Ten years ago, when I started working at a Learning & Career Centre on a military base, the average Canadian military member resembled a Bell or GM employee. That is, a long term ‘employee’ who planned to stay on until retirement. Policies like Imposed Restriction and Separation Expense were used to entice members to stay in, when families got tired of moving around.
However, there is a new crop of military members who aren’t necessarily looking for a long term commitment, especially at the expense of family. These members see the military as a first career and have their eye on a second career, when the time is right for them. Others see a medical release on the horizon and want to start planning ahead. Unfortunately, they often don’t build the external connections they will need, when it comes time to release.
LinkedIn is a simple and effective way to build external connections that will be essential in order to transition from military to civilian life.
Most CAF members I meet have a very limited understanding of what LinkedIn is, or does. Here is just a snapshot of what it is.
What is it? LinkedIn is the largest professional networking and job search site in the world. It is where professionals maintain a profile so that current and former business colleagues, university classmates and people whom you have professional contact can stay in touch.
What it isn’t – Facebook or Myspace.
Who is on LinkedIn? 330 million users, and over 3 million Company Pages, including mine.
How popular is it? Two new people sign up to the site every second. In case you are like me and are wondering what that translates to in a day… 86,400 each day!
But do people use it? 40% of LinkedIn users log in daily.
How does it help you get a job? There are a number of ways. First there are job advertisements posted inside LinkedIn, so you can access jobs this way. Next the system pushes jobs to you once you set your preferences. As well your connections to others can give you an ‘in’ with a company who is hiring. Lastly recruiters can head hunt you from within the system.
Military members do have some unique challenges when it comes to LinkedIn related to security. The Department of National Defence asks its members not to identify themselves in social media, so that they don’t become targets of those who might harm or manipulate them. This is a very valid security issue and one members should consider regardless of the platform they use.
You can mitigate your risk when setting up your profile.
- Instead of listing where you are, select Canada as a whole.
- Instead of listing DND as an employer, list the employer as government of Canada.
- Obviously you won’t use a profile picture in uniform
- All job titles should be in civilian not military terms.
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