Fort Belvoir, Va. (Sept. 11, 2014) - Military spouses at Fort Belvoir will learn how to search for jobs, edit their resumes and dress to project a professional image during the Army Community Service Employment Readiness Program office's Job Hunter Resource classes beginning Friday at the ACS building.

The 12-week course meets every Friday. Spouses will learn inexpensive places to shop for career clothes and proper accessorizing for the work place. They will also be taught how to properly develop their career portfolio and cover letter.

"Many of our military spouses are reentering the job market after 10 to 15 years and sometimes longer, of not working," said Laureen Dupree, ACS, Employment Readiness Program, manager. "They need information, but they also need support."

Additional topics the classes will provide advice on are the types of interviews spouses will encounter like telephone interviews and panel interviews, plus how to prepare for an interview.

"We will discuss how to prepare for the interview ahead of time by looking at your resume and saying, 'Alright, this is what's on my resume so, what are some questions they might ask me?'"

Spouses will also learn how to research companies and businesses posting jobs that they are interested in.

"Lots of small businesses have an online presence," said Dupree. "We will show spouses how to go about researching a company to find out if a position is legitimate, especially if it's a work-from-home position."

This is the second series of classes Dupree has organized. The first 12-week series started in March and developed a core group of 12 spouses, she said, and many of the core group found jobs in fields like counseling, academics and community outreach.

The support each spouse extended to one another is one reason they were so successful, said Dupree.

"What we found from the first series is that they reached out to one another beyond the group and shared information," said Dupree. "There was such a growth in their self-confidence. These are all spouses who were not confident about their job search or their skills before they came to the classes."

There is an additional benefit to regularly coming to the classes, said Dupree.

"Spouses who attend the class each week will get a listing of the hottest jobs that have come across my desk," said Dupree.

To register for the Job Hunter Resources classes, call Laureen Dupree at (703) 805-4590.