Any tips on how to get a job in another state before moving there? (jobs, stations)

[twilightfanjm]

Hi, I'm senior in college and I will be graduating in May with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism emphasis in Public Relations. I currently live in Los Angeles, California but I want to apply for jobs in other states.

My most desired places from top to bottom are:

1. New York City
2. Chicago
3. Boston

New York City would be my dream place though.

However, I just want to know what advice you can give me to land a job in one of these cities before I actually move there to maximize my chances of getting the job.

Thanks in advance!

[rarog]

1. Write down a local address.
2. Have work experience in said city, or a degree from a school in said city.
3. Have connections in those cities.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by twilightfanjm

I'm senior in college and I will be graduating in May with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism

Has the LA Times or the Chicago Tribune been around recruiting?
How about the LA Times or the SF Chronicle?

I just want to know what advice you can give me to land (one of the very few really great jobs)
in one of the (top tier) cities before I actually move there

The question is what sort of job can you do well enough to be paid well enough to hold it together in one of those places for the 2-3 years it will take to maybe stumble across a good job (personal contacts)...

[reed303]

Does your desired career field have an association ( like the AMA or ABA, etc) have an annual convention ? That would be one place to go to make connections with such employers in your field.

It worked for my son who studied in Boulder CO for CGI animation for the film industry. He went to an animators convention in San Diego, and landed his first job with Disney in Hollywood. It did help at the time that the industry was ( and still is to some extent) "begging" for qualified applicants.

[Linda_d]

Isn't the accepted way of finding a job is to start looking for one? In the electronic age, it's a lot easier than it was when I was in college and you typed out your resume on a typewriter, spent hours/days in the library research prospective employers, and then composed a cover letter that you mailed with your resume to your list of prospective employers.

So ...

• Check with your college placement office. Maybe some recruiters are coming for visits.
• Search on-line for a list of public relations firms and newspapers in the metropolitan areas you're interested in. You might also include radio and tv stations, too. Do some research, write up an individualized cover letter, and send out some blind resumes to the most likely places you'd like to work. Skip a few lattes at Starbucks and invest in stationery and stamps. You might get lucky.
• Check out various job posting sites like indeed.com.
• Compose samples of different types of writing.
• Practice your interviewing skills.
• In reality, you are NOT going to get a shot at writing copy for the New York Times right out of the box, but maybe you can get a job at a suburban newspaper selling ads and writing copy. You might also have to take a job in Cleveland or Bangor or Missoula.

[engineman]

Before you get too far along, check likely earnings vs cost of living in your destination city. You might want to pick a different place. Someone close to me just went through that and is now quite happy in Atlanta.

[PDF]

Don't expect it to be easy. Chances are you'll have to move without a job.

[Linda_d]

Originally Posted by PDF

Don't expect it to be easy. Chances are you'll have to move without a job.

Is this the "new normal" for college grads? Decide on where you want to live and move there hoping to find a job in your field as opposed to finding a job in your field and moving if necessary? The OP isn't a skilled tradesman in a field that's almost always in demand almost anywhere or a guy just looking for any job to pay the rent. He/She's a youngster looking to start a career. IMO, he/she needs to find suitable employment first and foremost, even if that means starting out right in his/her hometown or in Albuquerque, NM or Lincoln, NB.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Linda_d

...even if that means starting out right in his/her hometown or in Albuquerque, NM or Lincoln, NB.

You're not wrong... but that isn't what the OP asked for help with.
I'd like to know what the faculty and advisers at the OP's university have told them.

[scarecrow-]

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