Sue Cosley, an independent career consultant and resume writer, has had to adjust to a new location more than once in her adult life. In the pursuit of degrees or jobs for either herself or her husband, Dan, Sue has lived and worked in four states since graduating from college.
She and Dan recently relocated to Ithaca in upstate New York -- home of Cornell University, where Dan is now a visiting assistant professor.
In a recent conversation with Sue Cosley, I was struck by the methodical, strategic approach she takes to finding opportunities in new locations. Most of her methods would work as well for a job search conducted in one's hometown.
Consider what she has done since (and before) arriving in Ithaca four months ago.
During the summer, Cosley conducted a job search from her then-location in Minnesota. In addition to responding to ads for jobs in Ithaca, she connected with several career centers at Cornell, hoping to leverage her work experience and master's degree in career counseling to get a staff position there.
She also spoke with the director of Cornell's dual-career office, which helps spouses of some employees find work at the university. Although Cosley wasn't eligible for the program, she benefited from leads and support the director offered during their conversations.
When she arrived in New York, Cosley still didn't have a job. She began to hit the trail again -- this time from inside Ithaca. She started by going to as many meetings of professionals as she could find.
In the first few weeks, she recalls, "I was out of the house every day from 9 to 5 or later. I went to five to 10 meetings a week. I wanted to literally get the lay of the land in Ithaca: geographically, socially, politically, business-wise . . . I needed to learn firsthand how I could fit in."
Through this process, Cosley decided that her best path might be self-employment, at least for the short term.
Because she has worked as an independent career counselor and resume writer before, Cosley thought she knew the steps she would take to hang out her shingle. In applying for her business permit, however, she learned that Ithaca's zoning rules exclude many home businesses. Through Cosley's persistence, several committees of the Town Council recently voted to change the zoning laws in her favor. Soon she can hang out her shingle.
But will she? One of the organizations she contacted in July has called to schedule a job interview with her. It's an opportunity she would like to explore.
If she can find the time, that is. In exploring Ithaca's professional community, Cosley joined several organizations and wound up on two planning committees. She is starting a monthly meeting for counselors, has joined a weekly poker game and plays in musical ensembles on the weekends.
You can do this, too. If you are faced with a relocation or even a hometown job search, Cosley's advice is to get connected through professional associations, as she did.
Cosley said to be thoughtful about the organizations you join. Attend several, then "weed through the experiences and decide: Was it fun, and did you look forward to going back? Were you eager to return?"
One more tip from Cosley: "Don't look at this as drudgery. Look at it as an intellectual challenge. Once you get started, it's actually fun."
- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.