A recent caller wanted to know how to search for jobs that are closer to somewhere else than to where he lives. I figure that if I’m going to tell him, I ought to share the same information with you.
There are barriers to conducting an out of town search and ways to overcome them:
Barrier: The prospective employer doesn’t want to interview someone who lives “somewhere else”. They don’t want to incur travel and lodging costs, believing that they can find talent locally and for less money.
What to do? If you’re willing to pay your own way: Attach a cover letter (whether emailing, faxing, or snail mailing, always include a cover letter) indicating that you will be in their city several times in the coming weeks and can modify your meeting schedule to accommodate a conversation with them. Ask for dates that are convenient for them.
Barrier: You don’t know who’s hiring and for what jobs in the city you want to live.
What to do? Whether from home or the library, get on the internet. Places like www.linkedin.com, www.monster.com and www.companiesonline.com have all kinds of information regarding businesses, their locations, size, and more. If you’d rather get your hands around hard copy, reliable sources include Dun & Bradstreet’s Million Dollar Directory and Standard & Poor’s Register of Corporations. Mary Alice Watkins, Business Services Specialist at the Greensboro Public Library, also suggests taking a look at Ward’s Business Directory, a collection that includes small to medium privately held companies.
Barrier: You’re not internet savvy and don’t want to be. You want to work on an out of town job search but feel limited.
What to do? As you can see from the above, there are plenty of resources for those who prefer to wrap themselves around a good read, even if it reads like a telephone book. However, and before leaving the computer/internet subject too quickly, there is help out there for you, should you choose to avail yourself of it. The librarians in business reference can assist you (as can many young children). It takes a little courage to be a novice but you’ll find it worth the humility and the effort. The information you can tap into will knock your socks off. And in the job hunt there’s an expectation now that 21st century workers need to be comfortable using computers and the internet.
What else can you do at the library? Ask for newspapers from cities you’d like to live. If they aren’t available in hard copy, you guessed it, find them on the internet.
While we’re on the subject of newspapers: check for more than what you’ll find in the classifieds. Quality of life counts. It counts even more when transitioning from where you’ve been to where you’re going. Are you well matched to the place you want to call home? What are the issues that editorials and news articles address? Do city leaders, movers and shakers dedicate time, interest, and budget to sectors that you believe are important? What’s the city’s economic base and is it healthy?
Barrier: You want to take a job in another city. Your spouse is hesitant but willing to go. The problem? The kids. Your spouse doesn’t want to uproot your young children from the schools and neighborhood in which they have grown comfortable.
What to do: Be mindful that your children listen to the spoken and silent messages that you send. If you and your spouse talk with them and listen to their needs, while providing security, stability, and practical optimism, you can reduce the unexpressed fears a transition can cause.
Barrier: You’re not sure how another city’s salaries compare to what you’re earning. You don’t want to sell yourself short or aim higher than the market will allow.
What to do: For salary surveys that report data at the national, state and metropolitan statistical area levels, go to http://stats.bls.gov/oes/oes_data.htm. If you’re looking for a web site that provides cost of living data (and more) for hundreds of U.S and foreign cities, log onto http://www2.homefair.com/calc/salcalc.html.
If you need more, ask you local librarian, they’ve always been helpful to me and to the job seekers I’ve worked with.
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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:
Joyce Richman (www.joycerichman.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.
