How to Build a Professional Network Despite Moves
Strategies for building and maintaining professional relationships through frequent military relocations. Create a portable network that supports your career everywhere.
How to Build a Professional Network Despite Moves
Bottom Line Up Front
Professional networks drive career success—70-80% of jobs come through connections. Military spouses face the challenge of rebuilding local networks every 2-3 years. The solution is building a portable professional network that combines digital presence, national connections, and strategic local networking at each duty station. This guide provides specific strategies for network-building that survives PCS moves and actually benefits from geographic diversity.
The Military Spouse Career Challenge
Traditional networking assumes you stay in one place and build relationships over years. Military spouse reality:
- New location every 2-3 years
- Short time to establish local presence
- Distance from established connections
- Network "resets" with each PCS
The Opportunity:
- Connections across multiple locations
- Diverse professional exposure
- Reason to reach out (being new)
- Military community as foundation
The Portable Network Framework
Layer 1: Digital Foundation
Always-With-You Network:
- LinkedIn connections
- Professional online communities
- Industry associations (digital presence)
- Email contacts maintained over years
Purpose: Career resources regardless of location
Layer 2: National/Industry Network
Transcends Geography:
- Industry contacts across the country
- Professional association members
- Remote colleagues and collaborators
- Military spouse professional community
Purpose: Opportunities and support nationwide
Layer 3: Local Network
Current Duty Station:
- Local professionals in your field
- Chamber of commerce contacts
- Community connections
- Installation-based network
Purpose: Immediate job opportunities and support
Building Your Digital Foundation
LinkedIn: Your Portable Hub
Why It Matters:
- Connections travel with you
- Visible professional presence
- Searchable by recruiters
- Content demonstrates expertise
Building Strategy:
- Connect with everyone you work with
- Add colleagues before leaving each location
- Connect with industry professionals
- Engage consistently (comments, posts)
Maintenance:
- Update profile with each change
- Regular engagement (15 minutes daily)
- Share valuable content
- Respond to messages promptly
Online Professional Communities
Types:
- Industry Slack channels
- Facebook professional groups
- Reddit professional communities
- Discord servers for your field
- Professional association forums
Finding Them:
- Search "[Your Industry] + community/group"
- Ask colleagues where they network
- Check association websites
- Look for military spouse professional groups
Engagement Strategy:
- Introduce yourself when joining
- Add value before asking for help
- Be consistently present
- Build relationships, not just contacts
Military Spouse Networks (Digital)
Communities:
- Hiring Our Heroes networks
- Blue Star Families
- Military Spouse Employment Partnership
- Branch-specific spouse groups
- Industry-specific military spouse groups (MSJDN for lawyers, etc.)
Value:
- Understand your situation
- May have connections in your industry
- Geographically distributed
- Supportive community
Building National/Industry Network
Professional Associations
Benefits:
- Industry connections nationwide
- Professional development
- Credibility and visibility
- Job boards and resources
Maximize Membership:
- Attend virtual events
- Participate in online forums
- Volunteer for committees
- Write for publications
Military Spouse Note: Some associations have military spouse programs or discounts
Virtual Networking Events
Types:
- Industry webinars
- Virtual conferences
- LinkedIn Live events
- Association events
- Hiring fairs (virtual)
Effective Participation:
- Camera on when possible
- Engage in chat
- Connect with speakers/attendees after
- Follow up within 48 hours
Remote Work Colleagues
If You Work Remotely:
- Colleagues become national network
- Build relationships beyond work tasks
- Stay connected after job changes
- Referrals possible anywhere
Building Local Network at Each Duty Station
Quick-Start Strategy
First Month:
- Research local professional landscape
- Identify key organizations/events
- Make initial connections
- Set up informational meetings
Months 2-3: 5. Attend recurring events 6. Deepen promising relationships 7. Add value where possible 8. Build local visibility
Ongoing: 9. Maintain relationships 10. Stay engaged 11. Help others 12. Prepare for departure (connect digitally)
Local Resources to Leverage
On Installation:
- Employment readiness programs
- Spouse clubs (professional networking tracks)
- Family Resource Centers
- Career-focused events
In Community:
- Chamber of commerce
- Industry meetup groups
- Professional association local chapters
- Coworking spaces
- Business networking groups
Informational Interviews
Purpose:
- Learn about local landscape
- Build relationships
- Discover opportunities
- Establish presence
Request Script: "Hi [Name], I recently relocated to [area] as a military spouse and am building my professional network in [industry]. I noticed your work at [company/in field] and would love to learn about the local landscape. Would you have 20 minutes for a brief conversation?"
During Meeting:
- Listen more than talk
- Ask thoughtful questions
- Be genuinely interested
- Offer to help if possible
- Ask who else you should meet
After Meeting:
- Send thank you within 24 hours
- Connect on LinkedIn
- Follow up periodically
- Maintain relationship
Leveraging Military Spouse Status
When It Helps:
- Explaining why you're new
- With military-friendly employers
- With fellow military spouses
- With veterans who want to help
How to Mention: "I recently relocated here as a military spouse and am excited to build my career in [field]. I'm looking to connect with professionals in [industry] to learn about the local landscape."
Don't:
- Lead with it when irrelevant
- Use it as excuse
- Assume everyone understands
- Over-explain your situation
Maintaining Network Through PCS
Before You Leave
Critical Steps:
- Connect with everyone on LinkedIn
- Get personal contact info (not just work email)
- Have farewell conversations
- Exchange personal contact info with close connections
- Communicate your move and new location
During Transition
Stay Visible:
- Post about your move (professionally)
- Share your new location
- Indicate openness to connections
- Update LinkedIn location
After Arrival
Reconnection:
- Let previous connections know where you landed
- Reach out to anyone with connections in new area
- Ask for introductions
- Update network on new role when found
Long-Distance Relationship Maintenance
Easy Touchpoints:
- Congratulate achievements
- Share relevant articles
- Comment on their posts
- Periodic check-in messages
- Annual update to broader network
Deeper Relationships:
- Video calls periodically
- Visit when in their area
- Collaborate on projects
- Referrals in both directions
Networking Strategies by Career Stage
Early Career
Focus On:
- Learning from experienced professionals
- Building foundational relationships
- Gaining diverse exposure
- Establishing digital presence
Approach:
- Be curious and eager to learn
- Ask for advice, not jobs
- Add value where you can
- Be memorable for enthusiasm
Mid-Career
Focus On:
- Peer relationships
- Industry leadership connections
- Reputation building
- Giving back/mentoring
Approach:
- Mutual value exchange
- Thought leadership
- Strategic relationship selection
- Helping others
Established Career
Focus On:
- Senior connections
- Maintaining key relationships
- Mentoring others
- Industry influence
Approach:
- Quality over quantity
- Strategic engagement
- Legacy building
- Reciprocal mentorship
Overcoming Common Challenges
"I'm Introverted"
Strategies:
- Focus on one-on-one connections
- Use digital networking (often easier)
- Prepare talking points
- Quality over quantity
- Take breaks at events
"I Don't Have Time"
Minimum Viable Networking:
- 15 minutes daily on LinkedIn
- One coffee meeting per month
- One virtual event per quarter
- Maintain key relationships
"I Feel Like I'm Starting Over"
Reframe: You're not starting over—you're adding to your network
- Previous connections still exist
- You bring diverse experience
- Being new is an advantage (reason to reach out)
- Geographic diversity is valuable
"I Don't Know What to Say"
Conversation Framework:
- Ask about them
- Find common ground
- Share briefly about yourself
- Express interest in staying connected
- Follow up after
Questions That Work:
- "What brought you to this event/field?"
- "What's keeping you busy these days?"
- "What do you enjoy most about your work?"
- "What advice would you have for someone new to [area/field]?"
Networking for Specific Goals
Job Search Networking
Approach:
- Identify target companies
- Find connections at those companies
- Request informational conversations
- Express interest appropriately
- Ask for referrals when relationship is established
Important: Don't ask for job directly initially—build relationship first
Career Change Networking
Approach:
- Connect with people in target field
- Learn about transition path
- Ask for advice and insights
- Request introductions to others
- Build credibility in new field
Entrepreneurship Networking
Approach:
- Connect with other entrepreneurs
- Find military spouse business owners
- Join entrepreneurship communities
- Seek mentors
- Build potential customer relationships
Measuring Network Health
Quality Indicators
Strong Network:
- People who would take your call
- Relationships with mutual value
- Diverse connections (industries, locations)
- Active engagement
- Help flowing both directions
Weak Network:
- Many connections, few relationships
- One-directional requests
- Stale contacts
- No engagement
- Geographic limitation
Network Audit
Annually Review:
- Who are your strongest connections?
- Where are the gaps?
- Are relationships reciprocal?
- Is network serving your goals?
- What relationships need attention?
Resources
Networking Platforms:
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com
- Meetup: meetup.com
- Professional associations in your field
Military Spouse Networks:
- Hiring Our Heroes: hiringourheroes.org
- Blue Star Families: bluestarfam.org
- MSEP: myseco.militaryonesource.mil
Books:
- Never Eat Alone (Keith Ferrazzi)
- Build Your Dream Network (Kelly Hoey)
This Website:
- LinkedIn Profile for Military Spouses
- Networking as a Military Spouse
- militarytransitiontoolkit.com
Your professional network is your most portable career asset. While jobs end with each PCS, relationships persist. Invest in building connections that transcend geography—digital presence, national industry relationships, and strategic local networking at each duty station. The network you build becomes stronger with each move, not weaker.