chgoeditor

Not my own story, but...

This was before the days of LinkedIn, etc., and before airport security was as we know it today. A friend of mine relocated halfway across the country for a job, only to lose it thanks to a corporate reorg. He felt strongly about wanting to find a job back in his old state, but there weren't the online resources for networking and jobhunting that are available today. So on early mornings or late afternoons when he didn't have other obligations, he'd throw on a suit, grab his briefcase and an old boarding card, then head to the major airport near his house. And he'd grab a spot at the gate handling the next flight back to his old city. Then he'd strike up conversations with people who looked like business travelers, telling them that he was catching a flight to whatever destination was leaving from the next gate, or the flight took off at the same gate later in the day.

"Oh, you're from [his old city]? I lived there for years and loved it. Relocated out here for work but I'd really love to end up back in [old city]. Me? I work in [fill in his job]. How about you? Oh, I know a few people who used to work there. Here, let me give you my card -- tell them you ran into me. It's supposed to be a fantastic company to work for. If you hear of anything, let me know."

If I'm remembering the story correctly, one of those creative networking opportunities actually got him back to his old town.