A useful tool for networking and job search
LinkedIn is a great tool to help you in a job search and networking. Did you know LinkedIn offers a free year of LinkedIn Premium Membership for military spouses? The best part is it is not a onetime deal. It is available each time you PCS, change your career or suffer a job loss. This benefit is due to a partnership between the Department of Defense Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program and LinkedIn’s Military and Veterans Program.
To get started you need to set up a MySECO account on Military OneSource. Once you set up the account visit the My Transition page. There are three ways to get access to LinkedIn Premium. You can set up an appointment with a SECO career coach by using Live Chat on the MySECO website or call Military OneSource. The second is to register for an online live webinar and the third is to take the self-paced training course, “Leveraging LinkedIn Premium” on MilLIfe Learning. Once you have completed the training by one of these three methods you will receive a confirmation code that will allow free access to LinkedIn Premium for one year.
I found the process a little confusing as you have to set up two accounts, one for MySECO and a second one on MilLife Learning. It is all accessed through Military OneSource and would be so much easier to access everything from one account. Once I figured everything out it was a pretty simple process. The training was pretty easy and once complete you get a code for your free year of LinkedIn.
In addition to more features on your account, LinkedIn also has a learning path for military spouses. Once you have access to your LinkedIn Premium account click on Learning in the top menu. Once there, search Military Spouse and the pathway will show in the search results. This is a good place to start. There are 19 hours of content starting with a block of instruction on LinkedIn Premium. The pathway can help you make a career plan and explore options like freelance work and working remotely.
LinkedIn is like Facebook for professionals and has many networking opportunities. One is the Department of Defense Military Spouse LinkedIn group. There are actually recruiters who are looking to hire military spouses and membership in this group lets them know you are a military spouse. It also allows you to connect to your peers to help in your networking.
If you are actively searching for a job then LinkedIn is a no brainer to help you reach the contacts you need to meet your employment goals. If you are getting ready to PCS you can start your job hunt online and research companies and job opportunities. Connect with military spouses in the LinkedIn Group to get insight into the job market at your next destination.
Have you had any success using LinkedIn?
Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse. Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com
