let them know you are relocating and looking for a new job back in California. Then, get on the Web and do some research on the types of jobs, companies, industries where you want to work.
David writes:
My home and family are here in Oklahoma City…
Why is it that nearly every recruiter or job search agent’s first words after “hello” are either “relocate” or the name of some other city?
This happens even though I have indicated in my resume objective I am looking for work in Oklahoma City…
Am I just a piece of meat who gets the recruiter a better commission for forcing me to relocate, regardless of job openings in the city where I already live?
The Career Doctor responds:
David, recruiters are paid by employers for placement, not by the job-seeker. So, while you may be looking for employment in Oklahoma City, the recruiters you’ve talked with may have clients elsewhere with needs that match your qualifications. Since I don’t know the type of job you’re looking for, your background, or current employment conditions in Oklahoma City for you’re a person of your talents and skills, it’s hard for me to offer any better answer.
But here are a few broad suggestions. First, how many recruiters have you spoken with? Are you talking to generalists or specialists to your industry/profession? I’ve worked with some great recruiters and then others who seemed more suited for selling cars, so you may be on a stretch of bad luck … or there are simply better opportunities for someone such as yourself outside your area.
Check out Oya’s Recruiter Directory for some new leads on recruiters. Second, I would suggest going the networking route — either through a professional organization or civic organization — or your existing network of friends and associates; surely, these networks are a great place to get some help in finding a better job.
Finally, check out some of the general job sites, such as the one on Quintessential Careers, or any of the many others — both general and industry-specific — listed for you at Quint Careers.
Sheila writes:
Although I currently reside in San Francisco, I am planning to relocate to Indianapolis within the next 3 months (or so). My boyfriend suggested that I submit my resume with a cover letter to various companies in hopes of establishing a relationship and inquiring about employment opportunities. My problem is that, I just don’t know what specifically the cover letter should say. Can you please help me?
The Career Doctor responds:
A cover letter is an extremely important part of your direct-mail campaign. Before I get to cover letters, though, I want to make sure you have some overall strategy about relocating. You are smart to contact companies before you move, but you need a strategy in terms of the types of companies, finding the companies, and finding the right people to contact. And once you’ve sent out your cover letter and resume packages, you need to make sure you follow up and contact these people and try to get some interviews — either by phone or as soon as you get to Indianapolis.
In terms of a cover letter, here’s the short version. The cover letter is a crucial marketing document that must be directed to a named individual and create enough interest on the part of the potential employer to have him or her then look at your resume. You must create interest while also quantifying your qualifications for the position you seek. You must also demonstrate some knowledge of the company and stress what you can do for the company. Finally, you must request action — an interview.
The long version? Go visit Quintessential Careers: Cover Letter Resources, where you’ll find a cover letter tutorial, a do’s and don’ts of cover letters, and a cover letter formula, and much more.
And for more help with the relocation, check out this section of Quintessential Careers: Job-Seeker Relocation Resources.
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