How do I conduct a long-distance job-search?

The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments

Question: "How do I conduct a long-distance job-search?"

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

A long-distance job-search is almost always more difficult than a local job-search. It often requires a lot more preparation and organization as well. You should anticipate making one or more trips to the new location before you move -- if possible.

Here's a quick outline of how you should prepare for -- and conduct -- a long-distance job-search:

First, learn as much as possible about your new location. Research employers, housing, cost of living, quality of life, school systems, and the like.

Second, devise a relocation strategy. Set aside a relocation fund -- or develop a budget to begin putting aside funds. You'll want to make at least one trip to conduct interviews, expand your network, and examine neighborhoods and living conditions.

Third, begin developing job leads. Developing leads from a distance is really no different from doing so locally. Here are some possible sources of job leads:

Current network -- and new network of contacts in new locale
Major employers in the new location
Geographic-specific job sites
Newspaper classified job sites
Career services offices of local colleges/universities
Headhunters and recruiters
Temporary agencies in your new locale

Fourth, plan a strategy for convincing employers to conduct an initial interview with you by phone or other long-distance means. In cover letters to employers, state that you are relocating to the area. Try to bunch several interviews together to make a trip to the new location as cost-efficient as possible.

Fifth, remember to follow-up all job leads and job interviews. Send thank-you notes. You'll need to be even more proactive and aggressive with a long-distance job-search than with a local job-search.

Sixth, don't let yourself get too discouraged. If you can afford it, you'll find job-hunting much easier once you move to your new location. While not financially feasible for many job-seekers, job-hunting is always easier to plan and schedule when you are currently living where you are seeking a new job.

For many more tips and resources, read our article: New City, New Job: How to Conduct a Long-Distance Job Search.

This article is part of a series from The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments. Read more.

See a list of all the most common college, career, and job questions -- and Dr. Hansen's solutions.

Who is the Career Doctor? Learn more, read his current career column, or browse the column archives when you visit the Career Doctor's homepage.

QuintCareers.com Founder Dr. Randall Hansen

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is a nationally recognized career and job-search expert. He is founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of Quintessential Careers Press, including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter, QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his personal Website or reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

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