(Because Even Spouses Deserve a Consistent LinkedIn Profile)
July 25th is National Hire a Veteran Day, a powerful reminder of the incredible skills, dedication, and leadership that veterans bring to the civilian workforce. While we rightly salute our heroes in uniform, let’s also take a moment to acknowledge another equally heroic, often highly-caffeinated, and perpetually adaptable group: the military spouse. Military spouses are the unsung champions, experts at turning chaos into a Pinterest-worthy home, and it’s high time we tackle the persistent military spouse work experience gap that often plagues their otherwise stellar resumes.
The History of National Hire a Veteran Day
National Hire a Veteran Day was established in 2017 by Marine Corps Veteran Dan Caporale (founder of Hire Our Heroes), in cahoots with the National Day Calendar. His mission? To create a national nudge – perhaps a gentle shove – for employers to recognize that veterans aren’t just good at following orders; they’re also excellent at leading teams, solving complex problems, and showing up on time (usually). It’s a day to highlight that the skills honed dodging metaphorical (or literal) bullets are incredibly valuable in the civilian world, even if your office “battlefield” is just the breakroom fridge.
The Persistent Military Spouse Work Experience Gap: It’s Not a Vacation, Folks
While veteran employment initiatives have gained some much-deserved traction, the challenges faced by military spouses often get a polite nod and then quickly forgotten. The military spouse work experience gap is a well-documented, utterly frustrating reality. Picture this: you’ve just landed your dream job, established a network, maybe even got a corner desk. Then, boom! PCS orders arrive, and suddenly, your weekends are spent packing boxes, updating your resume for the fifth time in seven years, and wondering if that “extensive experience in unpacking and reassembling IKEA furniture” counts.
Frequent Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves are the primary culprits here. Spouses are forced to hit the reset button on their careers, losing momentum, seniority, and probably a few gray hairs in the process. Then there’s the delightful bureaucratic maze of state-specific licensing and certification requirements. Seriously, try being a licensed therapist in California one year and then moving to Texas the next and then moving back two years later. It’s like the professional world decided to play a cruel game of “red light, green light” with military spouses. And let’s not forget the solo parenting during deployments, turning a professional career into a masterful act of juggling flaming chainsaws while simultaneously trying to log into a VPN. This constant career disruption creates gaping military spouse work experience gaps on resumes, making it harder to convince a new employer that your “gap” was actually spent developing superhuman organizational skills and the ability to find a decent coffee shop in any zip code.
Bridging the Gap: Work From Home Jobs for Military Spouses (Finally, Some Good News!)
Thankfully, the remote work revolution has finally provided a glimmer of hope, proving that you don’t need a physical office to prove your worth. Flexible, location-independent roles are the real MVP for tackling the military spouse work experience gap, allowing spouses to maintain their professional sanity (and income) regardless of where the military sends them next. Work from home jobs for military spouses are not just a convenience; they’re often the only way to build a sustainable career.
We’re talking about roles like:
Virtual Assistant: Because who doesn’t need someone to conquer their inbox from across the country?
Customer Service & Support: Mastering the art of empathetic problem-solving, even when dealing with someone who thinks their Wi-Fi is broken because their cat sat on the router.
Web Development & Design: Crafting digital masterpieces from your living room, potentially in your pajamas.
Content Creation & Marketing: Turning your witty observations into compelling ad copy.
Human Resources & Recruiting: Finding talent, one Zoom interview at a time.
Project Management: Because military spouses are basically project managers of their entire lives already.
Online Education & Tutoring: Sharing your wisdom, one virtual whiteboard session at a time.
Many enlightened companies are actively recruiting military spouses for these roles, recognizing that someone who can pack up an entire household on three weeks’ notice, manage multiple kids, and still keep a smile, probably has pretty good project management skills.
A Heartfelt Debt of Gratitude
On this National Hire a Veteran Day, we extend our profound gratitude to all veterans for their extraordinary service, sacrifice, and willingness to protect our freedoms (and occasionally, our bad decisions). Your courage and dedication truly are the cornerstones of our nation.
And to our military spouses: thank you. Seriously. Thank you for your incredible strength, your unwavering support of your service members (even when they lose their keys for the tenth time), for raising resilient families (often single-handedly), and for the countless personal and professional sacrifices you make. Your contributions, though often unsung and leading to that pesky military spouse work experience gap, are absolutely vital to the readiness and well-being of our armed forces. We see you, we appreciate you, and frankly, we’re amazed you haven’t burned out yet.
Why YellowWebMonkey Prioritizes Veteran and Military Spouse Talent
At YellowWebMonkey, we don’t just recognize these invaluable qualities; we live them. As a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), our team is proudly built upon the foundation of military veterans and military family members. We understand firsthand the unparalleled integrity, unwavering work ethic, and mission-focused drive that comes from military service and supporting those who serve. We believe that while skills can be taught, the inherent dedication, adaptability, and leadership honed through military life are irreplaceable. By offering remote jobs for veterans and military spouses for roles across our organization, we ensure our clients benefit from a team that consistently delivers with precision, resilience, and a commitment to excellence that is truly second to none.
Empowering Employers to Support Military and Veteran Spouses: Let’s Get Hiring!
Employers, listen up! You have a golden opportunity to not only hire incredible veterans but also to intentionally support and employ military and Veteran spouses. By actively addressing the military spouse work experience gap, businesses gain access to a pool of highly capable, adaptable, and loyal talent.
Here’s how you can make a tangible difference (and maybe earn some good karma):
Embrace Remote and Flexible Work Options: This isn’t just a perk anymore; remote jobs for veterans and military spouses is a necessity. If a job can be done remotely, make it remote. And throw in some flexible hours; trust us, it helps when your spouse’s deployment schedule shifts at 2 AM.
Recognize and Value Transferable Skills: Look beyond the work experience gap on the resume. That gap might represent a move to Germany where they learned a new language, organized international moves, and navigated entirely new bureaucracies. These are not “gaps”; they’re real-world leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability training.
Facilitate Internal Job Transfers: If your company has multiple locations, create a smooth path for spouses to transfer their jobs. It’s a win-win: you retain a great employee, and they avoid another résumé rebuild.
Aid with Licensing and Certification: This is a big one. Seriously, it’s a nightmare. If you can provide resources, information, or even a little financial help with re-licensing in a new state, you’ll be an absolute hero.
Develop Military Spouse-Specific Hiring Initiatives: Partner with organizations like the Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), Hiring Our Heroes, Veterans Transition Support, Hire Heroes USA, and American Corporate Partners. They do the heavy lifting of connecting you with qualified talent. These incredible non-profits specialize in connecting employers with qualified military talent, including spouses, and can help you navigate the unique hiring landscape.
Educate Your Hiring Teams: Train HR and hiring managers to read between the lines of a military spouse’s resume. That work experience gap isn’t a red flag; it’s a testament to resilience. Help them understand the unique journey and the incredible strengths that come with it.
Foster a Supportive Culture: Create an inclusive environment. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for military families can provide a much-needed sense of community and support. Sometimes, just knowing there are others who understand why you occasionally refer to a “chow hall” instead of a “cafeteria” makes a difference.
By proactively engaging with the military spouse community and leveraging the expertise of organizations like the Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), Hiring Our Heroes, Veterans Transition Support, Hire Heroes USA, and American Corporate Partners, employers can not only fill critical talent needs but also make a profound positive impact on the lives of military families. Let’s work together to close that military spouse work experience gap and ensure that their dedication to our nation is met with the professional opportunities they so richly deserve. After all, a stable family makes for a stable service member, and a stable service member makes for a stronger military. Now, who’s ready to hire some incredibly capable people?
