Tips for looking for a job in another city
Do you find yourself in relocation mode? Maybe the town in which you currently live is not exactly a hotbed of IT. Or maybe you’ve developed a crush on someone you encountered on Facebook and stalking would be much easier if you lived in the same town. Whether your goal is practical or creepy, here are some tips for looking for a job in another region.
If you’ve already picked the place
- If you’ve got the area picked out, but don’t have any specific jobs targeted, utilize online job boards. Many of them allow you to target specific geographic areas.
- Check your LinkedIn contacts for people who live or work in the area you’re interested in. Not only can those people give you the “real” scoop on the area that you may not be privy to as a non-citizen, but they may know of job openings or people in the same field as you.
- Develop contacts with professional and alumni associations in this new area. If you already belong to professional organizations in your current town, ask if there are chapters located in the target town.
If you’ve found a job that you would relocate for
So let’s say you’ve isolated a position that you would love to have and be willing to relocate for. You have to be a little careful when crafting your resume and cover letter. Employers might shy away from you if they see that you must relocate to take the job–erroneously believing they would have to pay for your relocation.- A good tip is to leave your current address off your resume.
- If you have any connection at all to the region, mention it in your cover letter. If you’re definitely going to relocate to the area because of, say, a spouse’s job transfer, mention that.
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