Searching for Positions in Far-Away Cities

Don't limit yourself to your hometown when it comes to searching for internships and entry-level jobs. It's often more important to go where the money is, so to speak, rather than staying in your comfort zone.

Some tips for making connections in new cities:

• To find smaller firms, go to local chambers of commerce Web sites. If these firms do not have open positions posted on their sites, contact the Principal/CEO. They will be impressed that you decided to be proactive and reach out to them. Don't forget to attach your resume!
• The larger firms tend to be in larger cities. So, if it has always been your dream to work at a firm in New York City, there are plenty of firms from which to choose! You can usually go to each firm's Web site individually, as they will most likely have internship and job postings. If not, contact the appropriate HR contact.
• If you are looking for any of the above or to work at a nonprofit or corporate company, your best bet is Indeed.com. I find that typing in "public relations" (and you should use the quotation marks or you will get any job with the words public or relations) along with the city yields fantastic results. For those of you who want to work in the nonprofit sector, yes, this site also pulls from Idealist.org, so you don't have to monitor both sites. The best part is, you can also set up e-mail alerts so you don't have to even monitor Indeed.com!
• Also for those looking for all types of PR jobs and internships, check with the local PRSA and IABC organizations for job postings. Sometimes they are free for everyone to view.
• If you are in DC and looking for a Hill job, I've found the best resource is K Street Jobs.
• Be prepared to make a trip to your city of interest. Arrange informational interviews, if nothing else. When I was moving from the Midwest to Washington, DC, I arranged 6 interviews in 2 days and went out during Spring Break of my senior year. Granted, Spring Break has probably come and gone for most of you, but this is still a good plan if you've just recently graduated or will be out of school soon. You have to be willing to come out at some point - no employer is going to want to hire someone sight unseen.

Does anyone else have advice on this issue?