Searching For a Job in Your Locality

Experts say that the unemployment rate can be reduced by a gross 2.5% if candidates made more methodical and targeted job searches and succeeded in finding positions that match their profiles. The pattern of recovery in this recession has brought the importance of localized economies to the forefront, as the unemployment and job growth rates vary widely between states and regions. More than ever, a candidate is required to make targeted job searches taking into account immediately local economic realities and employers. Few of us are aware of all employers within 2 miles of our closest local market. This article deals with the process of searching for jobs by geographical localities.

How to find local employers

The employment market is largely driven by small businesses and employers, and many of us remain blind to gainful employment just around the corner, while we spend time searching for jobs only in well-known employment districts. An employer close to one’s residence has obvious advantages and prospects of better work-life balance, and is a choice difficult to ignore. The same strategies are used to find employers in any targeted geographic location, even if you are thinking of relocating. The tools for finding employers in a particular locality are more or less common, but largely ignored, including:

• State and Government websites: State and Government websites, including those related to labor and careers, as well as other local government websites, provide valuable information and opportunities for those seeking jobs in a particular location. Usually ”labor, personnel, career, job, employment, workforce, commerce, and service” are the keywords that can be used in conjunction with the name of a locality + ”department” to find relevant government websites by any jobseeker.
• Telephone and Postal Directories: Traditional tools in the jobseeker’s arsenal, the rise of the internet has led to the neglect of these tools, which have not lost either value or relevance. Telephone directories and area code locators are also available on the internet. Businesses rarely run without employees and any running business in your field of interest is also a potential employer.
• Local Newspapers and Magazines: Job advertisements in local newspapers and magazines can provide you with a way to create a list of relevant employers in any particular locality. Business news, headlines, and stories – all provide guidance towards doing background research on potential employers.
• Local Trade Fair websites: Lists of participants from trade fairs organized locally provide a quick list of employers with localized interests. Remember, that only those businesses participate in local trade fairs, which are conscious about maintaining visibility in the local market and therefore would be open to jobseekers from the same locality.
• Member list of the local Chamber of Commerce: The member list of the local Chamber of Commerce is another way to create a quick list of potential employers in a locality.
• Member list of Industrial Associations: If you want to go really deep, then checking membership lists of industrial associations in relevant fields, and finding those members who belong to a particular locality would give you a good list of potential employers in the targeted locality.

While, there would remain many other resources for finding and targeting local employers beyond the scope of this article, here we have mentioned those, which in our opinion are extremely valuable, but often overlooked by jobseekers. Study of these resources would help you to find a job quicker and within affordable commuting distance.