By Kent Johnson

Are you currently searching for a new job or career?  You're not alone--there are millions of other people just like you around the world. A local job search can sometimes be difficult, but you can make the process easier by having a solid game plan and sticking to that plan. 

On the plus side, the fact that you can conduct a local job search from the comfort of your home takes a lot of the legwork out of the process--at least in the beginning.  And by narrowing down your list of prospective jobs to the ones you really want, you can eliminate a lot of unnecessary phone calls and interviews.

Most people start a local job search by looking in the classifieds of their hometown newspaper. Just about every paper is going to have a "help wanted" section that's divided into career fields such as medical, business, retail sales, construction, drivers, auto mechanics, etc.  Companies who are actively seeking employees run ads under the proper category, along with a short job description and list of requirements.  Just be aware that many of the best job opportunities never appear in the classifieds.

Another way of attacking a local job search is by going online. There are a wide variety of job search sites on the Internet, and most have the ability to filter job openings by geographical area.  One of the more popular of these sites is careerbuilders.com.  On this site, you begin the job search process by first creating a resume.  Then you can begin to search for job openings in your area by typing in your city and state, and category of job you're looking for. You can narrow the possibilities further by selecting how far from a particular zip code you'd be willing to travel. 

Once you've entered this information, a list of job openings will appear on the screen. You can read through the listings, pick the ones you're interested in, and then send those companies a copy of your online resume. This saves a lot of time over the traditional "snail mail" way of posting resumes, and allows the job seeker to cover a lot more ground in the same amount of time. Just don't expect to hear back from every company that you contact -- if you get a response from half of them, you'll be doing good. And careerbuilder.com will even email you with a daily list of job openings that fit your criteria.

And if you don't get an interview for your dream job right away, don't get discouraged.  A local job search--like many things in life--is a numbers game.  And as I mentioned earlier, many of the best jobs never appear in the newspaper classifieds or online listings.  Those jobs are usually filled from in-house candidates or through personal referrals. And for that, you'll have to hit the street and start networking.  Get the word out that you're on the job market, tell everyone who will listen what you're looking for, and keep your resume updated and ready when an opportunity arises.

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