PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. (April 28, 2022) – The Presidio of Monterey Employment Readiness Program can not only help job seekers prepare for interviews, but can also assist with job searches, resumes, job skills training, education and volunteer opportunities.
Katilynn Snow, employment readiness manager, said she offers classes on interviewing and resume building each month, and is happy to meet with people one-on-one on all subjects.
“Job Success and Interviewing Skills” takes place every second Thursday of the month at 9:30 a.m., and “Resume Building” every third Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. in the Army Community Service Gold Room. Both classes prepare job seekers for differences between the federal and private sectors, Snow said.
All members of the local military community are welcome to the program’s services, including veterans, and the program can prove particularly helpful for military spouses trying to establish careers, Snow said.
“I think a lot of spouses feel that they can’t have a career because their spouse is moving every three years,” Snow said. “I want to show them that’s not necessarily true.”
In addition to helping with long-term career strategies, Snow also assists by attending local job fairs and sharing employer information from the fairs with job seekers.
PoM is a unique duty station, however, because many service members are students at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, and may only be at the installation for eight months, Snow said.
In that case, it can make more sense for spouses to take a more long-term view and either focus on gaining new skills or performing a job search at a future duty station, Snow said.
For example, spouses can gain job skills through the My Spouse Education & Career Opportunities program, or MySECO, Snow said, and be ready for a new career by the time they leave PoM.
“In eight months they can leave here and go to another state and be ready to work, whether it’s medical billing, [physical therapy] services, midwife servicing—all those types of things,” Snow said.
Snow can also furnish information about military spouse professional licensure reimbursement and provides resume writing services.
“I do a lot of resume writing,” Snow said. “It’s pretty astounding how people don’t know how to really emphasize what they do in their job. ‘Oh, I was a cashier.’ … You probably did a lot more than you think.”
For those looking to start a home-based business, Snow has an information briefing on that subject as well. In addition, Snow plans a resume writing class for high school students and another class on career exploration.
Taylor Marquez Valera, a military spouse, attended the “Job Success and Interviewing Skills” class April 14 and found it useful as she prepares for her local job search. She arrived about a month ago and checked in with the Employment Readiness Program soon after she arrived.
“I thought it was really good,” Marquez Valera said of the class. “I got a lot of good information that I didn’t think of beforehand, so I’m glad I came in.”
Marquez Valera said she plans to get help with her resume and might also try doing a mock interview with Snow.
For more information, contact Snow at katilynn.m.snow.civ@army.mil or (831) 242-7659. Visit the program’s Facebook page at “Presidio of Monterey Employment Readiness.”
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