General Forums >> General Discussion >> How do Military Spouses Find Jobs?
How do Military Spouses Find Jobs?
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Posted 5 months ago I would like to get some input from other military spouses out there about their careers and their opportunities in the business world. I have listened to the people on base who are suppose to "assist" us in our job search and I have taken their advice, but to no avail. First, I was told get involved with the military community, volunteer, do things on base, etc. I did this. I spent the first 5 or 6 years volunteering for several groups, attending military functions for the families, shopping on the base and just trying to find in and meet people. Second thing recommended was go to school. Did that also even though at the time I had my AS, I went on to get a BS and an MA, but still not enough. Next I was told go to your people on base that are there to "help" you with your career and guess what? I was back where I started. I am quickly becoming discouraged and bitter about the whole thing. I still continue to volunteer. I still have close to $60,000.00 in debt from my education and I still visit every person on base that has anything to do with employment assistance, nothing comes of it. I have no trouble finding work in the communities we get stationed at, so what is the problem. You may be wondering why I want a job on base if I can get one in town and the easiest answer is, portability. As military spouses we end up moving every 2 to 3 years with our spouses and so we have to leave behind our jobs and start over. The optimal position for us is a job on base, because that makes it more likely we can "transfer" in at the next location versus starting over each time. In my opinion I believe this is the biggest hurdle we military spouses face and I am wondering if there are others out there that might have come up with a solution or that have managed to find portable careers that work for them. |
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| Posted 5 months ago I remember my friend and I went on base to the "Fleet and Family Service Center". Not a whole lot of help. Sure they had a few resourses but still I could do most of that stuff from my computer at home. I would have rather talked to some one in person. How big is the base you're on now? What do you want to do for a job? |
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| Posted 5 months ago Why not start an online business? If you relocate, you don't have to start over again. Donna Life is short. Embrace your friends and family with love. |
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| Posted 5 months ago It's not easy, networking can help but at the same time jobs are hard to come by even if you know people. Many times we are told to try the base because there is more of a turn over rate due to changes of orders and spouses holding jobs on the base. I've had more luck just searching on my own and signing up with temp services. Some employers don't want to hire a military spouse because they are usually not going to be a career employee. When asked about me in an interview I usually mention that my husband is 2 years to retirement and we are planning on making this our home. When I first got to Mayport base I got a job on base, did that for a year, then left there went to work for a temp service and ended up in a perm job for 2 years before my position was eliminated in December. 4 months later I found another job through a temp service and worked that one for 10 weeks. Now I'm hunting again but only one week off work and I've already had one interview and have another set up for Monday. All I can say is post your resume out there, apply for everything you think you are qualified for and follow up. I got this last interview because out of 700 people I was the only one who followed up the day after I e-mailed the resume!! Good Luck |
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| Posted 5 months ago I understand what you are going through! I am also a military spouse, we live overseas and military spouses are not even allowed to work on the economy here! We have to work on base, if there is a position available that the locals have not filled. It is frustrating having to put your career and needs on hold because of our jet setter lifestyle. I have found two sources online that I have seen opportunities come up on: www.military.com and www.militaryonesource.com Maybe you have heard of them already? I have not looked for career opportunities through there yet, but do see articles when I receive the newsletters. I like the idea of the temp agency, very clever. These businesses are looking for temp workers and might need what you offer. Depending on what your degree is in, have you looked into a position you can do online or long distance? Good luck in your search, and keep your thought positive! A smile attracts others and opportunites!! Carissa Ahlstrom
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| Posted 5 months ago CarissaAhlstrom says ...
Wow that would make it much harder to get a job, have you tried a home party plan such as Tupperware? Maybe make some money selling to the spouses on base? I'm not sure about the others but I do know that Tupperware has overseas sectors such as in Japan and Germany.
I have been to www.military.com and www.militaryoneresource.com. Great information on both. I'm an administrative assistant by trade, can do office management and hr but no degree for any. With the job marked it does make it harder as employers can ask for and get the highest qualifications. A couple of years a go employers would take someone with out a degree if they had the experiance but now they want both and having over 700 aplicants in just one week, well they can hold out for what they want. I've heard of companies having administrative assistants who work from home and long distance but not sure how all that works or where I could set up an office in my home. Now when my oldest finally moves out.... LOL I'm also a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that means the right job is out there, I just have to smile, be patient and know that it will come along soon.
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| Posted 5 months ago I would agree with temp agencies and work from home positions locally. These may not translate if you go overseas but it will help with showing experience in the workforce. Also, you can try to focus on larger corporations. I'm not sure what line of work you are looking at but if you focus on companies that have offices spread out all over the country most of them offer internal transfers if there are positions open. In fact many of them encourage internal transfers before posting the job to the public. Even if they don't transfer it is still something to put on your resume that will help you find a similar job perhaps with a competitor. Two to three years is not longevity but it's better than a lot of resumes that come in with people moving every few months. Plus you can explain it easily. If you have no experience yet, go to job fairs and talk to some of the representatives to see what kind of foot in the door positions they may have available. |
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| Posted 5 months ago hey I would say to try getting a federal job on post using your spouse preference, using the following website : http://cpol.army.mil/. Also there is the NAF and AF jobs on post, and lastly and I guess I am biased but you could teach. Teaching you can take anywhere and you have a master's degree so all you would have to do is take the appropriate state licensing test and you could be in a classroom, and if you dont want to teach in a public school, you could teach at a community college or college. Hope this helps.... |
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| Posted 5 months ago I posted something in the videos+fun section that was given to me when two of my brothers were over-seas. I thought it would be nice to share with you guys, its called "Remember Me", it made me cry! Here is the link if you cant find it, it is a good message and it was created by, either a 14 or 15 year old girl http://youtube.com/watch?v=ervaMPt4Ha0 "The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough."-Randy Pausch |
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| Posted 5 months ago Yes start an online business. I have one and make a good living. I also do seminars for offline companies that teach them how to get more business by having an online presence. You are welcome to subscribe to my blog feed and join my mailing list if you like. I provide a lot of Free help. Helping People Make a Real Living Online
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| Posted 5 months ago I have had a hard time as a military spouse in gaining GOOD employment. I am new to this military thing and left a career. I am so frustrated with the Army CPOL system. I resigned my job (not a good one) and at home for the time. Good luck. If anyone knows the secret of cracking the job code let me know. |
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| Posted 5 months ago I know what you mean HIArmyWife, I hate the question "what is the longest time employed at one place?" I just cringe because the immediate thought is that I'm a job hopper. I'm currently in between jobs at the moment as my last perm job was eliminated and my last temp job, well I wasn't right for the office. I'm applying, no federal jobs in my area that I qualify for, nothing on base, the temp services are overflowing with applicants so what they have is slim pickings. I don't know anything about internet business so not sure about that line of work. If I don't find something soon hubby has already said we'll just go bankrupt, give up one car and the house and rent. Then I won't have to work and can spend some time maybe even going back to school. Normally it's not this hard, employers had less applicants so there was more of a chance for an interview and then explaining the military thing could be done. But now with over 700 applicants per job... well we are lucky to get an interview much less hired. Hopefully something will happen with this economy and then it won't be so hard. Good Luck to you in your search. |
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| Posted 5 months ago you should definitely try www.military.com/spouse - tons of jobs. |
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| Posted 5 months ago lamkinfla says ...
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| Posted 5 months ago chris says ...
I've been here and applied for tons of these jobs. The problem isn't really that there aren't so many jobs open, there are a decent amount. Where I'm at, well less than normal but still at least one a day that I can apply for (and trust me I do apply for at least one a day if not more). But there are so many more people looking for jobs. Example that really shows how hard it is, is the place I interviewed at 2 weeks ago only had their job posted for 3 days. The interviewer told me that if I hadn't called I wouldn't have gotten an interview so he appreciated me following up. He told me that over 700 applicants had applied for the job in the 3 day window that they had it posted!!! Another company that I interviewed at actually told me to use a different e-mail address for follow up because they had to finally shut the one posted with the ad (for the job) down as they had over 100 applicants a day coming in!! Because so many people are applying the companies can require so much more than they would normally. Requiring degrees for AA and HR positions instead of using experience in the place of the degree or giving multiple tests to weed out people. I've had so many personality tests, microsoft suite tests, typing tests, 10-key tests, back ground checks and yes even credit checks done that it's just nutty. I would love to teach but I've only got 4 college credits so I can't do that. At this point I apply, follow up and keep my spread sheet up to date so I don't apply for the same job twice and know that I've followed up to every job I can (some are listed as confidential so I can't follow up.) Oh well something will happen for me I still have faith that the perfect job is out there for me as for everyone else looking:) |
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| Posted 4 months ago Military spouses are near and dear to me and I have helped many start their own business that they can take with them where ever they go. It's rough moving every 2, 3, or 4 years and even rougher when your soldier is on deployment and you want to go spend time with your family to help you through that ordeal. It's even rougher when you are broker than broke. When my daughter became a mil-spouse, the horror stories she would tell me just made me cringe! That's when I started actively seeking out mil-spouses that I could help. The advantages to helping mil-spouses are too numerous to count! In general, they are a fantastic group of individuals from all walks of life! I love working with them and helping them create lucrative incomes! The advantage to the mil-spouse is the flexibility of taking their own business with them when they move and when they need that personal time, they are their own boss, so they take the time they need when they need it. Other employers are nuts for not giving them the consideration they are due! |
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| Posted 2 months ago In Savannah, GA there ar esuveral organizations that are actually looking for Military and Spouses ... SavannahHelpWanted.com is a good resource. I also recommend checking the PX for postings!
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| Posted about 1 month ago I wanted to share a great bargain for the month of October! You can start your own business for $1!! This is a very portable business and is perfect for that Mil Spouse who needs the flexibility. Be sure and contact me for details!
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