It can be extremely difficult to secure a job in a city across the country when you’re competing against local talent. So how did Emily, a 30-year old marketing professional living in New York City, manage to secure an events/marketing role at a successful media start-up in San Francisco this summer? After four years at a well-established company, Emily had developed solid credentials but was bored and burnt-out plus she wanted to be closer to her family. Read on for how she created a new opportunity for herself through clarity, networking and determination.

1. How long were you actively jobseeking?

Over a year, but I was targeting the wrong positions for much of that time. My initial search was for the position I was already in at a rival company. Using exercises from Suzanne’s class that helped me combine the best parts of my past jobs with my personal interests, I was able to narrow my search to Event/Marketing positions in New York and San Francisco. My criteria was pretty specific so the openings were few and far between, but after 6 months I got an offer for a job.

2. What was your job search strategy during this period?

My strategy was a mix of daily job search agents, following targeted companies and job posters/advisers on Twitter, and good old fashioned networking. The easiest thing to do was set up a daily job search on Indeed.com to send me daily digests of event/marketing jobs in New York and San Francisco, which was my wide net. Then I made a short list of companies that I was interested in that were based in NYC and SF and followed them on Twitter along with their corresponding job accounts if they had them, and some other helpful job advice accounts. Searching for a job when you have a full time job can be very challenging so I essentially created job ‘feeds’ that gathered all of my targeted job-related info in one place.

Most of my search was very reactive: see a posting, check LinkedIn to see if I’m connected to someone, then apply (hopefully through a referral). That approach is time consuming and, since most jobs probably receive hundreds of applications on day one, not very successful. When I did get a response to an application, it was well into final rounds or after the position had been filled. In an attempt to be more proactive, I set up informational interviews with people at companies on my short list, whether they were hiring or not, so I would already have a contact if a position became available. I followed my connections on LinkedIn and diligently prepared for each informational as if it were a real interview.

3. How did you ultimately come to obtain your current new job? (Through a friend, cold application)

Through an informational interview that turned into a job referral. I saw a job posting that I was interested in and went to LinkedIn to see if I was connected to anyone. A friend introduced me to my informational interviewee, who was a college alum, and she talked about her experience and the company culture. This was two weeks after I had seen the posting, so I assumed the position had been filled or was close to being filled, but figured if I was interested in working for this company down the line, an informational was still useful. I mentioned the position I was interested in, and my interviewee passed my resume to a recruiter for future consideration since it was indeed close to being filled. I sent her a nice thank you note and offered any assistance in the near future. She sent me the recruiter’s info and said I could contact her directly if I saw any postings down the line. Less than a month later, I saw the same job posted again and contacted the recruiter directly on day one. Three months and 7 interviews later I got the job!

4. What do you think were the secrets to your success?

Patience and persistence are definitely key. Networking and referrals are also par for the course. Every interview except for one was through a referral. Setting up informationals for San Francisco-based jobs from New York was crucial because I wasn’t physically close enough to meet up or attend local networking events so you need to find a way to bridge the gap.

5. What advice do you have for jobseekers out there?

Know the difference between the right opportunity and the next opportunity, particularly if you’re in a job that you really don’t like. There will be times when it seems like anything would be better than your current situation. But during my long and grueling search, I realized that if I didn’t hold out for the right job, I’d have to start the process all over again.

Know when to say “time out.” Job searches can be extremely discouraging at times, so it’s important to take a break and refresh and recharge for the next round.

Know when to start networking. Don’t wait until you’re miserable at your current job to start looking for a new one.

Know that people’s time is valuable. Informational interviews should be treated like real interviews. It’s important to be genuine and appreciative toward your interviewee and to thank them for their advice. In fact, I’m taking my referral out to lunch next week to thank her for helping me get my current job!