Finding Military Veterans and Military Spouse Job Opportunities

The current state of unemployment in the United States has affected the veterans and spouses of Gulf War post 9/11 more than any other generation of former service men and their family members. As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate o unemployed veterans and individuals looking for militaryspouse jobs lingers around 10.2% which is about 2% more than the overall unemployment rate of 8.3%. 

The state is even worse for younger spouses and veterans between ages 20-24 who served in the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. With unemployment rates that go as high as 14.5% there are about 200,000 unemployed veterans who are aged over 20. Out of this, about 60% have been without any work for over 4 months. 

Offering Access to Job Opportunities

Social Initiatives to bring about a positive change in the employment situation amidst this population have been taken up by a myriad of state as well as private organizations. With several job fairs and expos being hosted all over the country on a regular basis, veterans and individuals willing to seek out military spouse jobs have been able to gain access to more opportunities. 

The problem has been effectively identified by national, state, private as well as the non -profit sectors who have together and independently started taking measures to find viable career solutions for veterans and their spouses. There are organizations that offer up to 12 months of training to improve their prospects in the job market. With the help of institutions envisioned by the likes of former President George W. Bush, there have been sufficient financial grants that have been pumped into the market to facilitate job opportunities to this population.

In the coming few months, the Federal Government intends to get a lot more proactive about providing relevant resources to military spouses and veterans to gain financial important and a source of dignified living within the American society. 

With additional privatized initiatives in the form of specialized job boards and forums that help veterans and their spouses find jobs, the pessimistic employment figures are bound to change over the next few months.

Finding Jobs for Military Spouses

Soon after a military family settles down and becomes accustomed to military life, it may be time for the spouse to find a job. This typically happens following a permanent change of station, which means relocation to another base. During this time of upheaval, the military spouse needs to plan on finding a job, if needed.

The first thing that the military spouse can check into is whether or not employment assistance is provided. The new base or post may offer assistance in the form of employment counselors who can point the way to new jobs, spruce up resumes, and offer advice.

Some of these agencies have partnerships with employers in the local community and try to help place spouses. Others have programs that can help spouses freshen their skills, such as updating computer software certifications. Others have access to job postings that are specifically for military spouses.

According to Military.com, spouses apply to the FINRA Investor Education Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program, which gives military spouses the opportunity to earn a career-enhancing credential—the Accredited Financial Counselor® (AFC) certificate—while providing volunteer financial counseling to the military community.

The program is administered in partnership with the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®) and the National Military Family Association (NMFA).

It has helped over 600 military spouses win fellowships. Participants have logged more than 106,600 hours of service to the military community.

There are a variety of military spouse jobs. Since many of these spouses have children, flexibility may be an important component of the job. Some spouses may look for stay-at-home or telecommuting opportunities. If this is the case, it's important to be aware of scams. Those that promise a lot of money or are vague about the actual job duties may be scams. Always do a lot of research before giving out your personal information.

The Federal Trade Commission’s publication Work at Home Schemes can help military spouses recognize and avoid work-at-home scams that sound too good to be true.

Other great opportunities for military spouses include healthcare, information technology, customer service, finance, accounting, marketing, and manufacturing.

Recently First Lady Michelle Obama announced a new hiring effort intended to deliver thousands of flexible job opportunities to military spouses and veterans.

The initiative offers spouses thousands of at-home employment opportunities in areas such as customer support and telemarketing, as well as jobs that are physically located near military installations. Eleven large companies have pledged more than 15,000 jobs to military spouses and veterans.

During a teleconference about the initiative, Obama voiced her support. "Whatever comes up in life along the way, these types of jobs will give them the type of flexibility and portability they'll need to succeed, not just in their careers, but the rest of their lives as well."

The commitment will make a big difference, she added.

The companies and their thousands of job opportunities will be integrated into the Defense Department's Military Spouse Employment Partnership, a press release said.

Companies who have promised to hire these individuals include Hilton, which said it will pledge another 3.5 percent of their Hilton@Home call center positions to military spouses through 2014, and Arise Virtual Solutions Inc. which plans to add 10,000 new independent business and client services professionals from military families over the next several years. Arise also intends to develop special programs to create awareness among military spouses and veterans.