I Want to Be Hired Before I Move Dilemma - Career Pivot

I Want to Be Hired Before I Move Dilemma - Career Pivot I Want to Be Hired Before I Move Copyright: lculig / 123RF Stock Photo I live in Austin Texas and over the years I have heard, “I want to be hired before I move.” They do not want to commit to moving here until they secure employment. Austin is the 11th largest city in the United States according to Wikipedia with over 900K people.Yet it still behaves like a little city. Who you know is key to finding a job. If you are looking for a job in Austin, do not live here, and in the 2nd half of life with family and a mortgage, the employer will assume you will want a moving and living package to get you here. That is a non-starter for most employers. In order to get hired, you will need to build a network in the location where you wish to move AND make it appear that you are already there. Building a Network Remotely You will need to get very strategic in building a network of connections in the location where you want to be hired. You will want to find people who look taste and smell like you, which are people with similar backgrounds, certifications, and are employed in the kinds of jobs you are looking for. Reach out to these people and send them a LinkedIn request like the following: [Name], I see you are employed at [insert company name] as an [insert job title]. I am looking to relocate to [insert location] and would like to find a job similar to yours. Would you have a moment for a short phone call so I could get some of your sage advice? In the meantime, please accept this invitation to connect. [Insert your full name] Notice I did not ask them for help finding a job. I only asked for advice which is a compliment. You should read my post title Asking for AIR â€" Advice, Insights, and Recommendations. I would start with acquiring 100-200 contacts in the target location. You are not going to stop there but you should follow Gary O’Neal’s advice to plan on contacting with 600 people. I would highly recommend you listento Gary’s interview on the Repurpose Your Career podcastepisode 58. Gary runs the recruiting operation for AustinHRan outsourced HR company. Build a Target List of Companies Finding people who look, taste and smell like you is a great way to build a target list of companiesfor your job search. Where you find these people employed are companies that are capable of hiring you. Not every company should be on your target list as you will need to vet each company. Look for other resources like Chambers of Commerce, The A to Z Databasewhich you can commonly gain free access at your local public library, and professional organizations. For example, if you are supply chain professional, I would look at the local APICS chapter.If you are a project manager, I would look for the local PMI chapter. You are going to scour high and low looking for companies that are capable of hiring you. Notice I said capable of hiring you and not that they have current openings. You have no idea what positionsare available by just looking online. If you think you know please read my post 5 Things You Will Never Know About the Hiring Process. Create a Persona You will want to create a personathat gives the impression that you live and work in the location where you want to be hired. Set your location on your LinkedIn profile to the location where you want to be hired. Set the location of your current position to the new location. If you are currently employed you may have to create a new position. You can have multiple current positions. If this is unclear check out my postWhy Are You Not Being Found? Try Thinking Like a Recruiter. Next, you will want to acquire a phone number with an area code in the location where you want to get hired. You can acquire a number from Google Voiceor Skype. I have both a Google voice number which is free and a Skype telephone number which I pay an annual fee. I use the Skype telephone number so that people can dial me on Skype where I record podcast interviews. The number at the top of this page is a Google voice number and it forwards all calls to my iPhone. You may want to enroll in a service that will give you a local, physical mailing address. A good example of this is PostScanMail service. For a monthly fee, they will receive mail for you at either a street address or a P.O. box, scan the mail and email you the contents. My plan is to use a service like this to receive business correspondence for Career Pivot after we move to Mexico next year. Make Regular Visits You will need to make regular visits to the new location. Maybe once every other month you will plan a 3-4 day visit and plan on having a packed schedule on every trip. Having face time with all of the contacts you have developed is critical to building relationships that will get you a job. I know, I know â€" you cannot afford all of these trips. Well, you may have to couch surf, find discount airline tickets, or take the bus â€" but you cannot eliminate this last step. In other words, get your butt there and meet people face to face. Make the most of every trip by having meetings scheduled to make the most efficient use of your time. Finding a job in a remote location without having to move is hard work. Do it strategically! Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...