Need a job? Moving may be the answer

According to the Labor Department, the nation's unemployment rate has slowly declined over the past 11 months. But, there are still millions of Americans out of work. Beth Herman with Manpower says the key to finding work could be as simple as a change of address.

The last time we saw Juvernia Smith, he had been out of work for two years. Then he and wife made a major employment-altering decision.

"I'm currently in Cullen, Louisiana. I moved back home where I was able to find a job. I'm managing a Radio Shack out here, and things are pretty good," said Smith in a phone interview with FOX 5.

Herman says Smith exercised an option many long-term unemployed are hesitant to use.

"Sometimes, especially in this economy, you may want to go back home as that gentleman did or relocate to where the jobs are," said Herman.
    
Herman says years ago America was a very mobile society. Not so much now, and that might explain why there are parts of the country that are practically giving jobs away. In fact, one state has so many jobs employers are having a hard time filling them.
    
Abraham Kirk was a union welder at Chrysler. He took a buyout during the 2009 downsizing but couldn't find another job until he picked up and headed west to South Dakota.

"You go down the street and everybody is hiring. I mean McDonald's is hiring for almost $11 an hour," said Kirk.

The labor shortage is so severe South Dakota's governor is paying Manpower $5 million to find workers. Why are there so many unfilled jobs? Some of it is geography, and people don't want to move. The other problem is one Herman encounters every day.

"I will never stop talking about the importance of networking because so few people do it well. People say I'm not a sales person. Networking is not about being an aggressive sales person. It's about connecting with everyone you know, telling your story and asking them to pay it forward," said Herman.

That's exactly what Smith did when he moved back home to Louisiana, and the job opportunities became available.

"There were more than I was getting there. It had to do with I'm from the area. I knew people, so I was able to make contacts and connections I wasn't able to make in Atlanta. For me it worked out," said Smith.

Herman is also a big fan of social networking. She says she can't even count how many recruiters have made placements through sites like LinkedIn. She says no matter what you do in life, there's probably a trade association that supports it. That's a good place to start networking.