6 Ways Jumpstart Your Career After a PCS
By Dawn M. Smith for MilitaryByOwner Advertising, Inc.
Two of the greatest struggles military spouses have during a PCS are finding a productive career life and connecting with friends in their new communities, especially over the last 12 to 14 months. But, have you noticed the lines between networking for work and meeting new friends have blurred thanks to Zoom, Clubhouse, LinkedIn, and other telework and social platforms?
They have because many of us are eager to meet new like-minded coworkers and friends. It’s far easier to create meaningful personal connections in intimate groups than traditional spouses’ groups with massive numbers of online members.
The work/personal relationship overlap suits military spouses just fine. We’re made for online connections and thrive over long distance. Sure, it’s great to meet people in person, but military life isn’t always kind to our precious relationships. Becoming friends with networking partners is a natural way to find a new tribe, no matter where you land.
If you take advantage of the abundance of remote access carried over from the pandemic, you’ll be well on your way to finding the perfect solution for the best path to career and personal satisfaction.
First things first. If you haven’t taken advantage of your LinkedIn Premium Upgrade offered by the Department of Defense Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (MySECO), then start! It’s a quick way to connect with professional military spouses that will offer the work support and friendship only another spouse knows how to give.
If creating your LinkedIn profile feels intimidating, respond to any of the workshops, lunch-and-learns, or masterclasses offered by the following resources. They’ll help you craft your best LinkedIn profile.
Now, take a look at this list of opportunities to meet new friends and secure the best career option (at the same time!):
1. Build the Business You’ve Dreamed Of.
Are you sure you’ve created the next, most in-demand product or service and want the whole world to know about it? Building a business to take with you from PCS to PCS is a goal for many military spouses. The spouses who created these groups have already taken on the business-building challenge successfully, some multiple times, and cannot wait to help you start yours.
Here are a few resources that can help:
- Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs (AMSE)
- U.S Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce
- The Rosie Network
2. Put Your Experience to Good Use.
If you’re like most military spouses, you have more work experience than you know what to do with, and you’re ready to plant roots and work with a company that understands military life. Connect with these organizations dedicated to serving military spouses to find your perfect fit:
- Military Spouse Employment Partnership
- Hiring Our Heroes
- The Military Spouse Corporate Career Network
Got a specific company in mind? Always check out their veteran and military spouse programs. Here are two that veterans and spouses often research when starting to think about corporate life:
3. Connect with Military Spouse Staffing Companies.
Remote work is here to stay, and military spouses could not be happier. Finally, we can thrive in our work life from home, coworking space, or in the car at soccer practice! These companies know your job search pain and want to connect you with jobs that fit the military spouse lifestyle:
4. Find a Mentor.
Not many spouses walk through military life without a few friends and confidants, so why walk through the job hunt or community building alone? If you’ve never talked with a mentor, a PCS is a perfect time to add the extra layer of expertise to your support system.
A mentor helps not only with work-related stresses, but might also connect you with their colleagues and friends at your new duty station. It’s the perfect way to meet new people both professionally and personally.
Here’s where you can get started:
- Military Spouse eMentor Program
- Veterati
- Military Spouse Advocacy Network
- American Corporate Partners
5. Make the Best of Your Military Life Transition.
At some point in your spouse’s career, you’ll begin to think about transitioning out of the military. It’s never too early to plan for life outside of active-duty service, regardless of whether they have 10, five, or two years left. A whole new world opens, and you both need to take control of work life ahead as a team.
That’s what these groups do—help military families make the most of their transition and prepare for future opportunities. As you work through the programs, you’ll network with people with similar backgrounds who are going through the same challenges.
Organizations that can help are:
6. Explore Branch-Specific Resources.
Each branch of service offers a version of spousal employment help, either virtually or on an installation. Branch programs are typically found in their associated community services buildings. There’s no better way to spark instant kinship than to sit in a room and commiserate with fellow spouses about military life.
Here’s where to look:
- Army: Employment Readiness Program
- Navy: Family Employment Readiness Program
- Marine Corps: Family Member Employment Assistance
- Air Force: Personal and Work Life Program
- Coast Guard: Work-Life Program
This list is by no means exhaustive. The beauty of starting to network is that relationships naturally begin to grow as you reach out, comment, offer advice or tips, or simply wish other military spouses well. You’ll continue to learn about more networking groups and companies as you grow your connection base.
What a powerhouse blog of resources, Dawn! Thanks! (It also thrills my heart to see that AWTR has shared info on many of these resources as well). Great work.