Networking Long Distance

Now that the water has receded from your basement, the snow is beginning to drift over your barbecue grill, you've been burglarized for the second time in as many months, yesterday's commute was a record one hour and fifteen minutes, the only theater in town closed last week, your spouse just got transferred or your family's persistent encouragement has finally convinced you to move closer to home, you've decided to take on the challenge of finding work in another city. If you are like most relocating job seekers, you are looking forward to the adventure of the move a lot more than finding a new career, especially if you lack contacts at your new destination.

Fortunately, while a long distance job search is more difficult than a local one, many of the techniques that work well in your neighborhood will also be equally effective thousands of miles away. Let's take a look at some of the things you can do to find information about an area's life style, economy, companies, contacts and opportunities even before you move there.

Some Things You Should Know before You Decide to Move

Whether you have identified where to relocate or not, there are some issues you'll want to research about any potential destination. Some of them are:

• Cost of Living. Taxes, real estate, services, clothing, food and a variety of other items will determine how much your income will stretch or shrink in a given locale.

• Schools. If you have children, the quality of local education will be very important to you. Even if you don't, the eventual resale value of your home will be impacted by this critical consideration.

• Commuting Time. If you are tired of spending too much time traveling back and forth to work, determining the cities or towns with the most hassle-free commutes will certainly improve your attitude during rush hour.

• Philosophy and Life Style Issues. People who move from Tyler, Texas to New York City or vice versa are bound to experience some culture shock. Learning what to expect in terms of the local politics, recreational and cultural opportunities, restaurants and shopping, attitudes about strangers, and other cultural norms can be very helpful in deciding if a place will fit your lifestyle. Example: a network affiliate in a large southern city has a nightly news feature called, "Around the World in a Minute", which ticks off the top US and international stories in sixty seconds. If you are accustomed to a very cosmopolitan news program, this sound bite approach to global happenings might seem more than a bit provincial.

• The Economy. If you have a choice of where you want to move, it makes sense to pick a place where the economy is diverse and growing. It also helps to know if your industry is well represented and if the demand for people with your background equals or exceeds the available supply. Compensation ranges differ from region to region, so you will also want to find out the typical income someone with your experience might expect.

• Contacts and Job Openings. The three keys to a successful job search are contacts, contacts and contacts. Professionals in your field know where the openings are because their grapevine keeps them informed. To get the scoop on the local job market, you will need to piggyback on the networks of the people already working there.

Library Resources: What They Can Tell You

A trip to your local library can provide you with an incredible amount of information about your new location. Some of the resources available to help you learn about your destination even before you go there are:

• The local newspaper. Its news sections chronicle the major issues vis a vis the schools, government, economy, neighborhoods, crime, taxes, politics, community hot buttons, etc., and its ads are excellent indications of typical costs for homes, apartments, cars, household items, clothing, food and recreation. Once you have used local papers in deciding on your specific destination, begin a subscription to the one where you will be moving to continue getting information on all of the above items.

• The local business journal. Many cities have weekly business journals which provide much more extensive background on what's happening in the economy than the daily paper. They tend to offer more detail on companies, industries and corporate leaders than publications trying to cover all of the news. Subscribing to this paper before moving will also be helpful.

• Information packets from chambers of commerce, city government, and local relocation centers. Finding the addresses and phone numbers of local organizations which encourage people to move to their city can give you access to a myriad of free pamphlets on everything from taxes to recreational opportunities. Relocation centers specialize in putting together packets of materials tailored to the particular needs of incoming professionals. Just ask and you will receive.

• Industry, corporate and organization directories. There are many directories which list information on corporations, executive search firms, trade journals and professional and social service organizations. Ask the librarian for help in choosing the ones most pertinent to your specific needs. Below are some of the more popular ones:
  
  The Almanac of American Employers
  Dun and Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory
  Encyclopedia of Associations
  Fortune Double 500 Directory
  Mood's Complete Corporate Index
  Standard and Poor's Register of Corporations
  The Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
  Ward's Business Directory of US Private and Public Companies

• Corporate annual reports and clipping files. Once you are ready to consider the companies you want to approach for a position, an annual report will give you more specific background than any other single source. Of course, this information will be couched in the most favorable terms, so you might want to balance your reading with some articles about the firm from a clipping file or selection of trade journals.

• Job search books targeted by city or region. Several authors have found a formula for selling lots of books by taking a generic format and plugging in information about companies, professional organizations, social services agencies, media, employers, search firms, etc. on a metropolitan or regional basis. Often you will find these publications for a variety of areas in your local library or book store.

Networking: Your Best Source of Job Information

While libraries are a great place to get general data about communities and companies, you must talk to people to discover where the jobs are. Fortunately, many professionals have moved from city to city in pursuit of career opportunities, so they tend to be sympathetic to your need for information about your new locale and potential opportunities there. To make networking as easy as possible, start the process with the people whom you already know, then branch out to friends of friends and other referrals, and save the cold calls for last.

If you don't know anyone where you plan to move, you can use your current contacts as a bridge to professionals in your new location. To begin your networking, make a list of everyone you think might have friends or acquaintances working where you plan to relocate. Then increase your circle of possible contacts by using the following resources:

• Branches or district offices of your current employer. If your spouse has already been transferred by his company, telling your present employer that you need to move can't jeopardize your job because you will be resigning anyway. If your manager values your work, she may call the branch office in your destination city to put in a good word for you. Staying with the same firm is probably the easiest career transition. You maintain your seniority, benefits and salary in an organization where you already have a track record. If you don't want your present employer to know you will be leaving town, then be very careful whom you ask for help. Word travels fast through the company grapevine.

• Professional organizations. Find out from the national office of your trade or industry group if it has a chapter in your new city. Talking with the chapter president or membership chair can provide up-to-date, inside information on the local economic outlook for your profession, including what aspects of your background are the most marketable, what companies are hiring, and who else would be beneficial for you to contact.
  
  If you are able to visit the new location, you will already have become acquainted with people who can introduce you to the best contacts when you arrive, give you a tour of the area and offer their perspective on local school districts and neighborhoods.

• College or fraternity alumni groups. Any time you belong to an organization, your fellow members will be eager to help you. You are one of their special group, an automatic buddy whether they know you or not.
  
  College and fraternity alumni seem to have a particularly strong bond. Use it to your advantage by contacting the local chapter president to get her insights about the area. Aside from providing you with valuable contacts and information about your destination, these groups can be a wonderful source of friends once you arrive.

• Professors at local colleges and universities. If you are an engineering manager, get in touch with the engineering department at a school close to your chosen city. Identify a faculty member who teaches courses in your career specialty, and ask him what's happening in the job market there. Unless this guy is a real ivory tower type, he will be consulting with local companies and keeping track of some of his former students in the area. He can be a tremendous source of information on who's hiring whom and supply you with an endless list of contacts if he likes you.

• Churches. Many churches have active job seeker groups that meet regularly. Calling a minister in the town where you plan to move can be an excellent vehicle for getting feedback on the community and plugging into the local job network. Ministers, like professors, choose their professions because they enjoy mentoring and serving their constituents. Give your prospective minister the chance to fulfill his mission with you. You will both benefit from the experience.

• Special interest groups. If you are a hot air balloonist, vintage corvette fan or breeder of German Shepherds, you have a collection of fellow enthusiasts waiting to help you in your new city. The fact that you share their passion is reason enough for them to give you a hand. Special interest groups, fraternal organizations and volunteer associations will do everything they can to welcome you to their chapters, including offering contacts who may know about jobs in your profession.

• Career planners. Career planners cultivate hundreds of contacts in their communities because they regard networking as a critical part of their service. If you are willing to spend a little money for a long distance phone call or appointment, you can obtain a tremendous supply of contacts in your area and maybe even a specific job lead or two.

Whether you approach your contacts by letter or long distance call, begin your communication by telling them you are planning to relocate to their city, and you want to get some resident impressions on the lifestyle, economy, cost of living and demand for persons doing your type of work. By asking about their perspective rather than job possibilities, you make your request easy to accommodate, give yourself some time to build rapport and set the stage for obtaining referrals to other contacts. While your conversations will vary somewhat according to how you obtained your contact's name, a general outline for your discussion will include:

• How you found this person

• Why you are interested in talking to him

• What you would like to know about her city or town

• What he can tell you about the local job market, especially in your industry or career field

• What companies seem to be the industry leaders or the ones currently hiring

• Who to avoid even if there are openings there and

• Who else would be good for you to call or visit.

It is always best to talk with people face to face, but the limitations of distance, time and money may make it infeasible. If you can't take some vacation time to schedule an appointment, gather your information via the phone and send a thank you note as you would for a personal meeting.

Networking alone will not get you a job, but it is the best approach for uncovering opportunities long distance. Add to your people research a targeted resume and some savvy interviewing techniques, and you will have the most effective formula for finding your next position, whether it's two miles from home or two thousand.