Fort Bragg hosts professional development workshop for spouses

By Amber Avalona/ParaglideJune 17, 2011

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - “I would hire you but your husband is in the military …” in one form or another, it’s a response that Cornelia Dobson has encountered since returning to Fayetteville nearly a year ago. For the Army spouse, it seemed even customer service jobs and entry-level positions were hard to come by because of the uncertainty of job tenure. “I call it military profiling,” said Dobson.

Many spouses, including Dobson, have turned to sites like Craigslist in desperation. As a result, some scams sell their personal information to other companies " the result is an influx of spam or data mining that can be detrimental for military Families.

Dobson is currently using funds from the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account to gain a billing and coding certification, which will strengthen her medical administration assistant associate degree.

Thanks to the skills taught at the conference, Dobson felt more hopeful about her career prospects. “I came to see what they have to offer, and they have more than I realize. This is real information you can use,” she said.

According to William McMillian, transition services manager for the Army Career and Alumni Program, around 50 spouses signed up for the two-day conference but less than 20 attended the first day. As a result, organizers were brainstorming how to draw larger crowds for the information-packed event.

“It’s all about effective communication and networking. You’ve got to find the company’s needs before marketing your skills,” said McMillian, who suggested proactive steps like web cam interviews if the Family is preparing for a permanent change of station move.

In addition to workshops and job fairs, spouses can connect with the Employment Readiness Program for employment resources like local job lists and free outfits through the professional boutique. It is important to remember that ACS is not a job placement agency and spousal preference does not guarantee something like a federal job placement.

There is no typical Army spouse in today’s world so career goals are very diverse, explained Cherry Thompson, the ACS ERP manager. “Military spouses run the gamut of our educational rims, from PhDs to no high school diploma. Some are looking for a career change, some are just out of school. Some are willing to travel farther or want to be close to their children,” she said.

Thompson often hears from spouses who are new to the community and know they want to work, but aren’t quite sure what they’re looking for.

Thompson said it’s important that a spouse begin the job search with some idea of the direction she wants to go in life.

Entrepreneurship is another goal of military spouses, so ERP created a workshop on managing a home-based business.

Other workshops include interviewing techniques and salary negotiation, resume 101 online training and your credit report and employment.

“I’m always searching for ways to enhance the spouse, but the spouse has to have goals as well,” said Thompson, who mentioned that Army spouses can work in any one of the six surrounding counties and the job search doesn’t have to be limited to Fort Bragg or Fayetteville. Sometimes, thinking outside the box creates the best job lead.

Brochures like The Computerized Job Search (available through ERP) teach men and women to navigate the Internet effectively. The brochure explains the difference between a passive versus an active online job search, as well as the benefit of monitoring company websites for open positions. Creating a scannable resume is extremely important when submitting for a federal job or any highly desired position. This is because the computer often prescreens a resume for keywords, tagging those that best match the qualifications for the job. Spending that extra time to custom-tailor a resume could be a $30,000 to $50,000 investment in your future, assuming you’re hired.

Thompson encouraged spouses to take advantage of the resources on post, as they provide an excellent foundation for the job search. “One of my dreams has always been when the Soldier is inprocessing, the spouse will inprocess as well " this way, the spouse knows about (Fort Bragg) resources and how to utilize them,” she added.

Contact the Employment Readiness Program by visiting the Soldier Support Center, 3rd floor, or call 396-1425.

(Editor’s note: ACAP and ACS plan to hold a joint job fair on Sept. 28, and they expect more than 100 employers to attend. The job fair is expected to take place at the Fort Bragg Club. Spouses can contact either agency for further details).