Although it may be business as usual for military families to navigate multiple relocations and deployments, these two challenges contribute significantly to job instability for “the force behind the force”. Fortunately, this perpetual predicament has come to the forefront in both the government and civilian sectors.  Many organizations have taken the challenge by conducting independent studies determining cause and effect which has led to the development of strategies to address securing a job as a military spouse.

Cause & Effect

Any given household within our armed forces can endure more than a dozen relocations and the number of deployments remains an elusive cloud that hangs over the horizon. Both situations contribute to the unemployment or underemployment of the military spouse compared to their civilian counterparts. Other causes connected to these two primary reasons include:

• The individual must often start at the bottom even when there is a transfer available within the same organization reducing career portability.
• Many professional licenses do not transfer state-to-state and are invalid outside of the U.S.
• Moving to a new location leaves the spouse without a network to support the employment search.
• De facto single parenting is a reality during deployment. This creates all the issues that come with being the only parent in the household.
• Cost and availability of quality childcare often override the value of a “start-over” job.

Governmental Interventions:

Federal executive orders address this issue of securing a job as a military spouse by directing Federal agencies to prioritize job applications from military-related individuals and encourage businesses to expand job opportunities for veterans and military spouses. Also, there are agencies organized to connect military spouses with companies that are committed to recruiting, hiring, promoting, and retaining them. Agencies under the direction of the US Department of Defense such as:

• Military OneSource – Education & Employment Endeavors https://www.militaryonesource.mil/
• MSEP – Military Spouse Employment Partnership https://msepjobs.militaryonesource.mil/msep/
• SECO – Spouse Education and Career Opportunities https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil

Civilian Sector Support:

There are several public, private, and nonprofit organizations providing a focused approach to conquering this employment radical. Several HR departments are now being trained on the benefits of hiring military spouses. These organizations note that military spouses typically maintain a high level of resiliency and are generally team-oriented, adaptable, resourceful, and socially aware making them excellent employees. A few prominent examples are:

• Walmart and Sam’s Club announced a hiring preference on applications from veterans and military spouses, demonstrating their commitment to help secure and build careers for this population.
• Prudential Financial is #9 out of 10 in a list entitled 2019 Military Spouse Friendly Employers in the online magazine, Military Spouse. https://www.militaryspouse.com
• Another list of MSF companies can be found at https://www.militaryfriendly.com/military-spouse-friendly-employers.
• Freedom Learner Group is a US military veteran-owned and military spouse operated company. They allow military spouses to work within the fields for which they are trained. It employs military spouses with high levels of expertise to develop curriculum for the full-service e-learning and education content they offer. https://www.freedomlearninggroup.com

Explaining Employment Gaps Due to Military Relocations:

There are several ways to showcase your accomplishments on a resume. Even with gaps and numerous relocations, you can succeed in securing a job as a military spouse.  Collaborate with a professional resume writer to discuss the various types of resume formats that will highlight your professional experiences. Focus less on the gaps and more on the accomplishments.  These successes can be explained in an introductory note, formal cover letter, and in the professional summary of your resume.

Check this blog post: The Transition From Military Service to Hired Veteran