Everyone tells me that LinkedIn is important. So, I signed up and created my profile. Now what? I don’t understand the purpose of LinkedIn.
If you are mystified by LinkedIn, you are not alone. However, it is time to understand the basics, decide if you should put in the effort, and get started because it may make or break your next job opportunity. Read on to find out why military spouses should get on board and learn ways to get moving on LinkedIn.
Military spouses move … a lot! Just as Facebook has revolutionized the way we can stay in touch with our friends long after we move, LinkedIn provides a link to our past coworkers, employers, business partners, customers, and other professional connections. Now you don’t have to lose all of those valuable contacts that you made at your last duty station. Plus, you can keep up with their career changes so it is easy to catch up when you do correspond.
In addition to connecting us to our past, we can reach into our future and develop new relationships. Join a LinkedIn group and you can request connections or message other members directly. These relationship building features allow you to seek out and connect with people in the locations, industries, and positions you choose. You can find out if any of your existing contacts know people in your new location. This is a great way to get personally introduced and start networking in your new location. Talk about building a network that can work for you!
Another challenge with moving often is that we can’t afford to spend a lot of time on the job hunt, networking, or building our credibility in any one area. Although there are local groups, LinkedIn is worldwide so your geographic location does not impact your ability to network effectively. A well-crafted profile featuring your past work will help you establish credibility with a new connection. Your profile is the most important piece for potential employers so carve out time to build a quality profile.
