How to Find Work in a New Location

Posted on 13/01/2016

Finding work can be difficult even when you have lived in the same town or city all of your life. However, if you have recently relocated to a new area or are planning to do so in the near future, you may be starting to worry about not being able to find employment if you haven’t relocated for work purposes. Living in an area where you have a large circle of friends and acquaintances can make it easier to find a new job compared to people who know fewer people or have recently relocated to a new area, where they again don’t know anybody. But there is no need to panic if you still haven’t found a way of earning a living and are having no luck, because finding work is all down the following things: who you know, where you go and what you do.

When you have a full telephone book of contacts and know most of the people around you, finding employment can be so much easier. Your friends, family and anyone else who you know can recommend you for certain roles at their work place and therefore you have first choice over whether or not you accept the position or not. However, when you don’t great amount of contacts to rely on after you have relocated, you can no longer take advantages of these benefits, so you have to think up a different plan.

Out of Sight Out of Mind
If you have contacted a company to offer your services and skills to them, don’t just leave it at sending in a copy of your CV and waiting to hear a reply. Go and visit the office and speak to the manager face-to-face so that they can get to know you in person rather than just sum you up from what is written on a piece of paper. Also, emails and letters can easily get shoved to one side and forgotten about, so to make sure that you are not forgotten about, allow them to put a face to the email or letter which you sent to them.

Networking
Whether you network online or face-to-face, getting to know the local people in the area is an extremely useful way for you to get to know the area and learn of any job vacancies that may suit you. In very little time, you will start to build up a network of people and businesses who may be interested in hiring you or helping you with your search.

The On Foot Job Search
There is nothing better than approaching companies and organisations in person because for most people, it is much easier for them to communicate in person than through letters, email CV’s and cover letters. Don’t just visit a few places when you go on the search for a job, visit as many as you can by spending a day going around the area on foot. Spend a little time doing your research beforehand so you have sufficient information on the area and its vital statistics, so that you appear interested and knowledgeable about the location in front of any potential employers. Look up the types of companies which may be able to assist you with employment and make a list of the places you will visit when on your ‘on foot job hunt’. It is well worth spending a whole day visiting working environments and talking to people, because who you know can be very important and don’t forget that first appearances also count too!