The military life can move you all over the United States and the world. The military spouse job search poses some unique challenges for spouses who want to work at each duty station. I’ve worked at each of Mac’s five duty stations since we moved in together, so here are my tips for finding success in your job search.
Highlight your experiences, even if they aren’t paid.
Were you an FRG leader, officer on a spouse’s club board, or a highly involved volunteer? You can (and should) put that on your resume. Solid volunteer experience can be valuable, especially if it relates to the jobs you’re applying for.
Maintain a master resume and save a separate resume for each application.
Copy and paste the job description of your current position to a master resume document. Add everything else you did that isn’t on your job description that you also did at work. It’s easier to delete what you don’t need than to remember exactly what you did at a job five years and four duty stations ago. I save each resume as my firstname – lastname – company / institution – jobname (e.g. John Smith Apple Engineer). I have a resume formatted for each job while saving all the things I did at previous jobs.
Be careful about mentioning that you are a military spouse.
You can mention it in conversation or if it’s relevant to a position (for a job with a military-spouse hiring preference or a military-friendly employer). But a prospective employer cannot legally ask you about your martial or family status. Discrimination in the hiring process is real, and it happens whether you like it or not. Minimize your chances for discrimination where you can.
Look for jobs that have hiring preferences for military spouses.
US government agencies, USAA, and Dell are only a sampling of companies that give preference to military spouses in their hiring process. USA Jobs still requires a lot of specialized education or training or that you were already an employee. USAA offers both on-site and at-home positions (I was offered at their facility in Colorado Springs). I know a few wives who’ve worked with Dell as brand representatives in their local areas.
What tips would you add in the military spouse job search?
These are all such great tips!!! Thank you!
I hope they’re useful!