10 Real World Tips to Find a Job Close To Home

Sick of commuting? Here are some ideas on how to find a job near where you live.

This is a guest post by Diane Dolinsky-Pickar. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines.

How long is your commute door-to-door? An hour? More, with traffic?

If you see yourself dreading the commute, or you’ve met the local cop one too many times as you rush to the train, it’s time to find a local job. But how do you do that when your network and contacts are far away?

Develop a geographic boundary for where you’re willing to travel, and then get into head-down mode to identify employers in that area.

10 ways to identify jobs near home

The list below is a starting point.

1. Sell yourself

Give everyone you know your 30-second elevator speech, including other parents, neighbors and folks you may mix with as tennis partners/country club friends/farmer's market enthusiasts.

2. Join local meetups

Go to Meetup.com and fill out your topic or interest, plus city or zip code, and join a local group in your industry. With so many professionals under- and unemployed, you’ll gain support from networking and learn a great deal from the speakers. At the Meetup I went to this morning for Project Management professionals, I was told more than 30 people had landed on their feet in a job, since joining the group.

3. Attend local networking groups

For example, Gotham City Networking utilizes a referral network to generate business among members, and therefore, limit membership to one subject matter expert per group. If they have a need that you can “plug” with your expertise, upon joining you can become the one they refer folks to.

4. Attend mixers and business trade shows

Often, a local Business Council that is associated with the county or city government will present a yearly business expo featuring local products and services. This kind of event has sponsors that may be hiring, and if so, they will be listed on the direct mail flier or postcard that’s sent out. Research the sponsors beforehand, and reach out to them in advance.

5. Run a local seminar

Present your knowledge of a subject at local venues, including church and synagogue groups, cultural organizations, and library programs. If you cannot find a group that sponsors an evening or weekend forum related to your work, offer to organize a panel to address that topic, and help promote it.

Local chapters of the Rotary Club or Lions Club frequently feature guest speakers at lunch meetings. If you know someone who is a member, contact them directly and ask if they’d advocate for you to get on the calendar as a future guest presenter. The members who attend are locals and potential help to you in your job search.

6. Comb community newspapers online for local business news

Identify nearby companies and contact them for an information interview. Small and medium-sized firms may be intrigued by a professional who read a Q&A or saw a media mention. Use that as a hook. One mom I know was thrilled with the open response she got, when she was transparent about her aims and simply asked to learn more.

7. Reach out to local medical offices

Medical practices that employ nurses and office support personnel are often contacted by candidates who send a resume and never reach out. Without another “touch”, that’s practically useless. Here’s what one urologist told me: “If only a job-seeker would take the time to follow up with a phone call to say they’d like to come in and meet me and see what’s here … that small show of personal interest would make all the difference in the world.”

8. Apply for adjunct teaching positions at your local Community College

If there’s a university campus in your town, look for vacancies on bulletin boards and in the Chronicle of Higher Education (or your local equivalent).

9. Pop in at the Board of Education to apply for a building substitute position

Try several local school districts. Even though they may not need you now, people come and go in this capacity, and positions do open up during the school year.

10. Pound the pavement

I know it sounds too Old School, but it worked for me. Depending upon where you live and what level of security exists, here in the suburbs where I reside, I’ve entered office complexes and gone from door to door, handing out business cards to receptionists and asking to introduce myself directly to Officers. Of course, you risk being seen as a pest, but on the other hand, after one day of exercising my shoe leather, I received two calls from potential employers.

Bonus online tip

11. Use the radius tool of search engines.

I find Indeed.com particularly useful here.

About the author

Diane Dolinsky-Pickar is Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Mojo40.com, a blog that tells how to get your career mojo back after 40. She can be contacted at dianedpickar at gmail. Follow her @Mojo40_Mavens.

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