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Deloitte Impact Day

Veteran

John Bailey San Diego, CA

First of all, thank you to all the Advisors that are taking time to help. Hopefully, this question will help others, although it is specific to my situation. I am looking to get a job in the Fall of 2018 and am fairly Geo-locked in my search to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. What suggestions do you have for making connections when you are located across the country from your targeted destination?

9 June 2017 5 replies Networking

Answers

Advisor

Liz Brown Meridian, ID

John - To add on to the others, do you have a particular career or industry you plan to explore for job opportunities? If so, you can explore professional organization affiliations (for example in Health IT, you could look into HIMSS) for those industries/careers and research/identify potential employers, jobs and connections through that venue. You can join those organizations now (or explore opportunities through ones you already belong to) and get actively involved in their activities and spend time researching and expanding your network long before you get out. Once you have done some of that, if possible, plan on some leave in the area and see if you can meet with some of those people you have been networking with while you are in the area on leave. I do not think it is too early to start researching or connecting with people/companies in that location and/or in your chosen field for expressly the reason you cite above, finding out what, if anything you should do to hone your skills/education in the next year. I do think it is too early to actually interview for specific positions, but for getting information, fact finding, research, and connecting, it is never too early. Another option is to explore connections you have already made in the military, especially if they are in your career field, living, or plan to live, in that same area. Good luck! Liz

Veteran

John Bailey San Diego, CA

Kevin,

Thank you very much for your response. Those are great ideas for finding and making contact with desirable companies. I will definitely follow your advise.

Best wishes,
John

Veteran

John Bailey San Diego, CA

Thank you Julia. I have definitely seen that bridging gaps in recent Project Management courses with Google Hangouts, Docs, Calendar, etc. It is good to hear that it is reliable in the job search field from the hiring side as well. On a following note, would you recommend starting to reach out before I am even inside of a year, or will that frustrate companies looking for more near term applicants? In an ideal world, I would like to make contact as soon as possible to see if there is anything else I could do to make myself more marketable during the time remaining.

Advisor

Kevin Delli-Colli Herndon, VA

John,

First of all thanks for your service, I would suggest doing research on what companies within your targeted area are either headquartered or have a significant presence. Then you could research your current location to see if any are also located there as well. Follow up by possibly approaching or applying to positions locally and indicate your preference for another location.

I also suggest you use your network to make connections at companies you are interested in. Many firms have specific points-of-contact for Veterans, these contacts are usually found on companies’ career pages via www, Facebook or linkedin. If you have a linkedin account, one way to increase your network reach is to use your first tier network to find second level contacts at companies you are interested in and ask them to make an intro. In your case you could attempt to build your network in the location(s) you are interested in. Based on your current plans you have plenty of time to broaden your network—It’s not too soon to start. Good luck as you begin your transition into civilian life.

Kevin

Advisor

Julia Kirby Gambrills, MD

Hi John! Thank you for your service!! This is one area in which technology truly becomes a help. Connecting through electronic media is more and more common and should be used to help build networks and get connected. As the workforce has become more mobile, it has become the norm for people to establish relationships, even strong relationships, through electronic means. Make use of tools such as LinkedIn and other online resources to network regardless of your location.

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