Tag Archives: military spouse employment

Recap: Military Spouse JD Network “Making the Right Moves” Event

Posted on May 23, 2013 | Leave a comment

Military Spouse JD Network event recapThe Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) hosted a professional development event for military spouse attorneys yesterday in Washington D.C. called Making the Right Moves: Celebration and Education for Military Spouse Attorneys. This event featured educational breakout sessions focusing on career advancement, networking, legislative updates, how to overcome employment barriers, and how to enhance career portability. It was an event that boasted fellowship and intertwined tools for career success.

I was thrilled to represent the National Military Family Association on a panel to discuss hot topics regarding federal and state legislative initiatives affecting military families (and more specifically spouses). As an Association, one of our top priorities is to ensure that military spouses are able to pursue and continue their professional career as they support their service member in this highly mobile lifestyle.

A few legislative highlights from the panel included:

  • State legislation: Four states have passed a rule accommodating military spouse attorneys. These include Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, and Idaho. We look forward to being a force multiplier through our advocacy efforts with MSJDN in other states.
  • Federal legislation: The Military Spouse Job Continuity Act (S.759 and H.R.1620), if passed, will provide military spouses a tax credit to offset the cost of obtaining a new state-specific license or certificate when the family is ordered to move.

After the forum, several military spouses approached me and asked how they could get involved with our advocacy efforts. One way is to join our Association’s Volunteer Corps. With your voice and personal experience from your local community, we can identify needs and are able to advocate for military families. Another way is to simply stay in touch with us online and on social media. By sharing the victories and shortcomings when it comes to spouse employment, you help us show how important this issue is to our community.

Please know that the National Military Family Association is here with you every step of the way! Our mission is to fight for benefits and programs that strengthen and protect Uniformed Services families and reflect the Nation’s respect for their service.

We would love to hear from you! Engage with our Association through our website, on Facebook, on Twitter @military_family, and through our Branching Out blog. (Subscribe on the top right of this page!) Don’t forget to download our new mobile app MyMilitaryLife.

ccPosted by Christine Gallagher, Government Relations Deputy Director at the National Military Family Association

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Job searching? Here’s what the Military Spouse Employment Partnership can do for you.

Posted on January 16, 2013 | 7 Comments

Job searching? Here's what the Military Spouse Employment Partnership can do for you.My husband and I have moved three times in the past four years. To be quite honest, no one knows what the military lifestyle has to offer unless you have lived it and understand the complexities of deployments, moving, the TRICARE system, finding new friends, a new job….the list goes on. Although it can be difficult learning how to navigate the military lifestyle, I am very proud of my soldier and his service to this great Nation.

I remember moving to Fort Campbell, Kentucky after obtaining a graduate degree in Corporate Communication. It was a culture shock. I was looking for “Corporate America” and in reality all I could see for miles were corn fields. I was lucky enough to find a career teaching in higher education where I continue to educate many veterans, spouses, and military kids as an adjunct instructor.

Two moves and two jobs later, I landed a full-time position working as a Deputy Director in the Government Relations department for the National Military Family Association, an enduring partner with the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP). MSEP is a White House-sponsored Joining Forces initiative that is housed under the Department of Defense Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) program. This initiative seeks to ease the challenges of military life by helping spouses find and maintain rewarding careers despite frequent moves.

As a spouse who wants a rewarding career that matches my education and experience, it is an exhausting process to prepare for interviews, be offered a position, love it, leave it, and start all over again! Although I have never applied to a position through the MSEP web portal, I have learned a tremendous amount about the program. The Association works very closely with MSEP to ensure that military spouses have career opportunities no matter where they live. The MSEP initiative is truly outstanding and I hope all military spouses take advantage of the service offered.

There are many private sector employers and government organizations that are actively searching for military spouses to join their workforces. These organizations want the skills, knowledge, credentials, and attributes that military spouses have to offer. To learn more about MSEP, create a profile on MSEP’s web portal which hosts over 130 Fortune 500 military-friendly partner employers who have pledged to recruit, hire, promote, and retain military spouses. As of today, there are over 180,000 positions posted that are available to military spouses of all branches.

In addition, SECO has other key components that offer career counseling, resume writing, professional mentoring, and support services for education and state licensure. A compiled list of available resources is available in the Spouse Employment section of our website.

I hope you take advantage of these resources as navigating the military lifestyle can be a challenge. I would love to hear from you and learn about your personal experience with job searching. Are you a military spouse seeking a new job? Have you applied for a position using the MSEP website? What challenges have you encountered while job searching?

ccPosted by Christine Gallagher, Government Relations Deputy Director at the National Military Family Association

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