Job Search Jenna: Chamber of Commerce and the Job Search

Recently, I inquired about a job listing that had many of the ideal qualities people look for in a career: good starting salary, excellent benefits, paid vacation, a little travel but not too much. After several phone and email exchanges, things were really looking good. And then the deal breaker:

a move all the way across the country.

For many people, this would not seem like a big deal. It could even be an exciting opportunity to start a new life somewhere. But for me, the quality of life I have grown accustomed to here in the south is one in which I do not want to depart. I have lived in one major metropolitan area and several suburbs here in the southeastern U.S. and this is the life I would like to continue after graduation.

That being said, I think it is more important to consider quality of life factors than salary, unless the starting salary is more than $500,000 in which case a few exceptions can be made. So much of a person’s happiness comes from the environment outside of the workplace, such as where they live, the extracurricular events they can partake in, the life of the town in which they reside, and of course family and friends.

After politely declining the move across the country, I began to look at the chamber of commerce websites for several cities that I had considered living in. Almost every city or town you can think of will have its own chamber of commerce site which will list exciting community news and events, plus job availabilities and key local industries. If there is a particular city you are interested in, go to their chamber of commerce site and search current employment opportunities. If you do not see one that fits your criteria, try calling the contact number listed. Often they will be able to tell you about the local industries in town. Once you obtain that information, you can contact those companies to personally inquire about employment. Then you already know about the city you want to live in and the outside the workplace community environment. All you need now is employment to complete the picture. The chamber of commerce can help!

Happy job searching,

Job Search Jenna '10