Daily Career Connection

Relocating as the traveling spouse brings many opportunities, but challenges, as well. One of the biggest ones people speak about is the difficulty in finding meaningful work.

Here are three tips to think about when it comes to finding work after a move to a new country, or even a new city when the job market is tight.

1- Get in touch with what you love doing, and figure out how to keep doing it after you move

Think about the things you love doing most of all at home. Cooking? Helping others? Make a list. If you loved your job – break it down into what your job actually was. In other words take “I loved working at COMPANY NAME” and look at the pieces of your job – e.g. customer service, talking on the phone, etc. Now you can take each of these pieces and figure out how to put them to work after you relocate.

2 – Have an open mind

You may not be able to use the same skills in the same way. Rather than focusing on the frustration of what you can’t have, try instead to figure out where you CAN use these skills and passions. Maybe you can more easily volunteer, in the short-term, than get hired in the same type of position. Maybe you create your own company. The options are endless, as long as you focus on what you love doing, and you’re open to using these interests in a new way.

3 – Join a local chamber of commerce or networking group

If you can plug into a local community, Chambers of Commerce are great, you’ll get access to a wonderful group of networking contacts. They might not lead to immediate jobs, but you can get conversations started, create business opportunities, help others, and perhaps, again, find a new way to use your passions, and have that lead to a new job.