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When military service members are transferred, most of the time, the spouses and families are moving too. Quite often this means the spouse of a military member will be leaving one job and scrambling to find another in the new location. It can be a stressful time - so prepare yourself with knowledge and assistance. A new military spouse resume will help the job search process.
Our certified resume writers have written thousands of professional, military transition and federal resumes supported by advanced industry credentials and our rock-solid ISO 9001:2008 quality process. We are eager to help the spouses of our military clients find the perfect job, too. Request a FREE Quick Quote for information about our resume and career coaching services. In the meantime, read more about military spouses below.
Today's military spouses are a viable solution to the shortage of dedicated, high-quality employees necessary in a volatile economy. While often overlooked in the past, military spouses are proving their value as they combine talent, training, and unique skills honed by the rigors of military family life. This might be the best time to press the advantage of being "married to the military" and secure quality work.
Here are a few benefits that military spouses bring to the employment arena:
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Educated, highly-skilled, and trained in a variety of disciplines
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Change agents because of their diversity and applicable experience
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Full of a fresh perspective and new energy
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Goal-oriented and strive for immediate results
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Loyal. Will act in the best interests of the organization
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Tend to be more stable than their counterparts
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Able to take advantage of free and low-cost career and training resources on base
Here are some highlights of changes in the employment forecast that may benefit military spouses:
Geographic Mobility a Positive - Once thought to be a detractor for hiring, a military spouse's geographic mobility is now a huge plus to businesses seeking more employees with diverse language, cultural, career or educational experience. "They're a very diverse group... they travel and live all over the world. They often possess life experiences not normally found among people born and raised in the local community. The average military member and his/her spouse moves every four to seven years. When you consider that the average employee re-careers five to seven times in their life, there's not much difference," Hawley explains. In fact, Department of Labor statistics show the median job tenure of employees across all industries is between three and four years.
Lifelong employees need not apply – Many employees today take advantage of the strong economy and change jobs to acquire greater compensation, better quality of life, more flexibility, or professional advancement. Tenure is almost a thing of the past. Outside recruiting by companies is the norm. This is an open door for military spouses.
Flexible staffing is key – Employers need to attract dedicated, highly skilled people, but a company’s survival often depends on quick and decisive productivity. Maintaining that kind of labor force requires flexibility and flexibility comes at a price – commissions on top of salaries, and an unstable workforce. Military spouses can fit well into this scheme and make good money as temporary or project-oriented employees.
Evaluating Job Offers
Evaluating job offers -- can be unsettling, especially if you have only a vague idea of what you want from employers. You'll have to do a personal-needs assessment before you can judge whether an offer is right for you. Here's a three-step process for developing your own job-offer-evaluation checklist.
List the Basics
These are the elements without which you cannot even contemplate accepting an offer of employment. For instance, determine the minimum level of compensation you'll need to meet your financial obligations. Then add your essential benefits. How important is health insurance? Do you need coverage for eligible dependants as part of the package? What other factors are most important to you? The commute? Flextime? Just make sure your list contains the bare minimum you can and will accept -- your personal bottom line.
Your Needs
Your bottom line may rise or fall depending on whether you have a job and how badly you need this one. If you're employed and shopping for a better opportunity, you can be more selective. If you haven't been working for six months or more, you may discover there isn't much to evaluate. Being able to generate an income may be the only important issue.
The Options
Theoretically, if a job offer meets your predetermined bottom line, you could accept it. But, meeting the bottom line is really a prerequisite that allows you to progress to the third step: Evaluating options to make sure the total package is the best for you. Here is a basic checklist of options you can use as a guideline for evaluating a job offer and negotiating the best deal:
Talented Applicant Pool
More than two-thirds of the military spouses living at Georgia’s Robins AFB are employed in their local communities, according to the Family Support Center and our company’s experience developing resumes and coaching military spouses on local employment opportunities here in the middle Georgia community. Military spouses make up a full range of professional talent, from licensed and certified professionals like health care providers to seasonal skills like catering. More and more, telecommuting positions have become popular since this type of position can be accomplished no matter where you live and can easily transfer to your spouse’s next duty station.
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