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[maxxoccupancy]

Now is the time to get applications in.  There will be thousands of college students turning in applications over the next couple of weeks.  The Spring semester has ended at UNH, and will be ending for others this month.  The only way to beat the herd is to get applications in right away, especially for those service sector positions.  Because networking is so critical in New England, it's important to get applications in at places where you shop regularly and where you have friends who work there.  The New England manager's hiring routine is to take a stack of applications, ask subordinates if they have heard of any of those people, and (assuming they find someone they recognize) to send the rest into the waste bin.

[maxxoccupancy]

The seacoast job market is a bit different this year, but it's still viable and a good way for noobs to get their foot in the door and network.  That's something that you really have to do in New England to get established.

[StarkRavingSane]

I second that.  As a west coaster who spent five years in NH after marrying a Maine-folk, took a company transfer, got laid off and then passed out a lot of resumes only to get universal "Oh, you're not from here" responses, I can say that unless you are from New England, you have a tough nut to crack.  Keep trying, these are good people, even if they're not FSPers. I'm lucky, I've got step-kids to grease my way back, but after spending five years in Canada, I can say without reservation there is no place else to be.

[LoveFreedomAndLiberty]

I did not realize that having heard of someone and networking was so important there.  Is it a clique or is NH a place that does not accept newcomers?

Thank you for sharing this info.

[maxxoccupancy]

Yup.  I knew about this before the 2003 vote, and that's why I picked western states.  Hiring there is mostly based on merit.  They have a saying in the northeast: it's not what you know--it's who you know.

[Dreepa]

Yup.  I knew about this before the 2003 vote, and that's why I picked western states.  Hiring there is mostly based on merit.  They have a saying in the northeast: it's not what you know--it's who you know.

uhm  that saying I heard when I lived in California.....(and it is true there as well)

[maxxoccupancy]

That wasn't true in the northwest, at least.  I've worked out of socal quite a bit, and, even there, merit is pretty damned important.

[HendrikVrij]

Hurray for LinkedIn.com to build up a business network before you actually arrive in the region!
( http://nl.linkedin.com/pub/hendrik-brouwer/6/a94/8b7 )

[maxxoccupancy]

Hmmmmm....

Nothing beats face to face.  I always tell people to grab a couple of part time jobs when they get here in order to network with as many folks as possible.

[MaineShark]

Yup.  I knew about this before the 2003 vote, and that's why I picked western states.  Hiring there is mostly based on merit.  They have a saying in the northeast: it's not what you know--it's who you know.

uhm  that saying I heard when I lived in California.....(and it is true there as well)

Shh...

Don't ruin Max's little fantasy world.

Speaking as someone who has reason to hire folks on occasion, and who is from here, I can say that I hire based upon merit, not where someone is from.  And that holds true for nearly anyone else I'm aware of who has control over hiring.

However, unlike many places, "merit" means actually knowing things, not having degrees and the like.  Prove you know how to do the job, and do it well, and Yankees will hire you.  In certain jobs, it's useful to have a degree, but if all you have is a piece of paper to wave around, you won't get far.  If you have practical knowledge, the degree is secondary.

Joe

[LoveFreedomAndLiberty]

MaineShark-

Thanks for your input on this topic.

I agree that proving capability is much more important than a piece of paper that declares a person educated.  Some of the wisest people I have met have had little formal education.  I wonder how many employers have missed out on potential exceptional assets to their business simply because they were so caught up on seeing a piece of paper, who someone's parents are, and so on?