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10 Ways to Grow Your Network and Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

March 28, 2013 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer 5 Comments

by Kaye Putnam, Guest Contributor

Military spouses are natural networkers.

It is practically required of us, with our environment and friends getting shaken up every couple of years. Networking is the process of making friends and building relationships. In the arena of careers and businesses, relationships are a key to being successful.

While our military lifestyle give us opportunities to network (like FRG meetings, military balls and coffee socials), we can kick our relationship building up a notch by putting some effort into it. This month, resolve to be an adventurous networker.

10 Ways to Grow Your Network and Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

10 Ways to Incorporate Adventure into Your Networking

  1. Be interactive and accessible online via Facebook, LinkedIn, forums, and other platforms. Participate in groups that share your lifestyle (Military Spouse Entrepreneurs, Fort _______ Spouses, Military Spouse Etsy Shops, etc.) and invite people to connect with you. Better yet, reach out and connect with someone you have something in common with.
  2. Join as many in-person groups as you have time for. Book clubs, spouse clubs, playgroups, professional networking groups (In Gear Career, Chamber of Commerce, Young Entrepreneurs, etc.) are ripe for building relationships if you approach them with the desire to learn about other people–not broadcast about yourself.
  3. Make a real, planned effort to stay in touch with colleagues and friends that you‘ve moved away from. You already have the relationship built with them, it just needs to be maintained.
  4. Attend events that interest you, even if you won’t know a soul there. Pushing outside of your comfort zone will force you to make connections that you wouldn’t have otherwise.
  5. Be authentic in everything you do. By showing people the real (and sometimes vulnerable) side of yourself, you give yourself the chance to build meaningful relationships with other people.
    Milspouses are naturals at networking.

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  6. Help others more than you ask for help. Look for ways that you can be of value to other people. By helping as many other people as possible, you will be surprised how many doors will open for you.
  7. Practice starting conversations with strangers. Make it a game to figure out what you have in common, as quickly as possible.
  8. Kindly request to have a friend share her network. Ask your friends and people you already know if they can give you one person that you don’t know yet that you could connect with (that you would have something in common with).
  9. Take a relationship that you have online and figure out a way to kick it up a notch. Have a Skype conversation, talk on the phone or (best yet) figure out a way to meet in person.
  10. Reach out to the people that you admire (even if they are ridiculously successful, influential or whatever) and thank them for the impact that they have made on your life. Don’t ask for anything– just give them a powerful testimonial for their work.

Kaye Putnam (@marketingkaye) is a brand strategist for entrepreneurs. When she’s not helping clients inject more personality into their businesses, she loves making new career-minded military spouse friends, hosting dinner parties, and exploring her island home in Hawaii. You can find more about her and listen to her branding podcast at KayePutnam.com. 

Filed Under: Articles, Career, Career Advice, Slider Tagged With: building relationships, networking, professional advice, working milspouses

Are We Doomed to Boring Careers Because of Who We Married?

March 19, 2013 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer 5 Comments

Compared to the death-defying jobs of Felix Baumgartner and Jeb Corliss (whom I referenced in a previous blog), the majority of all other professions seem rather unexciting and dull.

While I can honestly state that I would never want any part of my career to involve breaking the speed of sound in a free fall or flying without two big engines and a pilot, I do enjoy a little variety and excitement in my job.

Yet, I wouldn’t be a good career coach if I didn’t acknowledge that not everyone finds the things I enjoy exciting (i.e. researching the latest job trends, finding the hidden job market and evaluating the impact of personality on career paths).  What one person finds exciting may be a great cure for insomnia for someone else.What’s frustrating to observe though, is that more military spouses are resigning themselves to jobs that they are told will be great for them when they are actually overqualified and underpaid.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Career, Career Advice, Military Lifestyle Tagged With: career, Employment Issues, job search, portable careers, working milspouse

You May Love a Wild Adventure, but that Doesn’t Mean Your Career Should Be One

March 5, 2013 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer 5 Comments

Parachute jumper Against Cloudy Sky from Horia Varlan's Flickr feed by CC by 2.0

Parachute Jumper Against Cloudy Sky from Horia Varlan’s Flickr feed by CC by 2.0.

Typically, the term “adventurous” is not one of the first words I hear used to describe a career. In fact, it’s not even in the top 100. For people like Felix Baumgartner or Jeb Corliss, sure; but for the rest of us (who aren’t free falling to Earth at 843 miles per hour from a helium balloon dangling in the stratosphere or base jumping in a wingsuit through trees and mountains), definitely not.

Adventurous, yes.  What I want my career to model? Not exactly.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Career, Career Advice Tagged With: career, working, working milspouse

5 Reasons Why Yahoo!’s Ban on Telecommuting is Actually a Good Thing

February 27, 2013 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer 2 Comments

iStock_000016313914XSmallYahoo!’s young, powerful CEO, Marissa Mayer, has been creating quite a controversy since recently taking over the reigns at the internet corporation—from announcing she was pregnant the same day Yahoo! publicized her hiring, to making divisive changes to their telecommuting policy.

Yet, despite all of the bad press Yahoo! has been getting as a result of Mayer’s controversial decision-making, there are some valuable insights that can be learned. In fact, I want to share 5 of the biggest reasons why Yahoo!’s ban on telecommuting is a good thing… [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Career, Career Advice Tagged With: career, portable careers

4 Ways to Plug the Gaps in Your Resume

February 12, 2013 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer 8 Comments

Jobs Help Wanted by by photologue_np via CC by 2.0.

Jobs Help Wanted by by photologue_np via CC by 2.0.

Entering the work force after staying home for a few years can be a daunting experience. Sure you may joke around about the different titles you carry (personal chef, taxi driver, laundry and cleaning attendant, nurse, etc…) but, making that leap back into the 9-5 daily grind again can cause anxiety.

Everything from the job search to the actual interview can be intimidating if you haven’t had to go through it in a while. The key to landing a successful interview is in your resume.

Potential employers may look at your resume and notice the gaps between employment dates. When this happens, the question then becomes “how do I fill in those gaps?”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Career, Career Advice

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