Coming Soon - Spouses Helping Other Spoouses

Several spouses have sent wonderful information to us that we will soon post.
Each writer wants to share want he or she has learned with other spouses.

Do you have a suggestion or a story to tell that could help other military
spouses with their job search or military life overall? Please send articles to
a_wight@msccn.org and we will notify you if your article will be posted on
this area of the website or in an issue of the Military Spouse Employment
Journal (MSEJ).

Interesting Blog about Military Spouses and Employment

We came across a blog where several military spouses openly discussed their
employment issues. Comments were made by real spouses who had experienced
great difficulty and and another who finally had great success. Helpful
resources, including MSCCN, were mentioned.

Click here to view.

Touching Email in Circulation

This email will be understood by all military spouses and should be emotionally
touching to all Americans. Click here to view.

Military Spouse Employment Article

Please take a few minutes to read the article written by Laura Dempsey, a military
spouse, that was published last year by the Washington Post here. The facts about
military spouse employment are eye-opening and the suggestions valid. A few
changes are already underway! Check our Career Track page to see about federal
employment changes and Military Spouse Residency Relief.


MSCCN on Facebook

Please join us for discussions about military spouse employment -- share
employment successes, disappointments, stories of job searches, and any
other employment-related issue. Just go to Facebook.com and search for
Military Spouse Corporate Career Network.

MSCCN would like to make this a tool for all military spouses to network with
each other about employment. Please join our group and also forward suggestions
about how we can improve using Facebook for military spouse employment.


Askus Question about Unemployment

MSCCN was recently asked:
I would like to know what other states have signed up for unemployment. I know
that when we moved to Fort Campbell from Fort Carson, Colorado did not offer
unemployment to a spouse to PCSed to be with her spouse. I was told that was
going to change. Do you know if it did?

Our answer:
I found no complete up-to-date list but did find one resource that can help --
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/employ/UnemployInsurMilSpouses.htm
This one may also shed a little light --
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/employ/UI-military.htm

Military spouses do deserve monetary compensation of some kind when having
to relocate. What military spouses and legislators need to understand is that
employers must pay higher unemployment insurance premiums when they have
workers leaving employment. The employer should not have a higher cost for
hiring a military spouse who will relocate and the military spouse should not
suffer an income gap. What can be done? Two things are possible for consideration
- add military spouses as an eligible group for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit
that employers receive and/or federally subsidize States and their employers
for the increased unemployment insurance costs when military spouses leave.

MSCCN is supportive of both measures. We are not a political or a lobbying or-
ganization, but do follow military spouse issues closely and do our best within
our nonprofit charter to support all measures that truly benefit military spouses
and families. We understand that more States are considering unemployment for
military spouses and it is our hope that all military spouses and employers can
benefit by passing legislation that does not cost either one loss of income.

(Right now, if States pass that military spouses can automatically qualify for
unemployment compensation when PSCing with the military member, and there
is no subsidy for the State or the employer, then military spouses risk
costing employers more and not being attractive as job candidates, even
though they bring unique experiences and skills to the labor market.)


Tara's Corner

MSCCN is very pleased to have a partnership
with Tara Crooks of Army Wife Talk Radio. In
this space called Tara's Corner, jobseekers
can find articles of interest from Tara.

Please take a few minutes to read Tara's bio
and then enjoy the articles below:

Finding a Mobile Career as a Military Spouse
Military Spouse Booklist





Creative Employment Solutions

The MSCCN Team is often asked to suggest a good career field for military
spouses. The correct answer is always "that depends on the interests and
skills of the individual spouse." Over the next few months we will be
highlighting careers that have been good choices for many military spouses.

Setting up a business or nonprofit on the web works well for many military
spouses. Tara's Corner is a wonderful example of reaching out to other military
spouses while finding a creative solution to employment. MSCCN hopes that all
military spouses will become familiar with other organizations established by
military spouses that have a web presence. Examples of these organizations
who have partnered with MSCCN include F.R.A.Z.L.E.E.D. Military Wives Christian
Network, and CinCHouse.com, as well as Army Wives Talk Radio mentioned above.

We encourage applicants who might be interested in entrepreneurship with a
web presence to consider their own creative solution such as talk radio, blogging,
or establishing a virtual business.

You can click on the logos below to connect to each partner mentioned.


















Other Highlighted Careers for Military Spouses

The first career highlighted was writing.

Many military spouses have found success in writing articles (like several
members of the MSCCN Team), while others enjoy success writing blogs, in
journalism, and others authoring books. Tanya Biank is notable in that her
book became the TV series "Army Wives".

An author who is quite skillful and successful is Kathy
Roth-Douquet, Marine Corps wife. You can learn about
her through her bio here or her website
http://www.roth-douquet.com/.

Kathy Roth-Douquet writes not only from her heart
and own experience, but has a strong academic back-
ground and political view that shape her writing.
She has joined with Frank Schaeffer, her political
opposite, to examine and write about military service
in a new manner.

Comments about her latest book, How Free People
Move Mountains:

"It's not only fun to read, but groundbreaking in that it teaches all of us how to
coexist together. The divides within America require finding new common ground.
This book is the roadmap to a better place."

Richard Cizik Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of
Evangelicals

and

How Free People Move Mountains asks an important question of our day,
how do we rededicate ourselves to an America of real patriotism that heals and
builds our nation rather than allowing lesser ideals to divide us. Roth-Douquet
and Schaeffer have written a book very close to my heart that asks each of us
what we need to do to revitalize the collective American purpose in our lives."

Max Cleland, Former United States Senator


If you have a flair for writing and the skills required, please do consider the career
field of writing. Whether your work is scholarly, humorous, or a combination of
both, you too might find success!


MSCCN Articles and Web Pages by Spouses for Spouses

Eye opening articles by MSCCN's Deb Kloeppel:


Negativity click here

Should You Dummy Down Your Resume?
Posted on F.R.A.Z.L.E.D. (Military Wives Christian Network) - click here.
and on Blue Star Families here.

Job Skills You Didn't Know You Had
click here

Successful Interviewing
click here



Articles Appearing in Magazines
Pre-Interview Preparation ~ 10 steps to getting hired by Deb Kloeppel

Successful Interviewing by Deb Kloeppel

Virtual Office Work Ethics by Deb Kloeppel and Becky Brillon

Relieve Work Stress ~ Five ways to refresh the way to see your job by MSCCN

3 Threats to Your Job Seach by Anne Wight

Job Seekers Beware by Anne Wight

Articles in GIJobs Magazine:
Job Hunting During the Holidays (Part 1) by Anne Wight
Job Hunting During the Holidays (Part 2)


Articles for Website Posting:
If At First You Don't Succeed…REVAMP, REVAMP, REVAMP! by Cachet Prescott

Resume Information (not an article, but great information) by Anne Wight


Anne Wight's Guidelines to Job Search

Written and compiled by one of MSCCN's
own, Anne Wight, these guidelines are an
invaluable resource for job seekers!

They lead you from "beginning your search" to
"resume writing, interviewing, and negotiation".
There is also an excellent list of job related
links that you will want to check!
Click Here for the Guidelines



Here are some other excellent articles by Anne:

Overwhelmed Jobseekers

A Must Do

Military Family Centers

Older Workers and Technology

Mission: Career (Checklist)

What Job Seekers Need to Know about Globalization and Outsourcing


Interview tips for job-ready spouses (by Deb Kloeppel):

A job-ready spouse who qualifies for the job and interviews perfectly gets the job.
If you haven't prepared a "knock-out" resume, or researched the corporate culture
of the company you're interviewing with or managed to learn the corporate lingo,
you're setting yourself up for failure. Preparing your family for your new job entry
is key!

Corporate recruiters are trained to weed out applicants who aren't job-ready.

We went directly to Christine Hampton, a corporate recruiter for Concentra Inc.,
to ask what she looks for in applicants. Here is her advice on what not to do
during a corporate job interview.

• Do NOT be late.
  This may seem obvious, but three out of every ten applicants run one to five
  minutes late for corporate interviews. Corporate recruiters always remember
  the late applicant, but they never get the job. You can never provide a good
  enough excuse for being late. Consider if three out of every ten applicants
  are historically late for interviews, showing up 12 minutes early for an interview
  will put you ahead of at least 3 applicants!
  
  
• Do NOT ramble.
  Keep your answers to "just the facts." Please, do not share intimate personal
  information with corporate recruiters. Bottom line, ramblers don't get hired.
  If you consume a corporate recruiter's time on extraneous information, you'll
  appear selfish and self-centered, even if you are not. Recruiters envision
  ramblers taking time away from co-workers in an office setting.
  
  Time is money to a corporate recruiter. Remember this when you have the
  urge to tell them your life's story. They don't care whether you get along with
  your mother-in-law or commander's wife. They only care if you can do the job,
  while working as a team member inside their corporate work groups.
  
  
• Do NOT hurry when completing your job application.
  Arrive early and give the application proper attention it requires. This is the
  No. 3 killer of job chances. The military's Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
  manual contains a master application that is a comprehensive reference to
  complete prior to filling out applications. Sloppy and rushed applications
  substantiate your lack of attention to detail. A quality writing pen is one of
  the primary tools of the trade for a job seeker. Ensure you have a good one
  and bring a back up. Bring a business card with your name, address, e-mail
  address and cell phone number on it. Don't give them your home phone.
  
  
• Recruiters do NOT like screaming kids or barking dogs in the background
  when they call your home for a follow up phone interview, or to let you
  know you landed the job.
  Give them a phone number free of distractions. The fewer distractions you
  have during conversation the better off you'll be. Also, make the recruiter
  aware of any speech impediments you have. If you stutter, tell the corporate
  recruiter up front that you stutter. Tell them not to be embarrassed for you
  and ask them politely to allow you to finish your sentences. Nothing upsets
  someone who stutters more than someone finishing their sentences for them.
  Plow through the sentence you're having problems with and you will earn the
  respect of the recruiter.
  
  
• Do NOT have your cell phone on during an interview.
  A ringing cell phone during an interview proves you don't think ahead. Military
  spouses are natural organizers and "think-ahead" people. These two factors
  will place you way ahead of the competition.
  
  
• Do NOT request altering the work schedule to accommodate your
  schedule as an applicant or as a new hire.
  You can negotiate the altered work schedule when you're established as a
  detailed worker. Asking for time off during your interview process or while on
  corporate probation is a risky move.
  
  
• Do NOT tell the corporate recruiter you have other offers pending when
  you come in for the first interview.
  An employer wants to think they are important to you. There will be plenty of
  time to discuss other offers you have pending, if in fact one is made to you.
  
  
• Do NOT speak negatively against your former employer, even if they
  deserve it.
  Corporate recruiters look for happy, enthusiastic, positive people. Gossip is
  gossip. Corporate recruiters are trained to detect a disloyal or disgruntled
  applicant.
  
  
• Do NOT wiggle in your chair when asked a question you are not
  prepared to answer.
  Simply look the recruiter in the eyes, smile, nod your head and say, "May I
  take a moment to think about that question?"
  
  
• Do NOT answer a question you don't understand.
  Recruiters are trained to detect misleading or on-the-spot answers. Look the
  recruiter in the eyes, smile, nod your head and say, "I want to be certain
  that I heard the question properly. Could you repeat the question?"
  Recruiters value a detailed applicant.
  
  
• Check out the company's web site.
  Company web sites offer valuable information about the values, culture and
  philosophy of an organization. Arm yourself with as much "intelligence" about
  the company before your interview.
  
  
• Know the name and title of the person who is interviewing you. <
  If you are unsure about who will conduct your interview, call ahead and ask
  politely to get the information!
  
  
• When signing-in at the human resource desk, ALWAYS shake the hand
  of the receptionist when you introduce yourself.
  HR receptionists always let corporate recruiters know if you came in smiling,
  angry, rushed, frazzled, rude, or polite. Don't underestimate the "power" of
  the receptionist who announces your arrival to the corporate recruiter.
  
  
• Are you willing to work required overtime?
  Your answer to this question is always a resounding "yes".
  
  
• Never tell a corporate recruiter what you can't or won't do.
  Restrict your answer to what you will do.
  
  
• When asked to provide one of your faults, do NOT say you work too hard.
  Recruiters hate this answer. A good answer is, "My kids would have a ball
  with that question." Recruiters love an applicant with a sense of humor.
  
  Then be honest. "I miss my support system back home. As a military spouse
  I have trained myself to be much too independent." That's the perfect answer!
  Recruiters also love independent thinkers!