New Job Search in a New Town
Dear Deb,
Q. My husband and I recently relocated to the Northeast from California and I had to leave my job so he could get a promotion. I don’t have many contacts in this area and I have been submitting my résumé via the job boards; but I am having no luck. Do you have any recommendations to help me? With the economy the way it is, I am worried that I will not find work. J.S. – New Jersey
A. The first thing you should to do is make sure your résumé is as powerful as it can possibly be. Your cover letter also needs to be a well written marketing tool. The next item on your agenda should be your LinkedIn profile. You are going to need to do more networking with people you don’t know so your web presence must be strong. You may want to create a multimedia digital résumé or VisualCV.
Once you have all of your career documents in pristine condition, make a list of the companies that hold appeal for you. This may require some research, so use Google, Hoover’s. Glassdoor, Job-Hunt.org, and other internet resources. I find Superpages.com can be very helpful.
Once you have your list prepared (you will likely add and delete companies as you learn more), the next step in the process is to determine who the hiring managers are. You can do this by using LinkedIn and/or visiting the corporate about us page. Try calling a few of the companies to see if they will give you what is known as an “informational interview.” Since you are new to the area, you can explain that you are investigating different companies and want to learn more about them. This method will require a lot of knocking on doors; but the effort may be well worth it.
Join area networking groups, volunteer, and participate in local chapters of professional associations. Relying solely on job boards is a passive search strategy that will not likely yield the best results. You need to be proactive to drive the process.
If you have a question for Debra Wheatman, please email debra@careersdonewrite.com or visit us at http://careersdonewrite.com.