Military Grade Networking
By Jeyben Castro, U.S. Navy
Senior Community Engagement Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility
Washington Gas
Veteran’s Perspective
Jeyben (right) graduates from bootcamp with his Recruit Division Commander RDC in 1995.
What do you want to do after retirement?
Will you continue to work in the same
field or consider new career options?
Will you further your education? Questions we in the
military have heard when it’s time for us to retire or
look for another career outside of the service. There
are many steps we should consider when preparing
to take on a life outside of the military. Most people
recommend that you start at least two years before
you leave the military to start proactive planning and
map out your next step.
You shouldn’t wait until your last two years to
begin brainstorming about your future. An initial step
to take from day one is to actively network. It’s a
military-made skill-set that is natural and perfectly
suits everyone who has served our country. Military
personnel move locations on an average of once
every two-to-three years and are constantly
meeting new acquaintances. Networking is what we
do when we transfer to a new base, get to know
new coworkers, learn the ins and outs of the local
community, better understand area schools or
simply finding a place to eat.
The experience and day-to-day skills we attain
in the military shape how we adjust and adapt to a
constantly changing environment, especially as we
enter the next chapter in civilian careers and when
committing to on-going networking to stay
connected with the right contacts that can support
our interests and goals.
Here are some tips to keep in mind
to successfully build your networking
relationships:
Just like in the military, think of this as building
friendships. Take the “work” out of networking and
build relationships! Keep in mind that just like in the
military, friends you made while stationed in Italy, for
example, can be someone you might run into again
anywhere else in the world unexpectedly. The same
holds true in the civilian world; namely, treat
everyone with the same respect. Also, consider the
fact that your intern today might be a great lead for
an opportunity at a new company later in the future.
A great way to start growing your network
early in your career is by using tools such as LinkedIn.
This is a proven way to not only grow your databank
of contacts but also keep your resume of experience,
background and education updated. In my
experience, what works well is to always send a
personalized note after connecting with someone on
LinkedIn, a simple: “It was great to meet you at EVENT
Jeyben Castro proudly served
in the United States Navy
active duty for five years and
active reserves for another five
years. Mobilized in support of
Operation Noble
Eagle/Enduring Freedom/Iraqi
Freedom. Castro currently
serves as the Senior
Community Engagement
Manager for Washington Gas.
and DATE and glad we connected on SUBJECT.” This
simple quick note is to remind me later how, when
and why we met. Because we might not be able to
reconnect with some of these relationships until later,
it’s great to have a reminder.
LS
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38 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 25, No. 5, 2019
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