Web Wealth: Available jobs
Where are the job openings? Despite the depressing statistics, some experts insist there are jobs to be had, even good ones - if you are willing to relocate. These sites explain.
Where are the job openings? Despite the depressing statistics, some experts insist there are jobs to be had, even good ones - if you are willing to relocate. These sites explain.
Look at the map. A map of the United States at job website Indeed.com shows how the 50 largest metropolitan areas stack up in job availability. Balloons on the map indicate the relative size of the job market by showing how many jobs are listed there for every 1,000 residents. The biggest balloon belongs to San Jose, Calif., home of Silicon Valley. The second-best market is Washington, D.C., home of big government. Click on the map or the city name in the list below it to see job listings.
Nobody said "good" jobs. When times get tough, some people apparently turn to BadEconomyJobs.com. The site offers help finding jobs that, it says, "require a strong back and a desire to learn and train on the job." Thousands of these low-wage, temporary and part-time jobs are open every day, the site says, so "being unable to find a job is a myth."
Target your move. Job-hunting adviser Alison Doyle at About.com has advice for searching for jobs in distant places. You'll need to seek out the target locations' job-search sites, including local newspapers. Try to broaden your network by getting in touch with alumni of your college who live in the search area. And consider moving there or making an extended visit, to be nearby when a potential employer calls. Oh, and keep your expectations low.
Before you pull up stakes, though, check out this list of questions to ask yourself about making a move:
Staying put is too easy. Reluctance to relocate is stalling a jobs recovery, according to some experts. But nearly 10 percent of job seekers did relocate for new jobs in the first half of this year, according to the employment consultants at Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. That represents a surge, the group says in this report.