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Military Spouses often leave the jobs they love for the soldier, sailor, airmen, or marine they love even more. Hiring Military Spouses is Good Business. The consequences affect every aspect of life– including our careers. However, it’s in these transitions, that we find new knowledge, strengths, talents, and skills we didn’t know we possessed or had to learn to survive– to thrive under unusual circumstances.
Hiring a Military Spouse is Good Business
Flexible Employment Opportunities
Why don’t companies don’t make it a practice of hiring military spouses? It wasn’t long ago that many companies didn’t offer employment opportunities that were substantive to military spouses due to our transient nature. Fortunately, the tide is turning and companies are recognizing that military spouses offer a diversity, born out of that transience, that far exceeds the gaps in employment and multiple fields and skillsets they employ.
Military Spouses
When considering hiring military spouses, employers should know we bring unique strengths that benefit any team. The military spouse workforce offers skills shaped by constant change and resilience:
- We are adaptable. Ask me how I’ve overcome obstacles, and you’ll hear remarkable stories of resourcefulness.
- We offer a broad skill set. Because everything seems to break when our service members deploy, we learn everything from car maintenance to plumbing. Many of these valuable skills never make it onto a typical job application or resume.
- Military spouses know how to budget. Living in remote locations taught us to stretch a single paycheck, managing basic living expenses while saving for travel and other goals.
- We want to work. Despite frequent moves, we match civilian job turnover rates. Employers can expect the same two years of commitment as they would from any other candidate.
- We understand community building. Military life fosters strong, loyal bonds. We create supportive networks out of necessity and a desire to belong, making us natural team players.
Military Deployments
Often, deployments are logistical moves that involve the military member and/or units without the family. Typically, they include extended training at military installations. Many of these locations are dangerous or lack services and accommodations for the family. Deployments can be tough because many of the details are classified, which means you really don’t know where your spouse is, what they are doing, or exactly how dangerous his or her environment is.
The first one is usually the worst; it was for me. Our children were very young, and it was difficult to explain where daddy was without upsetting them. I had to manage the house, pay the bills, and shuffle kids to and from activities. And I had to do it far from friends or family. Hiring military spouses makes sense because of our diverse skillsets.
Living Overseas & Abroad
Living abroad teaches us new ways to cope. Additionally, we learn to respect different cultures, religions, and languages. We adjust to big lifestyle changes and communicate in places where we may not know the language. Furthermore, we do this far from home, sometimes without our spouse because they are often deployed. Moving overseas, also called a PCS, makes military spouses well-rounded and resilient.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS)
PCSs can be as short as 6 months or as long as 3 years with extensions. Similarly, these moves uproot the entire family, belongings, and pets. We move across the country or the world.
In addition, it is often left to us to handle transportation, find a new home, enroll children in school, and locate new doctors and dentists. Military spouses do all this while trying to keep our families happy and healthy. We also stay hopeful that they will love the new home, new friends, and new life as much as the old ones.
Finally, multiple PCS moves take us around the world. Deployments often feel like single parenthood. The stress of having loved ones far away, often in dangerous situations, creates unique growth opportunities.
Why Hiring a Military Spouse Can Benefit Employers
1. We can save businesses money. I have negotiated a higher salary that doesn’t include health insurance. While that’s more money in my purse, it’s even a larger saving to the company.
2. We have the degrees. The military spouse population continues to be the most overqualified and underemployed sector of the population.
3. Military spouses are diverse. Many people think of the military spouse as one big homogenous population. We are far from that. Military spouses come from every state in the union and many foreign countries. We have different, lifestyles, religions, languages, backgrounds, and interests.
4. We can handle stress. Are you paying attention?
5. Military spouses understand volunteerism and service. Our lives center on the fact that our service member serves his country. Many of us feel we are an extension of him or her.
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My mom remarried a navy man and had to relocate nearly every 3 years and it was so frustrating for her to have to find new employment each time. It can take a toll on you. She eventually decided that turning her crafting into a side business was more rewarding and less stressful. She would teach crochet to other military wives and sell her creations at craft fairs and studios. It worked out for her that way.
I didn’t even think that it would be hard for you to find work. Or that you would be giving up your dream job to follow around your husband. I would follow my husband to the moon and back. I guess to me giving up a job for the man I married, would be a piece of cake.
You guys have been through a lot and most of the experiences and life lessons that you learn along the way can be used in an office environment. These are more than enough reasons to hire a military spouse.
I think it’s your ability to adapt and to manage pressure and stress that makes you great employees. It’s really nice to have military spouses working for you.
I have so many friends who are military spouses and your post is such a great eye opener.
Ir must be really touch to move around so often and to be away from your partner so much. Im glad that more companies are seeing Military Spouses as a great resource for them. There are definitely many plus points to hiring one!
It sounds like Military Spouses are pretty much ready for everything. That is needed in the workplace as so many people do not know how to cope with change!
Like any other group… not all but many. But yes we are given many opportunities to gain new skills and overcome all kinds of obstacles.
Some good tips. I’m not a military spouse but have moved a lot, and followed where family have moved and where jobs. I feel this doesn’t always look good to employers x
No it doesn’t look good to prospective employers. But they should dat least understand why and not deduct points for it.
This has never occurred to me before. Thanks for the enlightening article. I agree with you on the points you’ve given. I also believe that military spouses have the strength unlike any other. Keep on inspiring other military spouses and broadening the minds of others!
I don’t think you are alone. As I said in the post, I don’t think many spouses put a lot of thought into it until after they marry and start moving.
These are all great reasons to hire military spouses. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for the to find work. Between childcare issues and never knowing how long you will be there, can make it difficult.
Ashley, I truly hope the tide is turning. The old job market was so static, but there are so many employment opportunities that are location independent and some that can be.
This was an interesting article , before reading t=I was not aware of the prejudice military spouse can face in the workforce. I’m thankful you wrote this post to make us all of this issue.
I have so many friends who are military spouses and your post is such a great eye opener.
Thank you, make sure you share my blog with them… the more the merrier.
I am sorry that people would have prejudice against hiring military spouses. That is sad that they wouldnt. I can imagine there are many amazing things you could contribute to work.
I don’t think I’d call it prejudice. I think it can be rectified with a little education and knowledge about what the military spouse has to offer. I truly hope the tide is turning. The old job market was so static, but there are so many employment opportunities that are location independent and some that can be.
It must be challenging to be a military spouse but I can definitely see how those challenges make you stronger and a great asset to any workplace!
We live near a military base…and have lots of military spouses who volunteer with our homeschool support group. I agree they are awesome workers and a great contribution to our community!
A lot of us rack up hours of volunteering hours to stay busy and keep our skills sharp.
I have a good friend who had to forego her career when her husband was stationed in Japan. They are back in the states now, but she still is having a hard time finding a job.
Thank you for sharing, please share my blog with your friend.
Nice job. It’s so important to concentrate on the positive rather than the negative. Yes, it’s hard being a military spouse but, you’re doing an amazing job. Keep it up.
Thanks Ladonna, I learned a long time ago, no one wants to hear you whine or present problems without a solution. It’s like asking someone how are you, all you really want to hear is I’m fine. lol
I have many friends and family members that are military spouses and face these challenges head on. I will be sharing this with one of my best friends/ an amazing military wife.
I appreciate that and your support.
I love how you pointed out the aspects of military life that have been positive for you as a woman and as a wife. It would be easy to get caught up in how hard everything is and how the changes of military life challenge everything about the American culture of settling down and growing roots, but you always stay positive and uplifted!
Its a tradeoff. No we don’t have roots in one community, we end up having roots in many. Its hard not to get attached through church, schools, friends and organizations we join– many times we keep those attachments long after we move on..
We just had a retired military couple move in next door. He found a job with a local contractor, but she (as the spouse) has been having difficulty.
The situation is different for retired military (as it should be). My husband has been headhunted for years even though he hasn’t been looking for a job.
This made me smile! My husband has 4 years left in the Air Force and then he’ll be looking for a job. I hope someone hires him. He is so reliable and dedicated to his job.
Hi Amber. The story is quite different for service members if they can successfully translate their military jobs into a civilian one. They are highly respected and recruited. I am sure he will be very successful.