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ADVICE FOR RELOCATING SPOUSE's JOB SEARCH

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams NY Realty

Having owned my own search firm for years before entering the world of real estate sales, I thought I'd share some of the ways to find a job in today's marketplace for your relocatee's spouse; as well as a few hints on sending their resume to the internet boards and conducting phone interviews.

You have a new buyer who is moving to your area or being transferred by their corporation. Their spouse now needs to also find a job and they ask you for advice on how they should go about the search. Where do they begin?

It is alot simpler today than 15 years ago when I used to get that question. At that time people would subscribe to newspapers in the area, use directories to find local search firms to cold call before they arrived, or just wait until they unpacked and then pounded the pavement to all of the "print" ads.

Like real estate, the world of job searching is pretty much done on the internet, and there are several sites which are "one stop shopping" sites that can jumpstart their search before they unpack. For those who are looking for entry through middle management positions a good site to start is www.indeed.com.  Once they hit that site, they can put in keywords, location, and it will list the companies and/or agencies that will be listing the positions. Most companies today (at least in the NY Metro area), run their own internet ads. Some companies will also post with a personnel agency, but in the end, if they can get the candidate without a fee, they will.  If a spouse is more on a professional level, a good place to start is www.theladders.com. This covers a wide range of positions from sales to investment banking, to human resources to list a few. They can join for free for limited information, or can post their resumes and get email alerts for a nominal fee. For clerical, administrative positions and part-time positions,  most companies in the NY tri-state area find that www.craigslist.com is a good source. Of course there are alot of specialty sites out there, and I always encouraged people to research companies directly that they may want to work for and look at their websites.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR SENDING RESUMES VIA THE INTERNET IF MOVING OUT OF TOWN:  If possible, a local address or phone number on the resume (can be on right side and current address on left side), is helpful and is more likely to get responses.  Also, a strong but not too lengthy cover note indicating that their spouse has already landed or will be landing a position shortly is highly recommended.

When answering ads to a new state, really read the ads and target positions that apply to your current background; not something you think you want to do or did 10 years ago. With the amount of competition for each job today, the closer you are to the requirements, the better chance you will get an answer.

PREPARATION FOR A PHONE INTERVIEWS:  Usually companies that I worked with in NY Tri-State area were willing to do a phone interview for someone relocating before having them fly out. Here are some of the helpful hints that I suggest. Before each interview you should ask yourself:

1) Why you would be interested in working for that company..research it throughly and have an answer.

2) Job specifications - what specific skills you have to offer. Be prepared to give specific examples of what you accomplished in each of your areas of specialty. Too short or too long of answer can backfire on you. Concise, informative, specific answers work best

3) Personal attributes - What is it about you that would add value to the company? Is it your patience, are you a good listener, do you stand up for what you believe in, do you have an open door policy, work well with all levels of management are some examples.

4) How were you perceived by previous bosses or peers?  Examples of ways you helped to improve your previous positions, your initiatives, resourcefulness, your management style, did you have a consultative approach, able to relinquish responsibility or being a strong mentor are other examples.

ACTUAL PHONE INTERVIEW:

Phone interviews are sometimes more challenging than personal interviews because they rely on your answers and phone presence. Coming across clear, concise and enthusiastic are important. You also need to concentrate even more, since you cannot see the interviewer or their response. Make sure you have your resume in front of you. Take written notes that you can refer to if you are invited in for a personal interview at a later date...but don't let that break your concentration!

Always send a thank you note. Today email is perfectly acceptable, but make sure that you spell check and have someone else review it beforing pushing that Send button. Especially when it comes to names and titles. I once had someone interview for a $150,000 job that sent a thank you note and spelled the SVP's name wrong and did not get the position!

If you do not hear back from the recruiter or company, follow up in a about a week. Call, identify yourself and the position you applied for. Tell them you were excited about your phone interview and wanted to know where they are in the process. If they say they are still interviewing, ask if there is any additoinal information that you can furnish and when you might be hearing back from them.

If you have any executives relocating to Westchester County, New York, I would look forward to assisting them in finding their family a new home, but also be happy to share this information with their spouses as well.

Barbara Bartell -

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