I was attempting to write a blog while en route to San Diego to visit my daughter, Kate, who recently moved there from San Francisco. Very tight seating in the A319 jet made it next to impossible to find a position that would allow me to breathe and type at the same time. Finally, the person in the seat in front of me adjusted her seat forward and I could manage both tasks.

The trip to the west coast was exciting not only because I was visiting my daughter who had settled into a new city, but also because she was in the throws of a job search. The combination of my being a career counselor and her mother can be a little intense for Kate in times like these. Yet, she seems to take my natural fascination for people's career paths and wholehearted curiosity about her particular approach to the job market in stride.

Take, for example, her first job search… It's hard enough at times to find a job in a place you know well, let alone in a city 3,000 miles away which you've visited a couple of times on vacation with family. Right after college, Kate made the journey to San Francisco with resume in hand and a very vague notion of what she might like to do: work in a cause-related organization using her writing and verbal skills. It was not an unrealistic target for anthropology major with fluency in Spanish, but didn't translate into any particular job. She clearly needed to look around to see what the marketplace had to offer.

With her home base quickly established, Kate first scoped out the employment agencies for temporary work that would tide her over until she found a more permanent position. I was surprised to learn that the hourly rates were so much higher there: $12-$20 compared to $8-$10 in Maine. Of course, this makes sense since the cost of living there is astronomical.

I'll never forget her first temp job. She was hired to temp at $14 per hour for a major bank as one of six greeters at a reception for their boutique customers. Kate was told to wear a business suit to the event and to show up at 3pm sharp at a swanky downtown hotel. So far, this gig was not hard to take; and it got better. Upon arrival, she was told to make conversation with the guests and help herself to the abundance of hors d'oeuvres and mai tais flowing from a fountain in the center of the room! Four hours later, her job was done and she went home thinking, "This temping thing is not bad!" I, on the other hand, could not believe my ears and wondered where in the world my daughter had landed. Although not all of Kate's subsequent temp jobs were as glamorous, many were interesting and one led to an actual job offer, which she declined because it would have set her on a career path she knew was not of interest to her.

She finally received her first job offer in San Francisco through a Maine connection. In addition to temping, Kate spent hours developing and following up on contacts from her college alumni, to friends of friends. Her most successful lead was from Karin Anderson, Executive Director of the Maine Women\'s Fund. After years of my preaching the value of networking, Kate was somewhat convinced and followed up on the lead. A month later, after one appointment with a contact, Kate received a call from her soon-to-be-employer. Kate had come so highly recommended that the woman felt convinced she had found her new staff person. Meeting her clinched the deal. Three years and a promotion later, Kate now telecommutes from San Diego, as a transitional arrangement knowing that it is only a matter of time when she will have a new base of employment in San Diego.

What's next for her? Well, a friend passed her name on to a colleague whose mother owns a start up company. Last night she had an interview with the president of the company who told Kate she was the only candidate for the job at this time. Could this be yet another stroke of luck for her where she does not have to vie for a job with other candidates? I'll be eager to find out. But in any case, her job search to date certainly bodes well for the power of networking. Stay tuned for to hear the latest in her job search…

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