Julie Braun from Super Purposes joined us from Huntington Beach to answer a very important question for MilSpouses. In fact, this can be a sticking point when you’re looking for work.
Should you be open about your Active Duty MilSpouse status with potential employers?
Many VirtForce community members question if they should highlight their military spouse status due to fear that it could prevent them from landing a job. This fear is not misplaced, but Julie’s coaching is helping our community shift perspective. If revealing your MilSpouse status is something that would prevent an employer from obtaining your skills and talents, is that employer someone you really want to work for? Truthfully, it is better for you to identify an employer who has core values that empower the workforce and support distributed employment if PCSing is in your future.
Moreover, there are so many attributes that come with being an Active Duty MilSpouse and many organizations value them! We are flexible, well traveled, and knowledgeable. Not to mention, being married to a service member enhances our ability to multi-task and strengthens our capacity to deal with change. These are all strengths that make companies want to work with MilSpouses! Packaging yourself as a military spouse is all about thinking of your assets rather than your liabilities, and giving yourself credit for what you’ve learned in this life style. One of the greatest traits MilSpouses bring to the table is loyalty, and that isn’t a trait you can teach, you are born with it.
What’s a good way to do this?
One clear way to package yourself well as a MilSpouse, is to beef up your LinkedIn profile, especially if you’re going to be looking for remote work. Here are a few quick tips to get you in the right direction:
- You should have a very clear profile photo. In the photo, look the part of the dream job you want to attract.
- Be sure to get or create a stellar cover photo that advertises you for your industry.
- Highlight your assets and unique values, offerings and skills in a couple sentences in your headline and summary.
Here are a couple of examples of LinkedIn profiles that are “beefy”: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareergal/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/super-julie-braun/
To learn more about packaging yourself as a MilSpouse and beefing up your online presence, watch our Free Webinar!
Written By: Kendall King
Interview Credit: Kimber Hill and Julie Braun