tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1941322565239180106.post-78042243885471824862007-11-16T10:36:00.000-08:002007-11-16T10:38:50.132-08:00Long-distance job hunting poses a unique set of challenges and therefore deserves special<br />consideration.<br /><br />1. Employers prefer to hire familiar faces. Although you know that you are not a visitor<br />from outer space—just another city or state—you may be perceived as an alien<br />from another planet. To overcome this perceptual barrier, you will need to familiarize<br />yourself with the city’s landscape and resources.<br /><br />2. If you already have contacts in your target location, recruit them as allies in your job<br />search. Ask them to send you a copy of the local telephone directory and provide<br />you with the names of major newspapers, business directories, or locale-specific job<br />search books.<br /><br />3. Don’t worry if you don’t have contacts in your target location; you can gather this<br />information yourself by contacting the local Chamber of Commerce to obtain business<br />directories and any other available information.<br /><br />4. If you currently live in a city with a good library, the business librarian (or any<br />librarian who is familiar with the library’s job search and business resources) can<br />help you identify and locate the information that you need.<br /><br />5. Plan to subscribe to the local newspapers. Many newspapers now have online editions,<br />which make it easier to access local information and job listings in a timely<br />manner.<br /><br />6. Join a professional association with a national membership and then obtain the<br />names of the people who head the chapters in your target areas. Network with these<br />people by telephone or e-mail to make new contacts and learn more about the city’s<br />resources.<br /><br />7. You can also use the professional organization’s membership directory to conduct<br />informational interviews by telephone. Also, don’t overlook the many potential contacts<br />available through alumni directories from your alma mater. These directories<br />have proved invaluable to many job hunters who are looking to relocate.<br /><br />8. When you have the names of potential contacts, decide on your preferred method of<br />contact. If you represent yourself well on the phone, you can warm up the conversation<br />with small talk. If you prefer to write first (and call later), e-mail usually works<br />best, as it is quicker and more efficient than traditional snail mail.<br /><br />9. Never send your resume to a new contact person as an attachment because they will<br />probably be afraid to open it. In general, it makes more sense to build some of your<br />resume information into the content of your e-mail and send the resume at a later<br />date after you have established a contact.<br /><br />10. Depending on your profession and level of experience, you can also benefit from<br />contacting executive recruiters who specialize in your target location. If necessary,<br />revisit the information in Checklist 45 for ideas about how to make this strategy<br />work for you.<br /><br />11. Plan to visit the city, preferably around industry conferences and trade shows, so<br />that you can make as many contacts as possible in the shortest amount of time.<br />Also, take the initiative to set up informational or exploratory interviews while you<br />are in the city in order to become a familiar face.<br /><br />12. Stay in touch with your contacts. When you are far away, it is a little too easy for<br />them to forget you. It’s your job to make sure that you become memorable and keep<br />them motivated on your behalf.UltraJobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16012257627387210374noreply@blogger.com