Diversification is taking advantage of your existing skills and training, and applying them in a position that represents a new direction for your career. When that new direction is a radical change, the diversification is sometimes called "re-careering." It is often a valuable strategy when traditional opportunities are unavailable. But it is also a wise objective for spouses whose career choice has been extremely focused-- two or more successive positions that were very similar in terms of the jobs' responsibilities and requirements... or a college degree in a very specific field. By diversifying your capabilities, you increase your flexibility and develop new skills that complement your existing skills. In doing so, you improve your versatility and marketability, both immediately and for the future.
Diversification requires stepping back from your job title and the typical image you have of your working self, and developing an inventory of your knowledge, skills, and abilities-- those things that provide value to an employer. The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (available in the reference section of most libraries) provides a comprehensive list of all occupations, with descriptions. It is a wonderful resource for investigating your options.
Diversification can present a challenge initially, because it is so difficult to imagine all of the possibilities, especially when you've had only limited exposure outside of your own career field. You may diversify your experience by taking different positions within one industry (thus developing well-rounded expertise in that industry), or in the same field, but across industries (increasing your ability to generalize techniques and methods unique to one industry to your subsequent positions). For example, consider an individual who is a medical equipment salesperson. She may take a position in market research, customer relations, or manufacturing related to medical equipment. In doing so, she learns about many different facets of the medical equipment industry, which ultimately will improve her ability to sell more effectively (or to manage a sales team or work unit). On the other hand, she may diversify to other industries (selling retail vice wholesale, or selling automated manufacturing systems or aircraft, rather than medical equipment). In doing so, she experiences the breadth of the sales profession, learning new techniques from one industry that can help her to be more effective in another.
Diversification involves leveraging your existing knowledge, skills, and abilities to secure a position that will enable you to develop additional skills and expertise. It is a great professional developmental strategy; the breadth and depth of expertise gained is a proven stepping stone to career advancement-- employers often seek individuals with such diverse experience for managerial positions. Their comprehensive view and encompassing expertise make those who have used this career development technique a valuable strategic planning and creative problem-solving asset. For military spouses, diversification can be a framework for developing outstanding opportunities for development when the local situation offers little in terms of traditional career-track positions. Not only will the alternate position offer challenges and a chance to develop new skills, it adds to your experience and versatility-- and that translates to an improved outlook for your next job search!
If you think diversification may have potential for you, but can't get a clear idea of where your knowledge, skills, and abilities might fit, send an e-mail to The Career Coach. Include the details of your education and experience, and a short note about some of the things you liked and disliked, and did well (and not so well) in previous jobs. Some suggestions might be just an e-mail away.
"Multipreneuring" is a concept closely related to diversification. It refers to using a variety of skills and a series of careers to succeed. According to Tom Gorman, author of the 1996 book by the same title, "[m]ultipreneuring represents a continual process of learning new skills, new strategies, new fields, new businesses, and new markets and of developing new contacts, customers, and friends... [it] entails understanding the principles and practices that will enable you to prosper in times of massive economic change..."
I think that multipreneuring and diversification are the keys to success as a military spouse/professional, in maintaining a fulfilling and rewarding career while your partner is on active duty-- regardless of the current state of the economy.
While some military spouses secure the "perfect" job within just a few weeks of relocating to a new area, others find the process moves too slowly for their needs. If you're discouraged in your job search because it seems that no one is interested in what you have to offer-- perhaps it's time to do some research. It's possible that the skills you are marketing are obsolete, or just not valued in the local market. It's also possible that you have the skills, but just need to present them differently, or more aggressively. When you go to the mall, you buy what you want, not necessarily what the merchants want to sell you. Finding employment works the same way-- if you do your market research well, you can sell your skills.
Join the local Chamber of Commerce, a networking group, and/or set up informational interviews with employers in the area. Instead of focusing on yourself and what you have to offer, learn about what businesses are looking for. Find out what factors limit business's success; where they feel they could be more efficient; why the current situation prevents them from doing even better. Then, tap your existing skills and experience to develop a solution. Research it thoroughly so that you are expert in it and confident that it is workable, and meet with your contact again... only this time, offer to work with him/her to solve the organization's problem, laying out the strategy that you have developed. You may be able to create a job for yourself, through your initiative, insight, and solutions-oriented approach.
If, on the other hand, you identify necessary skills and abilities that the employer needs, but which you do not have, it might be time for you to take a training sabbatical. Visit your installation's educational programs office; the advice of a career counselor at the FMEAP/SEAP office, state employment office, or a local college, might prove useful in evaluating the options and resources available to you. You need not limit yourself to formal, degree programs. Distance learning opportunities, self-study, individual courses or workshops, or other short-term training options might be all that you need to make yourself necessary and in demand among local employers.
Finding employment is a function of your knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as the characteristics of the local job market and economy. Because military spouses are likely to find themselves seeking employment several times during their partners' career, on-going efforts to ensure that their knowledge, skills, and abilities remain marketable are important. If you remain committed to continuous learning-- even as simple as attending one seminar or class or learning a new skill (e.g., a computer program) each year, you can take control of your employment marketability. While the local job market and economy are factors outside of your direct control, research and re-strategizing in response to what you learn can help you to maintain as much control over your employment and career development as possible.
The ideal job may not be there when you want it. Because the local job market and economy are not within your control, at one time or another, you will probably have to settle for something other than what you initially envisioned. But you need not necessarily settle for less, and rarely must you do so. If you focus on how each job prospect will allow you to learn new skills, new strategies, new knowledge, new business areas, and new markets, and enable you to develop new contacts, customers, and colleagues, you should be able to select one that proves worthwhile. In fact, it is often under these circumstances that we expand our knowledge and experience, resulting in the greatest career development benefit, because we become competent in yet another skill area that is valuable to an employer.
When you accept less, the result is often what is referred to as "underemployment." Underemployment describes a position that uses less than 80% of your current skills and training. Underemployment has been demonstrated to be a common problem among military spouses (perhaps for no reason other than the fact that the research was conducted at a time when the job market was not as healthy as it is presently), but it is one that can be overcome. Take advantage of the programs available to you through your installation's FMEAP/SEAP office, state job service, any professional associations of which you are a member, and local community organizations. Most importantly, don't sell yourself short. According to a July 1997 issue of Business Week magazine, unemployment is currently at its lowest level in 25 years. The jobs are there, and many are good jobs.
Aim High as the Air Force says-- because employment at the proper level benefits you in several ways:
When your skills and training are being used effectively, you will find it easier to stay current in your field.
You will be more likely to find your job challenging, fulfilling, and enjoyable.
Jobs that require higher skill levels and more training generally pay better and are accompanied by more desirable benefits (e.g., retirement plans).
Research by the U.S. Department of Labor finds that employers are most likely to provide training to their more highly skilled, mid- to upper-level employees, rather than those in the lower echelons. (While this may seem illogical, it is fact.) Thus, by taking the highest-level position you can find, you also improve the potential for learning even more-- further sustaining your career pace and improving future prospects.
Thus, taking "just any job" hurts you in many ways-- plus, it deprives someone else of a job that might be ideally suited to their skills and training level. So, don't sell yourself short. Believe in your abilities, and strive to find a position that provides you with challenges to grow and opportunities to achieve. Today's job market, in general, is the best it has been in over 25 years-- and you've got a lot to offer!
