9 Ways Being a Military Spouse Can Get You a Job

In the article Military Spouse Unemployment, Is it Really a Problem? , we discovered that the unemployment rate among military spouses is an excruciating 26%, as compared to the national rate of 7%. This doesn't just mean that 26% of us are unemployed. What this means is that 26% of us are actively seeking work and are not currently employed. What we know is that a much larger group of military spouses say they are either underemployed or not employed at their education levels. In today's economic climate many military families want to have two incomes and some even need both parents working just to stay afloat or attempt to get ahead and plan for the future. So many of us don't feel like we are in a position to get the jobs we are applying for, and it can be hard to see how our lifestyle can provide us with any benefits in the job-seeking department. But there are some positives...being a military spouse CAN help you get a job. Here is a list of things you may not have considered: 9 Ways Being a Military Spouse Can Help You Get a Job 1) We are online networking masters Years of various duty stations have led to Facebook friend requests and twitter follows and MySpace messages (is that still a thing?) and holy crap! We're networking! Networking is as easy as that, honest to God. You can get more in depth if you like, but I started out my low paying highly rewarding career of a starving writer by networking. My mom likes to call it "wasting time on Facebook" and my husband likes to call it "avoiding dishes," but wouldn't you know that, all because of one properly placed reply to a snarky comment on a Military Spouse article, I've now had nearly half a dozen articles published just on militaryspouse.com? As a result, my book sales have taken a *teeny* tiny lift, and my blog has a few followers. Plus, my mom now sees me as a bona fide writer. Once you've figured out how you like to network online you'll want to find out the best approach to doing it. Here are a few websites, outside of Facebook, that are designed solely for online networking: www.msccn.org , www.linkdin.com , www.meetup.com Facebook may seem like a silly way to network, but EVERYONE uses it... including businesses. Here are my favorite "networking" organizations offline who have Facebook pages: In Gear Career , Local chamber of commerce, Local spouse club, AND Local volunteer run organizations are a PHENOMENAL way to get in touch with people looking for employees. When you volunteer with people, they talk more openly and get a better feel for who you are as a person. 2) The longer we're married the more likely we are to assume leadership positions within our military family communities You know that saying "if you got it, flaunt it"? Ladies and gents, we got it. From stepping in to fill that empty FRG position to taking on a last minute brunch speaking engagement for the Colonel's wife because she's woken up with laryngitis, we are unmatched in the quality of the leadership experience we gain as military spouses. USE IT! Representative Tulsi Gabbard, an Army veteran from Hawaii, told a group of us in Washington, DC a few weeks ago, "It's important not to shy away from your experience of military." She stressed that our military "service" as spouses is important, it is useful and it does not have to hold us back. Remember that volunteer work I mentioned earlier? Military spouses have tons of volunteering opportunities sometimes not found in the "civilian" world" Those volunteer projects look good! Take them, add them to your portfolio, and find the next volunteer opportunity or project to take on while you're looking. Being able to provide your ideal employer with a portfolio of the magic you can work for free might just convince him to find out what you can do with a paycheck. 3) We're ideal candidates for temp positions A brilliant commenter the unemployment article had this to say, "It would be wonderful if bases or Fleet and Family Services Centers could start temp agencies for military spouses. It would be great. Businesses could rely on "Military Spouse Workforce of San Diego" (made up name) to provide wonderfully qualified candidates for positions at hospitals, offices, or even schools." I have two things to say about this. 1) Brilliant. Just absolutely brilliant. While cities like San Diego have a least a dozen temp agencies roaming around, it would be really great if we had an agency that was designed just for us. 2) To the commenter, you MUST put a plan to this idea and run with it. It's simply an award winning idea. Since we don't actually have something like this, we should be checking out our local temp agencies. My first job as a fresh out of the Marines and newly minted Marine girlfriend was through a temp agency and while it wasn't glamorous or brag worthy, I got a paycheck every week that paid my bills. To be honest, temp agencies are more concerned with whether you can type than whether you've had three jobs in the last four years. You might be familiar with Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs). What you might not be familiar with is his commitment to putting America back to work. That, of course, includes jobs for military spouses. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept of the show "Dirty Jobs", the idea is basically that there are jobs all around the country. They are not glamorous, they are not anything to write home about, and they might be dirty. But they are Friday paychecks that put food on the table and gas in the car. When you start to think that you're too good for a temp position, remember that Mike Rowe once had to stick his hands up a cow's... (For more info on Mike Rowe Works, check out his website: www.mikeroweworks.com ) 4) We're more in tune with the needs of our communities, making us invaluable to businesses Kathleen Shanahan, an impressive woman with an even more impressive resume told me this last month in DC, "Military spouse is a good corner to be in." As a former Chief of Staff for the former Vice President, former Chief of Staff for the Governor of Florida, the CEO of two companies, and an advisor and board member on various boards, Mrs. Shanahan knows a thing or two about what people are looking for in employees. When she tells me that being in the same corner as a military spouse is good, I believe it. What Mrs. Shanahan is saying is that, no matter how we believe civilians view us, the overwhelming majority of them believe us to be strong, valuable individuals that they want on their teams. 5) We're versatile and capable of working with diverse groups of people This really is marketable. I once got a job as a manager at McDonalds (don't laugh, it paid well over minimum wage and I was unmarried and pregnant) based simply on my ability to work with a wide range of diverse people. This "ability" came from my time in the Marine Corps. It was all they looked at on my resume- the part where I listed that as a skill. So with a general discharge and an incomplete education, new to town and no contacts, and a chunk of "time off" within the near future a necessity, I was hired on the spot because I could work with diverse people. Similarly, less than six months after getting the job at McDonalds (and finding myself suddenly married and sent to live in South Dakota), I landed a job as a substitute teacher because of my versatility. Able to work around sudden schedule changes, willing to see past the "unplanned emergency" and prepared to jump in and take the reins also got me hired on the spot with Meade County Department of Education. Versatility is underrated. 6) We unknowingly make important connections while just "being" Last year, I had the honor of attending a very small Marine Corps ball hosted by Messina Hof Winery in Bryan, Texas. By very small, I mean there were roughly 100 guests. The guest of honor was none other than former Commandant General Hagee himself. His wife was also in attendance. Of the other guests in attendance, only ten were active duty along with their ten wives. Guess who was immediately singled out by General Hagee and his wife? Mrs. Hagee, making conversation, casually asked me, "What do you do?" I lightly chuckled and replied, "Oh, I'm just a wife. I take care of the kids, and I write books." Her eyes got wide and she told me, "You're never just a wife. Next time, lead with the books." Now, I don't know if it was her or not, but that night I sold two books online. (Two books is a big deal to a starving writer!) Aside from the fact that she was so right- we are never JUST spouses- the fact that she, the wife of a former commandant, acknowledged that I am a writer was an eye opener to me. If we would just "be" who we are instead of what our title is, we might find that people around us- people with keys to bigger things- are noticing what we have to offer. Networking- real, hands on networking- is more than just online work. While online networking can, and does, help significantly, it generally takes more. We've got this down. We can chat with the brass just as easily as we drink with the boots, and networking in your community isn't any different than that. 7) We can ask each other where the jobs are This is partly networking and partly just conversing with our peers. When your spouse gets an assignment to a new command, find their Facebook group page, request to join, make friends, and ask about jobs! When I first moved to Texas nearly two years ago, the first thing I did was ask who the best doctors were for the kids and where the best job could be found. This doesn't guarantee you're going to find a job (I'm nearly un-hirable in this economy, in the same town as a major university where the Walmart clerks mostly have college degrees and the gas station attendants are law students). Thank God I love my job. There are networking groups who pretty much do this for you. In Gear Career (which I cannot stress enough is doing great things) is taking asking each other to a new level by combining networking with peer-working (oh look, I just made up a new word!). The basic idea is to build a network of businesses in the area the spouse is in, and when that spouse leaves, he or she leaves the network with the next spouse. Chapters are popping up everywhere, so check to see if there is one near you, or get crazy and talk to them about starting your own chapter (that's what I'm doing). 8) We can go directly to Military Friendly Companies and/or tap directly in to veteran networks If you'll go back to the "career" tab here at MSM, there will be several articles about companies that are veteran friendly. Those same companies are going to be veteran spouse friendly. Our civilian counterparts don't have that luxury. There are also several posts about military spouse friendly companies. Go. Search. 9) We can try entrepreneurship We are uniquely qualified and practically thrown into the perfect position to be entrepreneurs. And I'm not talking about the typical "sell from home" jobs. Sure those are great. I love me some Mary Kay and don't get me started on the amount of money I spent on Scentsy and 31. But what I am talking about is making your own money by doing your own thing. Me? I write. I write books, I write articles, I guest post on blogs. I don't make much money, but it's enough to contribute to gas in the cars or new soccer cleats and shin guards for my daughter. Entrepreneurship opens up an entire new world for us as spouses. Number one, your job is mobile. You'll never need to go on a job hunt again unless you want to. The day my husband looked me in my teary eyes and said, "Babe, just write. Quit with the resumes and just write," was the happiest day of my life. You know, after the day kids were born and the day he came home from Sangin. But what a relief to just be done with the resumes and letters of recommendation and focus on the job that I loved the most: creating stories. With that job I love comes the stress of marketing myself, pitching myself to publicists, trying to refrain from being too offensive on Facebook, and searching out unique writing assignments, but I'm an old hat when it comes to "high-stress low immediate return" situations- all because I'm a military spouse. And that's a job I wouldn't trade for anything. Connect with us on Facebook!

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