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Letter Re: Finding Work in Your Intended New Locale

Mr. Rawles,  
Two major websites not mentioned in your article were LinkedIn [1] and USAJOBS [2].  LinkedIn is an online HR site somewhat similar to Facebook in that it allows “connections” to be made between users. One major difference: You cannot “connect” with someone who you haven’t either worked with or personally know- the website actually blocks attempts to make “mass connections”.  LinkedIn [1] is an HR manager’s dream, as it not only focuses on a person’s career and qualifications, but also provides an all-in-one-stop shop for potential employees.  Many HR reps I know now either refuse to consider candidates who do not have a LI profile, or place them in the mostly-doomed “second tier” pile of resumes…the ones which get File 13’d unless all the first-tier candidates get run over by a bus.  While this site is a bad idea for any kind of OPSEC [3], it is a highly valuable tool for job-seeking.  

USAJOBS [2] is the Federal website for all job postings…well, for most of them. Multiple federal jobs are filled in-house as needed, with a variety of jobs going to service-disabled veterans or agency-only hires.  However, it must be said that the Federal government is the biggest employer in the country, with BLM [4] offices and USFS [5] branches in even the most remote portions of the country.  If you’re willing to take a Federal job (with all the oversight and loss of privacy that accompanies it), chances are you can find one in your area on USAJOBS.  Again, this site is an OPSEC nightmare, but if you need a Federal job, this is fast becoming the preferred (and soon to be only) way to get one.  

Now, I don’t work for LinkedIn or USAJOBS, get paid by them, or have any interest in promoting either of them –beyond their obvious usefulness in finding open employment.  However, it has been said a million times that “it isn’t what you know, it’s who you know.”  Everywhere you go, pester people about current or future job openings.  When it comes to job searching, networking is the fastest and most efficient way to get a job.  I actually got a job by asking the manager once a day, every day, at the exact same time, whether there were any openings.  After two weeks of this, she finally said, “You may or may not be qualified for this job, but you’re the most persistent person I’ve ever seen. If I don’t give you a job, I’ll never get rid of you.”  (A cautionary note:  If the hiring authority tells you in no uncertain terms to go away, or gives you instructions on how to check back, follow their instructions.)  You may not initially get the job you want by telling your uncle’s cousin’s step-dog’s mom that talented little you is looking for employment, but the power of letting people know you’re looking cannot be denied.  Why else would the phrase “old-boy network” still be used in modern parlance? – JD2