A virtual career fair for military spouses is underway.
The Defense Department will host a series of free virtual events running through May 30 to help military spouses meet career goals and connect with prospective employers.
The 2024 Virtual Military Spouse Symposium kicked off Tuesday with three days of online sessions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT designed and dedicated to career development and employment preparation, the department said. Topics will include resume tips, networking, mastering remote work, negotiation tactics, and more.
All events are free to military spouses across the globe via the Zoom platform. Spouses can learn more and register for the series of events at https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/portal/events/live/virtual-military-spouse-symposium-2024.
From May 21 to 23, a series of webinars, one-on-one resume reviews, and mock interviews will prepare spouses for the following week’s hiring fair.
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership Virtual Hiring Fair, scheduled for May 29-30 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. EST, will connect spouses with hiring managers and representatives from the more than 700 employers committed to recruiting, hiring, retaining, and promoting military spouses.
“The success of our military is related to the strength and stability of our families, and the stability of our families depends on military spouses having access to quality employment,” Patricia Montes Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy, said in a statement. “The theme of this year’s series is ‘Even More in ’24,’ and that’s what we’re offering — more ways for spouses to grow professionally, more ways for them to prepare for the workforce, and more ways to get hired.”
A DOD survey of active-duty spouses found that the unemployment rate among civilian spouses of active-duty military members was 21% in 2021. That was nearly four times the overall unemployment rate of 5.3% that year.
Kelly Hruska, government relations director for the Alexandria, Va.-based National Military Family Association, told this newspaper that unemployment for military spouses unemployment is still “stubbornly” around 20%.
“And there are new spouses who are becoming military spouses every day. So we just need to keep up this drum beat,” Hruska said Thursday.
Military spouses have shown they can be adaptable, handling family moves to new bases and duty stations every two to three years and dealing with stresses that civilian families don’t usually face. Often, they simply need employers to give them a fair shot, Hruska said.
“They are resilient,” she said. “They’re adaptable. They’re able to multi-task and juggle family and job responsibilities and deployments and everything.”
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