Where can a recent college grad find jobs in Nashville, TN? Looking to move and work in Nashville!!?
Mar.24, 2010 in
College Jobs
Recently graduated from college and am looking to move to Nashville. Right now I am having the hardest time finding jobs because I am not familiar with the area or companies in the city and can’t find hardly anything online! Does anyone have suggestions about job searching in Nashville? Is this a good place for a recent grad to move? Thanks for your help!!
March 24th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Are you currently in Nashville or are you planning on moving there? Nashville is a great place to move… however, as I’ve explained to my parents certain areas of the country attract certain kind of businesses:
The west coast is entertainment based. I’m from Cincinnati, which is marketing, manufacturing, branding and packaging. Nashville’s industry is music. Recording. Artist relations. Scouting. The New England region is heavy into technology and healthcare. Just as Florida is inundated with Medicare scam artists and identity thieves. Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, are heavy into politics… consulting firms, lobbyists, LAW. The jobs in THESE areas are ‘career-path’ jobs. What you’re looking for is something ‘entry-level’. These would be:
- Insurance Adjustor
- Telephone sales
- the customer service rep at your local cable/internet company
- graphic designer
- an ‘account executive’ position (don’t believe the hype when one of your friends says they’re an account executive, they don’t have THAT much responsibility)
- and ANY position that end with ‘PROGRAM’… the entire job is a primer for something bigger and better.
Its always best to have a job prior to moving someplace. On average it takes 3 months to find steady, and suitable employment that you enjoy.
I would start by talking to people there. Get on Face book and search for people from Nashville, find out who their friends are, discover who the top employers in that area are. Your peers are most likely going to have entry-level jobs just as yourself. Use them to network. More often than not they’ll be able to help you secure an interview in a different and more unconventional way…
(e.g. Maybe they’re going out for beers with their supervisor on a Thursday night, and you happen to meet up with them, introduce yourself to the person and just let them know you’re in the market for employment… they’re in management positions for a reason. OR your contact is able to give you the name of somebody in human resources who you can call just to say “Hi, ______ [insert name] I was just on the phone with Joe Blow up in whatever dept., he was telling me about working at the company and what a great atmosphere it has. I’m checking out the website right now, what was his job title? I’d love to submit my application.” Follow it up with something to keep the conversation going and indicate your interest and capability to work.”
If you make your name known it WILL circulate. Sales people, ops. managers, recruiters, the receptionist, the cleaning staff, the girls in accounting, even the president or COO will eventually hear that Mr. Smith is ‘a candidate for employment’ or ‘would be a great addition to our team’… even if you haven’t submitted a resume or gone on a formal interview.
Websites like CareerBuilder and Monster.com don’t really work for a couple of reasons. They harbor companies that thrive on turnover. Extremely entry level positions or jobs that only require training from a technical school. Hardly any of the jobs they offer will be ‘career-path’ jobs. This is to say they’ll teach you a little bit about an industry, but they won’t offer a lot in the way of professional mobility within that company.
Networking is most important for finding a job. This is why politicians are never out of work… because they know everyone and somebody they KNOW will always give them a job. But you should also:
- Look through the local paper, pay attention to the companies who’s name is on the headlines or featured in the business section (not the classified job ads).
- Use your college career center… they’ll always help out an alumnus, even if you approach them for some help ‘polishing up your resume’
- Talk to bartenders JUST BEFORE happy hour. [3:15-4:30] They hear everything. And they’ll love to talk… just be blunt “Hey where do most of the people who come in here work? I’m looking for a job.” (Bartenders work different shifts, if you talk to the guy closing on a Tuesday night he may not know his ass from his elbow.)
- Drive around during rush hour. Check out the exits that are packed bumper to bumper during the morning, and then take the exit at a more appropriate time. Chances are there’s a business park somewhere around the area. Visit it and just pay attention to the company names listed on parking lot directories.
- Go to Chipotle or Applebee’s for lunch, find the fishbowl they use for the business card raffle. (And they ALL have the fishbowl). Dunk your hand in and swipe a few at random. If anyone says anything, just say “Hey, these aren’t breath mints!” Look to see what companies each are from.
These things are kind of unconventional. But it goes along with the territory, and they’re tactics that anyone who’s assertive and knowledgeable about an area use.
As always, confidence, a willingness to succeed, looking the part, and likeability will land you the job… you don’t need to know jack sh*t about the industry, that’s what job training is for.
By the way, I typed ALL of that at work.