Job-hunting in another city

Distance makes the job search harder and longer. If you want to find a job in another city, you must focus like a laser on it.

o Make as many contacts as you can, through church or school or professional organizations. The more people you know, the better.

o Read the newspapers in the new city, either online or at your library.

o Hop on the Internet and see what's there about your target town. Are want ads posted there? Does the Chamber of Commerce have a web site? You can get lost cyberdoodling, so your new best friend should be the librarian, who can make your search more efficient.

o Visit. Take several trips at different times of the year. Stay more than a day or two, and keep your critical eye open. Do you like the middle school, the hot summers, the afternoon gridlock, the grocery stores? See if the reality matches the dream.

o In some fields, things move so quickly you could be inquiring on the Internet today and calling the moving vans next month. Most people will find it takes twice as long to find a job in a new city.

Most of my clients find they just have to move there. You may be a desirable commodity and companies will fly you in and out, and pay for your move. You may also find they want you to pay any travel and re-location expense; you're just a commodity to them. "Call us when you move here," they will often say. If you have family, that's a tough decision. One client went out west while his wife stayed in the midwest. Once the house was sold several months later, she moved out with him (they were committed to the relocation). She found a job right away; he was in the unemployment line for two more months.

This isn't easy. Go into it with your eyes open and your rent money in hand.

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Rose Jonas, Ph.D.
The Job Doctor
jobdoc@aol.com
www.jobdoctoronline.com