I recently received an email from a grad who is going to graduate in December —

“I’ve been looking at jobs in NY, but I’ll admit I’m a little bit discouraged. I wanted to reach out and ask you for a piece of advice you have for someone who’s looking for a job in NY. What’s a piece of advice or word of encouragement that you have? It could be resume or cover letter related, or anything including life advice!”

YES. I have so so much to share. That’s why I’m HERE. That’s why I’m doing this. I do it for you.

Because I was where you were not too long ago. New York is a tough place to be but it is doable. You just have to know what to do.

If you want to WORK and LIVE in New York but don’t live here yet, don’t despair. Here are a few steps for Kicking Ass in NY:

Put a New York address on your resume. You know someone here – reach out to see if they wouldn’t mind you putting their address on your resume. You will actually get looked at if you put a local address on a resume. Otherwise, recruiters will ignore you since it’s too $$$ to interview you and move you here.

Find a cheap place to live. It’s ok to live in Queens. It’s not fancy but it’s affordable, and you need affordable to get you through as you are just starting out. Get roommates. It’s not that bad.

Be willing to do temp work. You often just need a way to make a paycheck until you get a full-time job. Temp work can be boring but it is a great start to tide you over.

Network. Getting a job is about WHO you know. So know a lot of people. Go to networking events every night to find lots of chances to meet many people at once.

Join an alumni group. An alumni group provides fellowship, friends, and opportunities for fun. Your alumni network would Love to help you succeed. If you are a Mizzou grad, join Mizzou NYC. Every alumni group has one in NYC.

Bring your lunch. Lunch in NYC can be $$$. Go grocery shopping the week before and make lunches on Sunday for the week. You’ll save time figuring out what you want to order and you’ll save beaucoup bucks. NYC is expensive. Don’t fall into that trap of spending more than you have.

Keep asking questions. I love hearing from you. Go kick ass.

Xx

Laura