Charles Willoughby ⋅ Paradise Valley, AZ First Financial Equity Corporation ⋅ 30 years experience

Hi Shawn,
I would select the city or town where you will wish to live, and contact the Chamber of Commerce. I would read the web site, and get names of people to call, such as the membership director, president, and others. When you visit or move there, get active in
the chambers and in groups , such as ambassadors, or membership renewal volunteers. Ask some of the officers or leaders, the three best people for you to meet. Call them or e-mail, and get meetings over meals or coffee. Ask questions ...... remember the 6 degrees of separation. People like to help.
Best wishes,
Charlie Willoughby, USMC, 1978-1991 S/F

Nicole Wahlen ⋅ Milwaukee, WI DRS Technologies ⋅ 20 years experience

Shawn -

I recommend utilizing resources like LinkedIn. If you don't have a profile set up, you can do so fairly easily and let the networking begin! Start with people you work with currently, co workers from your past, neighbors, friends and relatives. As your network grows, you will find that you get invitations from others! You can also join groups in your industry/field and network with those folks.

Another great way to learn about job openings is to research companies in the Carolinas and follow them on LI. You will see their updates and be able to see any jobs that they post.

You can find classes and training on how to use LinkedIn at your local community college or online. Best of luck in your search,

Nicole

Larry Steward ⋅ Aiken, SC Stewardship Coaching ⋅ 30 years experience

Hey Shawn,
I will cut right to the chase - pick up this book. It has all the answers you're looking for -

What Color Is Your Parachute? is the world’s most popular job-hunting guide with more than ten million copies sold. Now, no matter what your circumstances, every job-hunter can find help with up-to-the-minute information on what has changed about the job-market, plus strategies for finding jobs even when everyone tells you there are none. (Note: this part is a new update) - And if you are a returning vet, there is a new twenty-page appendix this year, specifically addressing your unique needs.

This 2015 edition includes up-to-date research and tips about writing impressive resumes and cover letters, doing effective networking and confident interviewing, and negotiating the best salary possible. But it goes beyond that, in helping you to better know who you are, with its classic self-inventory—called “The Flower Exercise”—because the best answer to What shall I do? flows from knowing Who you are.

I'm a specialist in career transitions and have read tons of books on the subject - this one still stands tall because it is updated annually and covers every aspect of career issues including how to search for opportunities long distant as I recall. Good luck. I relate to where you're coming from based on my service with the Marines as a Medic who was stationed in San Diego going to the Navy Medical school.

Sarah Bates ⋅ Fallbrook, CA Palomar Community College ⋅ 25 years experience

There are many ways to find out what career opportunities exist in the Carolinas. Start by researching the types of businesses that exist there. The US Census reports have job types ranked by state. Use the local chambers of commerce to get names of companies who might be hiring. Find out if the job types you seek are offered by those companies. Check out their employee application requirements. If you don't know how your military service training translates into civilian applications, make a list of your MOS tasks and research those tasks–be specific, even if it means looking up the meaning of the words–against employee requirements for hiring. Review the demographics of the states in which you find companies hiring people of your experience. That data is available at the state level. Go to their website and look for it. The work you do for the job you want is going to be more valuable than any networking you do at the beginning. Good luck!