Career Information Links
"Telecommuting" holds great promise for enabling military spouses to pursue a career regardless of where their partner is stationed. Some great telecommuting resources:
Federal Employment opportunities remain limited due to continued downsizing. However, the Civilian Personnel Office at your installation will have information on the local opportunities that exist. Some other resources include:
Education Studies by the Department of Defense suggest that military spouses who have a college education are more likely to find job opportunities; a graduate degree can make you even more competitive in many fields. Visit your installation's educational programs office and see what it has to offer. You'll find some more links here, and an article On Continuing Your Education While Your Partner is On Active Duty. Some other resources include:
Salary Negotiation Resources
What is a reasonable salary to expect, based on your industry and geographic location? Here are some valuable resources for estimating what to expect:
 A great book. I have it, have read it, and highly recommend it. Frances Bastress has spent nearly three decades in the human resource development field, working in private industry, government, academia, and nonprofit organizations. A former personnel administrator in private industry and a certified career counselor, she has designed and conducted employment-related training programs for a variety of audiences. She wrote the Spouse Employment Workshop Manual used worldwide by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. |
 An outstanding book, full of information useful to military spouses. Explains why changing jobs frequently is beneficial, and can help you justify a mobile job history in discussions with prospective employers. Includes excellent tips on marketing yourself, and the importance of constant networking. It also includes some very practical tips for avoiding the problem of "dropping off the face of the earth" every time your family relocates-- by establishing a permanent telephone and e-mail address! |
 A valuable resource for spouses preparing for an OCONUS tour. Includes a list of 150 jobs that are available almost anywhere, a list of 192 major companies in 49 countries, a list of U.S. employers with foreign offices, and everything you need to know to use the State Department as a resource for finding opportunities overseas. It also contains information about obtaining visas and work permits for most major countries, and provides information on making contacts, submitting applications, and preparing for an international job interview. |
 Another valuable resource for spouses preparing for an OCONUS tour. The entire philosophy behind the strategies explained in this book apply to life as a military spouse/professional, whether you're in the US or abroad. As such, it is a wonderful resource. This book starts you off with assessing your skills, abilities and interests, and how you might be able to apply them in a position overseas. It is full of wisdom and is so applicable to military spouses' unique career development challenges, that you'd think it was written just for us! |
 Don't PCS overseas without reading this book. Includes good advice on OCONUS travel, from safety to health and even what to pack (although you'll certainly be bringing more than someone on a business trip!) But it also contains valuable protocol and country-by-country advice about cultural norms and nuances, the things you'll need to know to present yourself effectively and avoid uncomfortable or embarrassing moments. Also includes some great tips for trailing spouses and family members, as well as job hunting advice and language instruction resources. And when it's time to return to CONUS, there's some good tips for repatriation and dealing with reverse culture shock. |
 A favorite of job hunters and career management professionals alike, it's been a standard in job hunter's libraries for nearly 30 years. Depending on what you're looking for, it could become one of the best books in your library. The new 2000 Edition is also available, as is a companion workbook. A favorite of Valerie Williams, FMEAP Manager in Schweinfurt, Germany, she recommends the CD-ROM version! |
 Nothing compares to the turbulence that infiltrates both the career and personal life of military family members. This book is an outstanding resource as you become a change master personally, as well as an inspiration and guide to those around you, as they adapt to today's changing times. Having coached both military family members and civilians thorough uncertain times in their career lives, The Career Coach highly recommends this book, particularly to those who are leaders or who are looked to for support by others in the workplace or in the military community. |
 Another outstanding book from William Bridges, Job Shift predicts and explains the changing employment paradigms as we approach the new milennium, and how our traditional views of employment are no longer being supported in today's economy. For military spouses, such traditional views were never the norm, so Bridges' book is an exhiliarating codification of how successful military spouses have always managed their careers. "Run You & Co. as a Business" explains Bridges, embodying the entrepreneurial model of career management he published previously as a stand-alone book-- great advice for the mobile, military spouse. |
 Written by a military spouse and career transition counselor who regularly works with military personnel and their spouses, this is a basic book that those with limited job search skills will find useful. Includes an overview of traditional methods and a handy compilation of exercises for helping you discover your goals and options-- includes information on preparing resumes and job search correspondance, networking, interviews, and general advice for landing traditional job opportunities, with greater emphasis on federal positions. Sound advice for the spouse who is uncomfortable with some of the "guerilla" tactics and unconventional strategies found in Hartman's or Bridges' books. |
 The Author of The Psychologist's Book of Self-Tests has put together a collection of quizzes to help you discover your strengths and weaknesses, and find a career or target the type of position that best matches your interests and abilities. Informative, self-revealing, fun, and something you can do in privacy, the self-scoring tests with lucid explanations are wonderful. Most military spouses will find a couple evenings with this book as beneficial as several days of workshops-- at great savings of time and cost. All of the tests are straightforward, but if you need one-on-one help in interpreting or making sense of it all, you can discuss your scores with The Career Coach. |
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