How to Find a Job in a New City (With No Leads)
A lot of people move to new cities without a plan. Some people have jobs lined up well in advance, but others just find themselves in one city or another with no means of employment once they get there. Stuff situated, they need work fast. But it’s easy to take on a bad job in times like this, something to cover the bills. By doing so, many people end up with bad jobs for a long time, ones they have to stick with. Sometimes it pays to take an extra week or two of unemployment, to line up work that really fits you. This way, you’ll have a long term job that you enjoy, that you can build off of. A bad job that you get quick may pay the bills, but it will result in lots of misery while its doing it. Here are two ways to help you find a good job in a new city, even when you don’t know anybody or have any leads to follow up with.
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1) Online Job Listings. This is the obvious answer, but many people don’t dig far enough in this direction. Los Angeles Jobs get posted all over the place, so this one isn’t just as simple as mucking around Craigslist. Think about your field, what you can do, what experience you have. Think of every search term that you can possibly type into your browser, and find those jobs. Even if you’re unable to find open jobs in your field, make a second list of great companies that you would like to work for. Narrow these down to companies that you believe you would be uniquely fitted for. When you have 4 or 5 of these, companies that you really believe you would work out well with, compose a personal letter to each. Tell them who you are, what your experience is, and why you want to work for them in particular. Many companies value excellent employees over almost all else, those who have a great sense of their values and company culture. By speaking directly to this, you may find a company creating a position for you.
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2) Meet People. Get to know people in your city. When my wife and I moved to Baltimore, we Couch Surfed with several people our own age who lived around the city. We met some people who have gone on to be some of our best friends. People like this love to tell you about the city they live in. They’ll tell you places you can find to work. They may even work in your field or know someone who does. People naturally look to find ways to help people they like, and couch surfing is an awesome way to ingratiate yourself to new people who are being hospitable to you. Other that couch surfing, there are plenty of clubs, sports, and meetups you can attend to make friends and find out how to get employed.
Sometimes, you’ve just got to move and make it work. These two ways have helped me find jobs in every city I’ve moved, and I know they’ll work for you too.
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