The first time I was laid off in 2021 I was 33 weeks pregnant, stationed with my spouse at a remote Army base in upstate New York, and I had no idea what to do next. I had been incredibly lucky up until that point as a military spouse to have never been unemployed or underemployed. A true feat since military spouses have a 24% unemployment rate, 4x the national average. Frequent moves coupled with remote and overseas locations make consistent employment extremely difficult for spouses.
At the time of my lay-off, I was feeling disappointed and dejected after losing my paid maternity leave, and unsure of what resources were available to me. I leaned on my network and connections at that time, and managed to find a new position relatively quickly in a robust job hiring market mid-pandemic.
But when I found myself on the brink of unemployment again this fall due to an OCONUS move, in a much worse job market, I decided to take a closer look at the resources available to job-seeking military spouses. I wanted to know how to best prepare and apply beyond my network, and I have discovered some incredible tools and resources to make this process a little smoother.
With an extensive job board, career coaching, professional resume review, a free annual FlexJobs membership, scholarships, and free access to a Premium LinkedIn account, MySECO offers military spouses a wealth of resources for their job search or educational pursuits.
2. As a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, HiringOurHeroes mission is “to connect the military community—service members, military spouses, and veterans—with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce.”
With virtual hiring events, workshops and networking opportunities, and fellowships, HiringOurHeroes seeks to be the bridge between those in the military community looking for work and businesses that are hiring.
3. HOH’s Military Spouse Fellowship
This is an especially unique program that provides current military spouses with a connection to a local employer, or a remote employer if available, providing 12 weeks of on-the-job experience and training with the end goal of the fellowship being a direct hire with the sponsor company. As someone currently in the early stages of this fellowship program, I’ve benefited from a great program manager, along with an informative candidate prep day with networking and a resume workshop, and look forward to connecting with a company very soon.
4. USAjobs.gov
The federal government job website has a feature to help highlight and prioritize military spouses seeking employment. I will say that with the recent changes from the current administration, the number of federal jobs available has decreased substantially, especially remote positions. Hopefully the value of remote work for people like military spouses will be prioritized again soon.
5. Employment programs at your local duty station
- For the Army, this is a part of the Army Community Service office under Employment Readiness Program (ERP)
- For the Navy, this is the Family Employment Readiness Program
- For the Air Force, the Employment Assistance Program (EAP)
Job searching can be a difficult, demoralizing process for anyone. But it can be even harder for military spouses moving every 2-3 years without support systems and limited childcare options. It creates additional challenges to find the time to update a resume for every job posting, carve out windows to interview, or to even find opportunities in our respective fields.
But there are resources aimed to help us. Utilizing these websites and in-person opportunities can help make your job search – whether right now or in the future during your next PCS – a little easier.
A note from Military Mom Collective: We want to encourage our readers to listen to Ep: 78 – Navigating Career & Education Resources as a Military Spouse of The Red White and Boo Podcast – In this special episode, Camille opens up about the hurdles that come with balancing family life, frequent moves, and personal goals, all while trying to maintain a career.
