But what to say? Here’s a brief template you can adapt to help your colleague:

Dear Ms. Employer,

How are you? I hope all is well. I know your organization is currently recruiting for a position of <job title>. I don’t know if you are open to referrals for this position, but in case you are, I would like to put in a good word for a <friend/former colleague/classmate/friend’s kid/etc.> of mine, <My Friend>.

I’ve known <Friend> for the last # years, and in my experience, he is (reliable, trustworthy, hard-working, collegial etc.). We worked together on XYZ project, and he was one of the best contributors to the team. Our challenge was (XYZ) and he helped solve the problem by <doing XYZ amazing thing>. He also has a proven commitment to the field of <insert mission area here> as shown by his years of experience/volunteering in the field. Last but not least, he is very dedicated to your cause and he told me this would be a dream job for him.

I would be glad to answer any questions you may have about <friend>. Thanks for your consideration, and have a great day. Best,

<Your Name>

• What does the new job entail, in terms of job function?
• What salary and benefits are offered (including retirement matching, health insurance, dental coverage, commuting assistance, etc.)?
• What is the work-life balance like? Are there options for flexibility, such as telecommuting or flexible schedules?
• What do you know of the workplace culture?
• What does your family think?

There are many more, and some of the above won’t apply to you. Most people have certain “non-negotiable” items which they haven’t even put on their decision list because they’ve assumed they won’t accept a job without these items (geographic location, salary etc. may be on the list).

Once you have this list, how can you use it? I used to give clients an Excel file with multiple columns to help prioritize their values. You would give each value a number on a scale of one to three, where three is most important. Then you would rate each of the two or three decision options you had, on a scale of one to ten with ten being the best, according to how well it fulfilled each value (for example, one job pays $70,000; another pays $80,000; the one paying more may get 10 points for salary and the other may get 8 points; one job makes you work 60 hours per week and the other 40, so the one with 60 gets 3 points and the other gets 8 points). Then you would multiply each of the values by how important that value was to you (so if work-life balance is the most important, you’d multiply the number of points by 3). Then you’d add up your points, and the job with the most points would be the one you should pick.

This got really too wonky for most people. So, there’s another system, created by Richard Nelson Bolles (author of What Color is Your Parachute) who suggests writing all your values down, then comparing each value to each of the others in an imaginary “forced choice” arrangement. The values you continue selecting above all others is the first priority, the next is the second priority and so on. The problem was, applying these “prioritized” values to a decision was challenging because there wasn’t a direct way to weight the different values.

But now, there’s a fun and easy new way to make big decisions, called Let Simon Decide. I think this could be one of the better solutions out there because it automates the process and allows you to input the various factors at play and measure how important they are, then decide on various choices based on the importance of the different factors. It’s a lot like my Excel file, but a lot easier to use.

Any other options you’ve come up with that you think are good for decision-making?

* Clients
* Participants
* Customers
* Consumers
* Students
* Fellows
* Beneficiaries
* Grantees
* Vulnerable adults
* Members
* Individuals with (disabilities; barriers to entry; etc.)
* Low-income individuals
* “At-risk” kids
* Youth
* Disconnected youth
* Homeless
* Chronic public inebriates
* Dual-diagnosis

What are clients called in your agency? What do you think it reflects on your organization’s culture and values? What can job-seekers learn about the organization’s philosophy by what it calls its clients?

Additionally, without some organizational system, you are likely to lose track of the job descriptions you’ve applied to and the resumes and cover letters you’ve sent to employers. Job descriptions have a nasty tendancy to vanish from the internet just as you are being called for an interview. And there’s no better single source of information to help you prep for an interview than the job description.

There are many ways you could go about setting up your job search organizational system; you could be old-school and keep printed folders of jobs you’ve applied for and resumes you’ve used; you could use a notebook or even index cards; but I recommend a few other more high-tech options:

1. Create a Google Document Spreadsheet to track your search. It should have several columns across the top: Job title, Organization, Source (how you heard about the job), date applied, follow-up, networking contact, and status. These columns will track the jobs you’ve actively applied to. Status will have several possible categories:

• applied, but not selected; (i.e. rejected outright without an interview)
• interviewed (first round/phone screen);
• interviewed (second round or finalist)
• references checked
• offered but declined
• offered and accepted (of course, once you have this status, you are done using this spreadsheet for a while!)

The advantage of Google docs is that you can access this information from any computer. If you have a career coach, they can even look at the file too. You can also keep track of your success rate–how many interviews per application are you getting, and for which kinds of jobs? Are you getting a lot of declines for certain jobs, indicating you need a new resume, or perhaps are applying for jobs you’re not competitive for? Are you getting a lot of interviews but no second rounds? Are you declining a lot of offers, potentially because your expectations (for salary or other factors) are unrealistic?

2. Create several other spreadsheets, to track jobs you plan on applying for but haven’t yet; networking contacts you’ve reached out to and any follow-up notes; certifications you might pursue; organizations you might need to join; and websites you should check on a regular basis.

3. In your computer, create a folder called Job Search. Then create a sub-folder for each job you apply for, and copy and paste a Word file of each job description in the sub-folder, as well as the resume and cover letter you submitted; and, if you get an interview, any further research information you have found (news articles, the 990 tax return for nonprofits that you downloaded from Guidestar.org, etc., notes from informational interviews or real interviews).

4. There are a few other options for organizing your search if you want to get fancier. If you have access to a contact management database like Act! or Salesforce, it should work for your search. Or, you can use JibberJobber.com, a site specifically for job seekers wishing to get their search organized.

When going on a job interview, there is a lot you can learn about an organization through observation. I always think it’s important to pay close attention to certain factors to assess whether you are really interested in the job or would be a good fit. Here are some things to look at:

Who’s on the search committee?

• If the      organization doesn’t include the people who would be your future      co-workers, direct reports, or even worse, your future boss, that tells      you there are some political issues going on.
• If your      future direct reports aren’t in the decision-making, you are probably      going to be entering a very hierarchical organization and/or one where you      are being hired to do a turnaround effort or change the organizational      culture.
• I was      once interviewed by an organization where my future boss wasn’t in the      discussion—because I was being brought in to be an organizational change      agent but without the authority to make serious change. That was a red      flag if I ever saw one.
• The      number of people who interview, as well as their level in the      organization, is a direct reflection of the importance of your job. If you      are only interviewed by one low- or mid-level person, chances are your job      is an entry-level one. If you are interviewed in 3 rounds or more and by      more than 10 people including the top person in the organization, your job      is a key hire.

What do people wear?

• Suits      with ties or “office/business formal” dark suits indicate a businesslike      or corporate environment
• Sweaters      and nice blouses, or button-down shirt and khaki pants indicates an      office-casual environment
• Tie-dyed      t-shirts and jeans or shorts indicate a totally casual environment,      typically seen in a grass-roots nonprofit or a technology startup.

How is the office environment organized and decorated?

• What      pictures are on the wall? Are there awards prominently displayed? The      culture of the organization is often directly reflected in the way it’s      decorated—an international nonprofit might display textiles made my people      in the countries where they work; an environmental organization might have      a LEED-certified building, etc.
• Is the      office well-organized, or are there piles of unfiled papers everywhere?
• Is the      office newly painted, with up-to-date computers and furnishings? Or is it      covered in orange shag carpeting from the 1970’s, with old khaki filing      cabinets and broken-down furniture? This is a clue about how much funding      is available.
• How      professional are the decorations? An informal office environment might      allow everyone to prominently display pictures of their cat or dog, or a      funny or cute joke picture around, remnants from an office party, etc. A      more formal one might not allow these.
• Are      there other clues to the culture on display? For instance, I was once      interviewed by someone who had a large “Want a Raise? Take a Number”      picture on display on his desk. I was hopeful this was meant as a joke—but      it might not have been. Other little clues might be pictures of kids      indicating a family-friendly environment; a “safe zone” decal indicating a      LGBT-friendly environment, etc.
• Are      there a lot of empty desks, possibly indicating recent layoffs? Or is the      place packed to the gills, indicating a need for expansion or recent      growth?
• Hierarchy      is also reflected in the way the office is organized. Do most people have      small cubicles, but the boss has a corner office? Or is everyone in an      open office, or with conference rooms with class walls, indicating a flat      hierarchy and open communications? Some companies have a special floor on      the highest level of a skyscraper which has nicer wooden desks and special      food and drinks only for the senior corporate executives. Some dispense      with such hierarchy and keep the senior executives on the same floor.

All of these clues help guide you towards deciding if the organization is a good fit for you or not.

• Going to any job board, such as idealist.org, indeed.com, simplyhired.com, publicservicecareers.org, etc., and searching for jobs in your field. (This of course presumes you know the job title you’re looking for, and/or some specific keywords you would use to find your target job. If you are at a loss, refer to the list below.)
• Copy and paste at least 10-20 job descriptions—regardless of geographic area or even regardless of whether the jobs are out of date—into a Word file.
• Then analyze these jobs to see what they tend to have in common. Look for specifics, beyond the fuzzy requirements like good communication skills or interpersonal abilities, and into particular job requirements like technical skills, industry-specific jargon and acronyms, and computer software.
• One step I’ll add is to copy and paste the Word file into Wordle.net, a “word cloud” generator, to see which keywords are repeated most often in the job description.
• Consider visiting the Skills section of LinkedIn.com (under the “more” tab on the top right side of the page) to type in some of these skills and see a list of other relevant terms.

After reading thousands of job descriptions in the nonprofit sector, I already know some of the most frequently used keywords. So I’ll make it easy for you. Here are a list of keywords I frequently see for specific job descriptions in nonprofit careers. If these words don’t mean anything to you, it is a sign that you may need to develop more hands-on experience in the sector, through volunteering if need be, before attempting a transition into the field. If you have obtained experience or training that allows you to use these terms in your resume, then be sure to pepper your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile with these and similar terms before you apply for that next nonprofit job.

COMMON KEYWORDS—ALL JOBS

• Stakeholder outreach/analysis
• Research
• Management
• Communications/writing
• Strategic planning
• Fundraising
• Demonstrated commitment to/passion for the mission

PROGRAM MANAGER

• Relationship management, outreach, collaboration, team
• Evaluation
• Budget
• Planning, project management
• Stakeholder outreach
• Volunteer coordination
• Management/supervision
• Outcomes metrics
• Implementation
• Strategy
• Operations
• Constituents/clients/customers/beneficiaries/students

FUNDRAISING/DEVELOPMENT

• Prospect research/qualification
• Cultivation/engagement
• Solicitation/closing
• Stewardship
• Raiser’s Edge, Donor Perfect, SalesForce (and similar databases)
• Events, galas
• Major gifts
• Corporate/foundation relations
• Annual giving/capital campaign/endowments
• Grant writing
• Fundraising/advancement/development plan

BUDGETING

• Finance, budgeting
• Accounting
• Excel, Peachtree, GreatPlains
• Nonprofit budgeting
• 990
• GAAP, CPA

POLICY ANALYST

• Research
• SPSS, STATA, statistics, Excel
• Legislative research/policy
• Understanding of political process
• Writing/memo writing
• Presentation skills/public speaking

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

• Fundraising (see fundraising section)
• Strategic planning
• Board relations/governance
• Visioning /leadership
• Management/supervision/mentoring of staff
• Public speaking/serving as public “face” of the organization
• Partnership-building
• Budgets/finance/financial management/oversight

ADVOCACY/ORGANIZING

• Grassroots/grass-tops
• Campaign
• Stakeholders
• Petition
• Get-out-the-vote (GOTV)
• Political judgment; policy experience

COMMUNICATIONS/PR/PUBLIC AFFAIRS

• Media relations/contacts with journalists in traditional and new media
• Writing, press releases
• Crisis communication
• Social media strategy, Facebook, Twitter
• Web content strategy, web content management, Drupal, HTML
• Email systems (Convio, Constant Contact, PowerBase)
• Campaigns
• Video editing

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

• Arc GIS/GIS mapping
• Biology, ecology, forestry, environmental science, engineering
• Fundraising
• NEPA, SEQA, environmental legislation

HUMAN RESOURCES

• Full lifecycle recruiting
• HR regulations/compliance
• Talent pipeline
• Hiring managers
• Organizational development
• Benefits
• Compensation
• Bargaining units/labor negotiations/unionized environment
• Matrixed environment

INTERNATIONAL POLICY

• Foreign languages: Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Pashto, Chinese, Spanish, French
• Water, sanitation and hygiene; sustainable development; international development economics; maternal/child health; agriculture; microfinance; governance/democracy
• USAID funding/requirements
• Monitoring & evaluation
• Value chain

EDUCATION POLICY

• K-12; K-22
• Educational outcomes/ education reform/ teacher evaluation
• Achievement gap

What words have I left out?

* You need to use the Advanced Search of People (go to the home page, look on the top right hand side of the page, and click Advanced next to the search box near the word People)

* You can delimit your search by company, keywords, job title, and geography among other things. If you want international relocation, be sure to select the target country. For instance, if you want to work for Mercy Corps’s Thailand office, choose the company of Mercy Corps and the country of Thailand.

* Your search results are limited to people who you are 1st degree connected (you know the person and are connected on LinkedIn), 2nd (you know someone who knows the person) or 3rd (you know someone who knows someone who knows the person) or where you share a group. This is where joining Groups really works like a charm. And it also shows that it pays to have more contacts rather than fewer on LinkedIn, especially when you want to build far-reaching new connections.

If you have a 3rd degree connection with someone, you have to ask your contact to ask their contact to introduce you. It can take a long time and has a lower success rate than other options. Another option is to look at the target person’s profile to see what Groups they are a member of in LinkedIn, then join those groups. Then you can click on the “Connect” button on the person’s profile and when you are asked how you know the person, select the Group you just joined. This not only has a higher success rate than the 3rd degree connection introduction, it also positions you as interested in a common topic or professional group as the target person and will likely expand your search results for future. For instance, if the person is in Thailand and is a member of some sort of International Development/Thailand group, and you join that group, you will now be able to introduce yourself to many more people in that particular geography and sub-field.

If all else fails, and your efforts to connect via LinkedIn aren’t working, you can try a Google search with the person’s name, title, and organization, plus the word email, to see if you can find the person’s direct contact info. For instance, you could do a Google search for “Jane Doe” and “Country Director” and “IRC” and “email” and see what results you get. Then you can email the person directly.

If even that doesn’t work, you might decide to buy the Job Seeker or Business version of LinkedIn, at least for a limited time, so that you can send InMails to people you want to target.

Many people dream of helping people in developing countries to lift themselves from poverty and improve their lives. Motivations for a career in international development range from starry-eyed idealism or a desire for cross-cultural experience and travel, to a specific desire to use one’s skills in a particular region.

Because so many people find international work to be exciting, and because opportunities in the field are limited and require specific skills, the job search can be extremely competitive. To be successful, it’s important to gain an understanding of the field, the types of organizations involved, the types of jobs available, and most importantly, the skills and experience needed.

Types of Organizations

The types of organizations that work in international development can be split into several categories.

Mission

There are two main branches of international “aid” work. Relief work focuses on more the short-term alleviation of poverty, such as providing housing to the homeless in a refugee camp or food aid to those who are starving, or emergency assistance in the wake of a natural or man-made disaster.

Development work focuses on longer-term solutions to problems, such as economic development; entrepreneurship, small business, and microfinance; education (including international educational exchange); health (such as maternal and child health, immunizations, HIV/AIDS etc.); agriculture and food production/security; water, sanitation and hygiene; ICT (Information and communication technologies for development) etc.. Each of the mission areas requires specific technical expertise.

Funders vs. Doers

Funders are organizations that provide the financing for development work. These include:

• Government (in the US, USAID is the most prominent, but other agencies such as the State Department, Department of Defense, and sub-agencies such as the Dept. of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service also play a role; other countries have their own aid agencies like CIDA, DIFID etc.)

• Foundations and philanthropies (including family foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; community foundations; operating foundations etc.)

• Individual donors (typically donating to NGOs)

• Multilateral organizations (including the United Nations and its affiliates, as well as international banks like the Asian Development Bank, etc.)

Do-ers actually implement the work, run projects and programs, organize policies, advocate on behalf of their constituencies etc. These include:

• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or Nonprofits

• For-profit contractors (like Chemonics, DAI, MSI, etc.)

• Government agencies (some work is actually conducted by DOD, State etc.)

• Multilateral organizations.

Hiring Methods

It should be noted that the hiring methods of these organizations differ tremendously.

For example, nonprofit organizations and for-profit contractors may be open to networking and referrals and may appreciate volunteer experience the most. Government agencies like USAID often hire only through extremely competitive special fellowships like the Presidential Management Fellowship or through contracts via GlobalCorps, and are quite difficult to enter. The multilateral organizations have an even more difficult hiring process—and often have quotas limiting the number of people they can hire from different countries. Applications for both federal government and multilateral government require much more in-depth resumes and application forms than for nonprofit and government.

Types of Jobs and Specializations; and Skills Required: NGOs and “Do-ers”

Looking specifically at NGO jobs and other “implementation” jobs in international development, there are two main types of jobs, the support jobs and the program delivery jobs. These can be sub-grouped into “headquarters” (US) jobs and “in-country” jobs in a developing country. In a tiny nonprofit, one or two paid US staff might do just about all of these jobs; while in a huge NGO, these jobs might be quite specialized.

Headquarters Jobs: Support

There are certain jobs that will exist at any nonprofit organization, which don’t always require as much mission-specific expertise. These include:

• Fundraising and contract development. The essential reason there is a headquarters office of a US-based NGO is to raise money. Position exist in grant writing or institutional giving as well as the many layers of individual giving, including annual campaigns

• Accounting, finance and operations

• Human resources—though you might have to have some amount of international recruitment experience to qualify, which is different from regular domestic experience.

• Information technology

• Communications

• Advocacy (sometimes is available but is a bit rarer in the international development space)

Headquarters Jobs: Program-Related

• Program management (titles include, in order of most entry-level to highest-level: program assistant, program coordinator, assistant program officer, program officer, program director, chief of mission): These jobs require serving as a liaison and technical support provider to program staff who are “in-country.” In order to be effective in such a position, a candidate must have enough understanding of how international development works as well as cross-cultural differences to be helpful to people in-country. Therefore, to obtain a position in program management in any large NGO, typically a candidate must have:

* 2 years of recent international development work or volunteer experience, in which you have built real program management skills. Travel, tourism, or study abroad alone does not really qualify you. I strongly encourage people who are serious about international development to consider joining the Peace Corps or other international volunteer experiences—but to know that many other candidates also work in the Peace Corps and so this type of experience is necessary but not sufficient on its own to qualify you.

* Fluency in an in-demand foreign language relevant to the geographic area where the programs are housed: French and Swahili for much of Africa; Arabic for North Africa and the Middle East; Spanish or Portuguese are the most important to consider. The more difficult or unusual the language, the more it will distinguish you from the competition (i.e. Arabic is highly in demand because it is so difficult to learn and because of increasing development and international relations work in the Middle East and North Africa).

* A Master’s degree in a relevant field, such as public administration, global public health, or another technical field is worth considering.

• Program evaluation/ Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E): these positions relate to researching the impact of development work to ensure that it is positively affecting those it is meant to help. An understanding of program evaluation and statistical analysis is important—but in addition, having the skills described for positions in program management are also important.

In-Country Jobs

Positions working at an NGO in a developing country are an excellent way to launch a career in development, either with the goal of staying abroad or returning to work in the headquarters (US) office. The biggest challenge of finding such positions is that an NGO will have to pay for your travel, arrange a visa, etc. and this costs them significant money; in addition, many “starry-eyed” idealists think they want these jobs and can’t handle the cultural and lifestyle differences they encounter once abroad—and have to be sent back to the US, at tremendous expense to the NGO. So, again, you face a Catch-22 because you need work or volunteer experience in a developing country first before you are qualified for a position—which is why I recommend Peace Corps as a first step.

Jobs at Funders

Some of the jobs at funders are quite similar to those described above, but there are certain differences. One of the main differences is that the program roles are focused more on monitoring & evaluation or technical support; whereas those in NGOs focus on implementation.

Where the Jobs Are

The vast majority of jobs in international development in the United States exist in Washington DC. Virtually all of the jobs in corporate contractors to USAID are in DC, as well as jobs at USAID itself and most NGOs. Some jobs exist in New York City, especially in programs related to human rights or affiliated with the United Nations. There are a handful of NGOs in other cities; for instance, CARE International and Heifer International are based in Atlanta, GA; Mercy Corps is headquartered in Portland, OR; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH, and Landesa are headquartered in Seattle, and World Vision in Federal Way, WA; and Partners in Health and Oxfam in Boston.

There are in-country positions in just about every developing country on earth, though some countries are too dangerous to have a large international development presence and others are “developed” enough to have fewer opportunities.

Pathways to a Career in Development

Over the last few years, I have seen many students successfully launch a career in international development. Here are a few pathways that have worked:

• Start with Peace Corps or other extensive in-country volunteering, followed by several internships and research experiences either in the field in a developing country—typically unpaid experiences, but occasionally paid—combined with fluency in a foreign language, and the MPA. Then, do extensive networking and informational interviewing, and/or get a referral from your graduate school’s career services via an alum of the program, to get an entry-level in-country position in an NGO paying quite little, plus living expenses; or a headquarters position as a program assistant, program analyst, etc.

• Similar to above, but becoming a finalist in a competitive fellowship program such as the Presidential Management Fellowship, leading to a position with USAID or State; or landing a competitive fellowship like the Catholic Relief Services International Development Fellowship or the American India Foundation Fellows etc.. After the fellowship, leverage the experience to land a position.

• Start without the international experience or Peace Corps, but get significant experience in fundraising and development and land a position in fundraising.

• Start without as much international experience, but have some other unusual technical expertise such as an engineering background that helps qualify you for specific jobs; or have another master’s in addition to the MPA, such as MPH.

• Start your own international nonprofit.

• Land a more administrative, entry-level position at USAID or similar using GlobalCorps.

• Do the Peace Corps, then use your noncompetitive eligibility to land a position in the federal government here or abroad.

When you go through the job search process, it seems every piece of your life is under scrutiny. Your work history, references, credit history, and so on are all fair game for background checks. But have you considered doing a reference check on your future boss?

If you’re currently desperate to make a paycheck, maybe you needn’t bother worrying about whether your future boss or company will treat you with the utmost respect or fit your personality. But if you have some choice in the matter—say, you’re about to leave a great job for a new, hopefully great job—why not try to make sure you’re accepting a job with a boss and co-workers you’ll like?

The first step is to come up with a list of questions for your future employer. These questions should only be asked if and when you have an offer in hand. Asking them sooner can keep you from getting the offer. Asking your future boss these questions once you have an offer is reasonable, as long as you ensure you emphasize your strong interest in the role and ask them tactfully. Questions include:

1. What is your management style?
2. I plan to do a great job for you. But if for some reason I don’t succeed in reaching the goals you set, what are the consequences? How will you, as a manager, handle this? How do you give feedback?
3. Is there turnover in the organization in the last year? If so, why?
4. How did this position become available? If someone left, why did they leave? Can I speak to the person who previously held this position? If not, any reason why?
5. Can I physically look at my future office space? Will I have a cubicle, or a full office?
6. What resources are available to get this job done?
7. What is the office culture like? What is the expectation regarding hours or travel?
8. Can I see the organizational chart? Are there reorganizations afoot?
9. How is this position, and the organization, funded? Is the funding stable?
10. Who would I be supervising? Can I talk to them? What is their expectation about my performance? Were they interested in the job I’ve been hired for?
11. What are the benefits, amount of time off, etc.?

Once these questions are answered, consider another two steps.

Check out the organization on the internet: go to glassdoor.com to see reviews of them; google the organization’s name and the word “reviews” or “complaints”, look them up in the Better Business Bureau, look at their tax return or annual financial reports if available, look at their donors to see whether they seem stable.

Lastly, consider an actual reference check on your future boss. With the internet, such a reference check is easier to do, though there are risks involved. Go look up the person on LinkedIn.com and click on “Check References” and then look for people who no longer work at the organization where you’ve received an offer. Then reach out to them on LinkedIn and ask if they have a minute to chat with you about their experience reporting to your future boss. A lot can be revealed about the person’s ability to be a manager by asking a few questions.

I recently worked with a job seeker who wanted to relocate fromSeattletoCaliforniato increase her intake of sunshine. She’d been trying to make the move happen for at least two years, mainly through traditional means—applying for open positions listed in her geographic area of interest. At some point, I suggested a more creative approach.

She had mentioned that her current job inSeattlemight be done at home or through telecommuting. I suggested that she ask her current employer if she might be able to set up this type of arrangement, and because she had done such a great job over the last couple of years, they agreed. She moved down toCaliforniabut kept her job inSeattle, flying back up a few times to do some work in-person.

Being in the city of her choice made a difference. Because she was no longer relocating, she had fewer hurdles to jump to be considered for jobs inCalifornia: she could meet employers in person rather than by phone or Skype, could start a job much sooner than if she had to move, and could do in-person networking. After only a month or two of telecommuting, she landed a full-time job inCalifornia.

Once in a while, I work with job seekers who say no to every suggestion I make about their job search. Nothing I suggest can work for them, because they can think up a reason why it won’t work, would be impossible, would cost too much, etc. Start embracing the possible and you may see more success.