You’re at a cocktail party, everyone is dressed up (which these days just means no leggings or sweatpants ) and making small talk. People are networking and you want to make some new professional friends or at least not be that super awkward anti-social guy who hovers the food table to avoid talking. Don’t be that guy follow these steps in your networking process. (Kali/Getty Images)People will most likely ask “What do you do” or “Where are you now” they are trying to figure out your current employment status. A simple answer is: “I am a transitioning military member.” Just five words easily telling people a lot:
1. You were in the military (brownie points)
2. You are leaving the military.
( Jordan Strauss/Invision)No one will know what you have done the last few years unless you tell them. So, tell them! They know you were in the military by your first line, but not your official job. They could think you were Chris Kyle in American Sniper or Major Benson Winifred Payne in Major Payne, two great movies by the way, when perhaps your actual job was the photographer for your unit. This is where you tell them about your job in the military.
1. “Right now I’m working on X for the (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard).” This allows them to see where your job translates in the civilian workforce
(Paolo Cipriani/ Getty Images).They know your past and present its only fitting they know your future, this is the most important part of the conversation. This is where they see what you have in common and the networking happens. Tell them the type of job you are looking for in the future.
1. “I’m looking for a job in (the defense industry, construction, manufacturing, retail or whatever else you are looking for).
Easy right?
(Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)Information contributed by Corporate Gray. Find more at http://blog.corporategray.com/ (Getty Images)
