Looking for a job is not easy, and when you are trying to find a job in a different city, in another part of the country or the world, a hoard of new challenges crop up. It is essential to showcase the best side of yourself in order to stand out from the local employees and land the job you desire.
Check out the following tips to make your long distance job search easier:
Decide on a city:
It is important for you to decide the city you want to work in. Take into account the career opportunities in the city for your particular field, possible expenses of relocating, whether you have friends and family there to help you out in the job search and relocation, the cultural differences you might have to deal with on the move, and the living cost in the city
Look for a job:
In this age of technology, the internet is a powerhouse of job resources from all over the world. There are several good websites which can help you find a job, such as LinkedIn, Naukri.com, Glassdoor.com etc
Moreover groups on social media such as Facebook groups on jobs available in a specific city or even in a specific industry, are a big help
Make sure you do specialised searches on the industry you are skilled in
If you are a recent graduate, you can look up any tie-ups between universities and colleges in different cities to help you in placements
Make sure you do not relocate on the basis of a low-paying job, thinking you can land a better paying job after you move. This may have disastrous consequences later on if you find yourself broke in a new city
It is not about the number of jobs who call you back, but the quality of the offered jobs, which can utilise the specialised set of skills that you have to offer. So be patient when waiting for the right job
Be careful of scam jobs. Enlist the help of friends and family in the city to make sure that a job in a little known company actually exists, before you move cities for the same.
Build your social network:
If you have friends or family living in your prospective city, enlist their help via phone or Facebook or other means. They will be able to provide you with an outline of the pros and cons of living in the city
Moreover, if you are trying to choose between a few job offers, they can better tell you about the office location, commuting time and the distance from your would-be-address than Google Map can. Google Map can often give you unrealistic expectations about the distances you need to travel and also won’t be able to tell you much about the road traffic in the city
Only a city resident can tell you about the safety in a certain location, which is very important if you are a single woman, or the possible problems that may crop up after you move
Moreover, building real connections on the basis of one-on-one conversations with prospective employers and company heads or anyone who has connections in the job market will prove to be very helpful.
The Relocation factor:
The relocation factor should not be highlighted in your resume or cover letter
Focus on your skills when you are looking for a particular job, and don’t make it obvious that you are not a local
Employers might overlook your resume altogether if they think that your relocation is an issue
Show how you are right for the job, and only when you get the job, ask whether the employer will be providing you with the relocation cost. Many companies pay for their employees’ relocation, so this question is nothing unusual
However, you shouldn’t mention right from the start that you are willing to relocate at your own cost. This makes you come across as desperate and might not bode well for your job offer
Also, you should have a good answer ready for why you want to relocate. Employers would be interested to find out what would make you relocate again, and if they can trust you to be with them for a long time
In case you are planning to go to the new city only after you have finalised everything, see to it that your job interview can be done via a phone call or an online video call
Ask for a competent salary. Find out the standard salary for the particular job you are vouching for, and quote an amount taking into account the living cost in the city.
Take a pre-move trip:
Once you have a couple of prospective jobs in hand, you may think of making a short trip to the city to check it out. Make all the necessary call backs to the different companies and let them know that you will be in the city for this period, and line up your interviews for this trip
If not a job interview, you can even ask for an informational interview, wherein you go and talk to the officials about any possible vacancies, job requirements and even proceed to sell yourself in the meeting
Get a first hand estimate of the commuting costs and find out the best residential areas closest to your workplace
A pre-move trip can also help finalise any living arrangements and perhaps even provide you with the opportunity to change your mind about the entire relocation, if need be.
Lastly, keep in touch with any contacts you have in your own city. Don’t burn the bridges there, as you might have to return some day, and the contacts will always come handy. Good Luck!
