Field Problem: Military Spouse Employment

Editor’s note: This post was updated with current information in Jan. 2020. 

Dear, Field Problems:

I am a new Army spouse, and I want to fulfill my career aspirations. We will go to our post in a couple of months. Do you suggest that military spouses look for a job before they get to their installations? Are there programs (on- or off-post) that help spouses find employment?

Tiffany; Fort Richardson, AK; Army spouse

Dear, Tiffany:

This is a great question and one that we’re sure many spouses want to know the answer to. We applaud you for wanting to fulfill your aspirations for a career. We know that it can be somewhat challenging to build and keep a career while being married to the military. But, that doesn’t mean that you have to give up on your dreams of finding a good job.

Looking for your job before moving to your new duty station or after you’ve already arrived is really a personal decision. You may find it easier to look for a job in the local area once you are settled and get to know the area a bit. However, if you’re an online pack-rat like many of us, you can do quite a bit of searching before you even set foot on your new installation.

The good news is that you have a lot more options available to you than the local mini-mart and bank. Across the country, corporations are not only recognizing the outstanding abilities of military spouses, they are rewarding them by making them a part of their team. This is evidenced by Military Spouse Magazine’s annual Top 10 Military Spouse Friendly Employers (here’s the 2020 list). And, in case you’re a milspouse and a veteran, Monster and Military.com created a 2019 list that you can view here. These businesses are probably worth a look to see what opportunities they might have available in your area of expertise.

Each branch of service has established programs focused on spouse employment initiatives. In the Army, it is called the Employment Readiness Program within Army Community Services. When arriving at your new installation, you’ll want to visit the program office manager to find out more information on jobs available locally.

You can also check out the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, a part of Military OneSource, which is an expanding partnership between the military and corporate America.

The official job site of the United States Federal Government is www.USAJobs.gov. This site is your one-stop source for federal jobs and employment information around the globe.

If you’re a spouse with in a career that requires an occupational license, don’t miss CareerOneStop. It’s a resource library for military spouse employment, education, and relocation information.

The Military Spouse Corporate Career Network is a non-profit organization that specializes in employment placement solutions for military spouses. We have a number of their articles under the tab “career.”

Another great web resource we found for your online job search was the National Military Family Association. Their website has spouse employment resources that even include a description of the federal hiring process and staffing agencies that have partnered with the government.

Lastly, if you do your search once you’re at your new location don’t underestimate the power of local resources for job-hunting. Newspapers always have a “help wanted” section, the post newspaper will list job opportunities, and most cities have job websites that offer databases of local opportunities. Good luck!