Nancy Quartey ⋅ Palo Alto, CA ⋅ 1 years experience

Hi Patrick,
Do you already have employment where you'll be relocating? Or is that why you need to build a network? I'd be happy to discuss some more virtual career options with you if that's really your goal. Let me know if you'd like to schedule a time to talk.
Nancy

Phillip Batson ⋅ Tacoma, WA U.S. Army Reserve, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 18 years served

Patrick,

Thank you for your service. When I originally left active duty, I found myself in rural North Dakota. The advice given above is spot on. Local service organizations like the VFW or American Legion, and even the local 4H can be a great way to meet people and network in the more rural areas. That is where I met most of the locals in Hettinger, ND, the American Legion. A multi-faceted approach from the internet and in person, will give you the most flexibility. And depending on the industry you want to get in, some career fields are smaller in a sense, that a guy in NY knows guys in the middle of nowhere Nebraska, that knows folks in Eastern Texas, and so on.

David Eastman ⋅ Gresham, OR Gamma Therapeutics, Inc. ⋅ 35 years experience

Hello, Patrick

Thank you for your service. I am an ex-Navy man myself, mostly in P-3 Orions out of the West Coast.

Relocating to a rural area when you are used to all the local services in an urban environment is always difficult.

I lived in a small town in Pendleton, Oregon and found that small towns have very rich participation of the citizens in fraternal organizations and groups such as the Lions, the Eagles, Farmer Co-Ops and Chambers of Commerce. Most of these groups hold monthly events and also sponsor events in their towns and surrounding farms and so this might be a way for you to meet and network with your new neighbors.

As some one said in their reply, obviously the Internet is global in scope but I can see why it may not be the center of every one's world in a small town with ranches and farms. Hey, they are busy living their lives and taking care of their fields and animals!

I would go onto Linkedin.com and see how many connections you can make in your new community. Facebook is also helpful and has become the domain of the 40-60 year olds versus the very young. I would also go into Craiglist, the down-to-earth, common man and woman's website for advertising job openings and such.

And, if you are willing to spend a small amount of money, you could also put an ad in the local newspaper, detailing your work experience, your military service and your search for a job. I am sure you will get a response.

Good luck in your career. I wish you much success.

Regards,

David F Eastman, Veteran, US Navy Avionics

Jodie Prieto-Rodriguez ⋅ Pittsburgh, PA Allegheny Health Network- Highmark Health ⋅ 21 years experience

Sir:

What decentralized or lower traffic career field are you entering into. I have found that identifying the rural counterpart to what your are interested can help. The Chamber of Commerce will let you know what businesses have some type of contractual business operations in that area; from that list you can start building a network with some of the businesses that partner with the area itself.

I was doing job searches in Pittsburgh and wanted to know how robust the health care market was. I looked up the registered organization on their chamber of commerce as well as Health care Industry specific periodicals and was able to get an idea of where I needed to look, who I needed to talk to, and where I would want to live in a what is arguably a very rural "city" (350,000 people... thats it).

Search linkedin, facebook, and monster as well to get an idea of what organizations are in your preferred living area

Kathleen Dunn-Knudsen ⋅ Brooklyn, NY ioby ⋅ 8 years experience

Hi Patrick,

Thanks so much for using ACP AdvisorNet and for your service. ACP AdvisorNet has thousands of Advisors from all around the country!

The Community section of the site is a way for veterans to build a network in their local area, a particular industry or within a specific company. On that section of the site, you’re able to search for Advisors by industry, zip code, level of experience and company. You’re then able to privately message these Advisors for guidance and networking opportunities.

You can view the Community section here: https://acp-advisornet.org/community/advisors

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly.

Best,
Kathleen

Tim Feemster ⋅ Dallas, TX Foremost Quality Logistics ⋅ 40 years experience

Many good answers so far. I would add that you should look for connections within the Economic Development arena. They along with Chambers of Commerce have connections with local businesses and know which ones are growing and hiring. I have connections in many of these organizations along the I-20 & I-30 corridors. If this is where you are looking, send me your contact information and I can electronically connect you with my contacts. tim@feemsters.com

Sotir Koev ⋅ Washington, DC Koev Brothers Private Investor Group ⋅ 7 years experience

With the internet, you can establish a network anywhere around the world. Virtually anchor yourself to the nearest big city. Even in small towns, there's always something going on, find out who runs things, locally.

Barron Evans ⋅ Ann Arbor, MI Customer Experience Change Management ⋅ 30 years experience

Patrick... foremost, thank you for your service. Ironic to see your message; I moved out of TX (Dallas) in 2017 … so am familiar with the area to which you're relocating.

My suggestion would be to heavily leverage online resources; these 3 come to mind:
> Meetup groups https://www.meetup.com/

> LinkedIn groups: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/networking-linkedin-groups/

> Google groups https://support.google.com/groups/?hl=en#topic=9216

In most cases, once you establish professional / personal interest categories + geo location, you should be able to identify like-minded people -- AND -- potentially find ways to connect in person. Best wishes for success; enjoy your Texas time! ~Barron~