Breaking into the Portland job market

If you relocated here, how did you get your first job in Portland?

"I've been freelancing since I arrived in 2001. My initial contacts were made when I volunteered at an AIGA Portland event. I also asked for referrals from contacts in my previous city."

"The newspaper never works anywhere but Portland--everywhere else it's networking."

"Through a swank, but frustrating internship."

"Applied via a newspaper ad sent to me by a friend."

"I met [the HR manager at a design firm] at an AIGA dMob event and he eventually booked me for an interview with his company."

"News ad response from another city."

"...I applied for a job posted on Craigslist.com and got it."

"Oregonian clasified."

"I applied online to a small Yellow Page advertising company and was hired after a 'cattle call' group interview with six other designers."

"I got my first design job in portland by sheer luck, I think. I was walking the city and passed [a design office]. They were just losing a designer due to maternity leave, I was in the right place at the right time and everything else fell into place."

"I started my research of Portland Design Firms through Media Inc. Magazine, a section of the top design firms in the northwest according to profitability, size of the company, and clientele.
[One design firm] was among the top of the list and happened to be where I forwarded on my portfolio and inquiry via email first. It was a long shot, because these days it seems that you have to know someone who knows someone to even get a look at with the saturation of designers throughout the northwest. Luckily, [the] co-owner...gave me a call within a one day timeframe and requested that I gave her a call back. I then set up an interview with her and [the] art director.... And as they say...the rest is history."