Over the last week and a half, I was invited to attend two important events sponsored by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and Corporate Gray. The first was a networking social, and the second was its career fair (more than 1,200 job seekers and 150 employers – what a turnout!).

Both events gave me the opportunity to talk to a large number of individuals who were in the process of transitioning from military service to civilian employment. Two common themes emerged in the conversations and I’d like to share them with you, along with my thoughts and suggestions. (Please note that I do not represent any of the organizations I’ll mention below, nor do I have any interest other than passing along what’s worked for me.)

Theme #1: Is your networking working?
Everybody seems to agree on the importance of networking when it comes to finding a job. More than just showing up at a happy-hour event or social, networking is a proactive, purposeful activity that can and should yield results. By ‘results’ I mean things like: opportunities to practice and hone your elevator speech, hearing another person’s perspective on your industry or career track, feedback on how you’re coming across, job leads, and valuable introductions.

I have found that the most successful networkers engage in conversations from a posture of genuine curiosity and a spirit of service. They don’t approach networking from a one-down position of need (e.g., I need a job. You have an opening. Therefore, I am at a disadvantage in my conversation with you because I need what you have). They understand that all people have a network of family, friends, customers, and service providers who themselves have networks, and so on and so on. You never know what conversation your next job lead will come from.

In addition, rather than purely focusing on data points about professional accomplishments, successful networkers share stories about the impact they’ve been able to have on people and events. For example, when someone asks what I do, I could say:
• I’m an organization development consultant and executive coach.

Or…

• I’m an organization development consultant and executive coach. One of my specialties is helping former military personnel get up to speed in the civilian workplace and accelerate their success and productivity. This helps both the individual and his or her employer.

Which one tells a better story about the value I can add? Which one is an opening for more discussion? The second one, of course. If you can sum up your positive impact in a sentence or two and practice telling anyone who will listen, from your barber to a parent at your kid’s school to the person seated next to you on an airplane, you will be delighted to see that any one of these individuals has the potential to connect you with someone in their own network who can make a difference for you.

On another note, many people approached me with questions about how to use online networking. I always answered them with a question of my own: are you using LinkedIn? Before these MOAA/Corporate Gray events I assumed it was mainstream. What I learned was that, while most people I spoke to were aware of it, many were not taking advantage of its full functionality.

Some of you reading this are receiving it through a LinkedIn group. Are you using it as a job search aid and, if so, how?

After being with Booz Allen for 10 years I went out on my own and had to market my services. I knew of LinkedIn but wasn’t actively using it. Fortunately a colleague took the time to walk me though, step by step. I routinely devote a chunk of time to data-mining on the site, and have to say it has had a measurable impact on my business.

As a result of my conversations at the MOAA events, I see that I have an opportunity to “pay it forward” and help others learn from my experience. For those of you interested, I will be hosting a FREE 30-minute tele-seminar this Friday, September 25th, 2009, at 1:00pm EST. I’ll be talking about how you can access the wealth of data available in LinkedIn and make important connections. Please contact me directly if you’d like to dial in (emily@mymilitarytransition.com). To make best use of this time, please join LinkedIn and post a profile before participating on the call.

Theme #2: It pays to research
During a conversation among a small group of officers, I learned that many of my new MOAA friends had retired from the military some time ago and were now looking for a second or third civilian position. This is fairly common and, if you’ve seen the http://militarytransitions.biz website you know that the most frequent explanation for why this happens is a lack of fit with an organization’s culture. While many former military officers and personnel leave their first civilian job for other reasons, I have worked with more than a few who made a hasty decision at the front end by jumping into a job without fully researching the larger organization.

It’s kind of like buying a house: the realtor is going to show you all of the gorgeous features and leave out the thing about the declining school system and the incessantly barking dog next door. You wouldn’t purchase a house based solely on information from the realtor…why would you accept a job based solely on information from the employer?

If you don’t know people who already work in the organization you are considering and who are willing to be candid about their perceptions, how do you get an accurate picture of what it would really be like for you? I’d like to share some tools I’ve used in the past that might be helpful in your job search. Specifically, I’ll mention three websites that offer information – both objective and subjective – about companies. Most sell reports or subscriptions, but some give extensive information for free.

Wetfeet.com - This website provides a lot of information for free. A search by company name gets you to a high-level description. What’s even more useful is a search by industry. This yields information on industry trends, job prospects, “what’s to love” and “what’s to hate,” major players, job descriptions, and tips for getting hired.

Hoovers.com - This is a Dun & Bradstreet company and, therefore, focuses on financial performance. You can also purchase competitive analyses (to compare companies within the same industry) and information about a company’s executive team, products and operations. There isn’t much free information on this site, but it does offer a free trial so you can check it out.

Vault.com - This website provides information on companies as well, but is known for info from current and former employees. Such information should be weighed carefully, as contributors may use the site as an outlet for venting dissatisfaction. The website offers employer profiles and rankings, results from employee satisfaction surveys, industry blogs, and a job board.

I hope you’ll consider these suggestions and let me know if and how they work for you. Remember to contact me if you’re interested in being part of this Friday’s tele-class.

All the best in your job search!

Emily