7 ways to find a job in your new city… even before moving.

• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

Lifehacker published a very interesting article a few days ago under the title “How Do I Find a Job In a New City?”  Moving from town to town, from country to country… there’s not much of a difference when everything comes down to finding a job. I wanted to share this article with you, so you can find here new ideas that may be helpful to you.

Learn as much as possible about your new city. This one may be a no-brainer, but it’s important. You know try to know your new city as well as you can, so when you apply to work at companies you’ve never visited, you have an idea where they are in town and how you’ll go about getting to them. Understand nearby eateries and hotels, and travel time required to get there from wherever you may stay in town.

Use area-specific job search sites. Many local newspapers have their own area-specific job search sites, and areas that are homes to specific industries (like Washington DC with the Federal government and Silicon Valley with technology) are also home to job search sites that cater to those industries and professions. Start with the local newspapers and see if they have their own job search sites, and you’ll likely find other local job sites from there.

Check local colleges/universities and visit their career centers. Even if you’re not a student or a graduate, a number of local community colleges and universities operate career centers that can help newly relocated talent find industries either at the school or in the surrounding area find work. Many will even broker your job applications or work to schedule interviews, but at the very least they can serve as a lead to help you find companies that are hiring in the area you want to live.

Visit more than once, and specify in your applications when you’ll be in town. This tip will work best when you’re submitting real applications to individuals that you know will look at them, but if you let your potential employers know in advance that you’ll be in town during a given week or on certain days and you’d love to meet with them if that works for them, you can take the hassle out of them trying to schedule around your travel, or having to make arrangements to fly you into town for an interview.

Specify when you’re moving in your applications, note you won’t need relocation assistance. This one is a double-edged sword, but since you said you were planning to make the move anyway, you can give yourself an edge when applying for a job you really want by saying you won’t need the company’s help relocating. Some companies wouldn’t offer it anyway, but it does make you more competitive than someone who needs the help to move to a new city. If you know the company offers it, obviously don’t tip your hand early, but if you want a trump card, noting that you’re already planning to move, will be in-town permanently on a specific date, and you don’t need help with your moving expenses may do the trick.

Get a PO box or enlist a friend for their address. A PO box, or in some cases a throwaway street address in the city you plan to live (often offered by FedEx/Kinkos or UPS stores) can also give potential employers the impression that you’re already settled in town even if you still live far away and you’re conducting a long-distance search. You can also use a friend who lives in town for their address and have any job-search related correspondence sent to their address and they’ll pass it forward to you. This trick is especially useful if you really want to apply at a company or for a job that specifically says no resumes with out-of-state addresses should apply.

Find and target specific companies aggressively. Moving to a new city gives you new opportunities to network. Find companies in the area that you’d like to work for, and then be proactive and reach out to their recruiters and HR staff. Follow the proper procedure and put in your applications appropriately, but don’t be afraid to say hello, introduce yourself virtually, note when you’ll be in town if they’re available to meet and talk, and make some connections. Even if you don’t land a job immediately, you’re building a network that might get you better ones once you’ve settled into your new home.

Source: Lifehacker – Do I Find a Job In a New City?