Spouse job fair coming to Fort Sill

By Monica WoodOctober 25, 2012

Registration closes today for the Military Spouse Business Alliance Hiring Fair and Career Forum, exclusively for spouses of active duty and retired military, National Guard and Reserve spouses.

This one-of-a-kind hiring fair and career forum is Nov. 1 at the Graham Resiliency Training Campus from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Employers and job seekers must register to attend the Hiring our Heroes Job Fair. The event offers spouses a range of services and employers a chance to meet and hire military spouses.

According to Department of Defense statistics, 85 percent of military spouses need or want work, 84 percent have some college, 25 percent have bachelor's degrees and 10 percent have advanced degrees. One in every four military spouses is unemployed and looking for work. The survey goes on to say these spouses want more than a job to pay the bills -- they want to continue their professional career development.

"Spouses often have to take jobs they are overqualified for because every time the family PCS's, they have to start their career path over again," said Shelley Hossenlopp, local organizer of the job fair.

"It's a job fair in which employers who sign up online must be currently hiring spouses. The goal is to find jobs for military spouses. The Hiring our Heroes program is sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and applied first to veterans seeking employment. They added this program last year to specifically find jobs for military spouses."

This is the program's first year, and so far they have held 20 job fairs.

"When I approached them they believed Fort Sill was worthy of hosting this program. We hope to make it a success with a good turnout. We currently have 70 spouses and 21 businesses registered, but we hope to triple those numbers. You do have to register online," said Hossenlopp.

Her efforts to bring the job fair to Fort Sill began this spring when she contacted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

In my 24 years as an Army spouse, I've noticed most Army posts, especially for combat arms, are located in areas that are not within an hour's drive of a large city. Nine out of 14 bases are located in rural communities," she said.

"I believe one of the biggest challenges is the difficulty frequent moves have on job or career progression. Being married to the Army is hard because you now have moved constantly from duty station to duty station, and your resume becomes like a patchwork quilt. There is no tenure with any one job or company, and in many cases, spouses quit working for awhile or take lesser jobs which impact personal progression," she said.

Hossenlopp added many spouses married to military personnel awhile become disenchanted and mentally exhausted by the frustration of looking for a new job every couple years. Often, spouses are also discriminated against for being job hoppers or someone who will be gone in a few years.

"This is one factor that has led to the underemployment of our spouses," she said.

Some jobs offer alternatives that allow for moves, such as telecommuting jobs working from home for hotels, customer service agencies and medical coding, she said.

"Those spouses who register online can upload their resumés, all enrolled companies receive them and can do follow-up interviews with attendees," said Hossenlopp.

She said the fair will address the value of a solid resumé.

"Resumés are so important, because in today's world companies use computerized programs to screen applicants," she said. "Resumés should be targeted to the job you're applying for so you're not passed over."

She added a good cover letter is essential, because it's a snapshot of why a military spouse is the right person for that job.

The free fair will include presentations, workshops and resume preparation assistance to help plan careers in a mobile environment. Hossenlopp recommended having resumés on a thumb drive so while attending the resumé workshops, if adjustments are recommended, changes can be made on a computer, reprinted and passed out to employers.

"One thing slightly different is we will have a table set up with representatives from the Great Plains Technology Center to discuss entrepreneurship," she said. "This will help spouses interested in starting their own business to know more about what it takes and things they need to know to start a business."

She added job fair workers will collect names and schedule these classes as needed.

"Spouse employment is an issue we should all be concerned with. We need good employers who will hire our spouses, we also need to do job fairs so we can assist with finding our spouses great jobs where they, too, can fulfill their professional goals," said Brenda Spencer-Ragland, Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation director.

For example, Spencer-Ragland mentioned Aimee Plumb, a young spouse of a Soldier stationed here who will attend the upcoming job fair.

"She is highly educated and very professional. She is working for the Comanche County Health Department and has provided incredible support with a number of projects to include working several with the health department accreditation package.

"Aimee and her husband both graduated college, he went into the Army, and after they got married, they moved to Oklahoma," she said. "His career is mapped out, but Aimee, who is highly educated, with great training from a number of agencies, is looking for her fit."

Spencer-Ragland added the decision to stay in the military for many young Soldiers is based on a number of factors that often includes their spouse being able to work at their career as the couple moves from one assignment to the next.

Plumb has a double major in finance and marketing and is working on her MBA.

"When I found out I was going to be coming to Fort Sill, I started networking right away and that's how I found my job with the health department," she said. "I got the job and moved here early while my husband was still in Army Ranger school."

Plumb said military spouses do have a hard time planning a career with the frequent moves and having to start over each time.

"I believe job fairs are important for spouses -- especially in this economy. Army spouses have to be even more proactive and aggressive in their job search, and job fairs offer spouses everything in one location for their job search. It helps with a lot of leg work and follow-up time," she said.

She mentioned job mobility and how important that is for military spouses.

"I had large career aspirations before I married my husband. I wanted to be a foreign service officer at the Department of Commerce after I worked there and fell in love with international trade," said Plumb. "After meeting and falling in love with my husband, I realized that is not something for me since I decided I would rather be with my husband than follow those career goals."

Continuing her job and staying involved and mentally stimulated is something Plumb appreciates as she finishes her education.

"I would encourage all spouses -- whether they are actively seeking a job or thinking about getting back in the workforce -- to plan on attending the job fair to see what is available in the area," said Plumb.

Employers and spouses may pre-register for the job fair at hoh.greatjob.net. For more information, email hiringourheroes@]uschamber.com or call 202-463-5807.