MilSpouses Who Work It Archives

“If You Make Yourself Indispensable With The Quality Of Your Work You Can Parlay A Consulting Contract Into A Job.”

June 13, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer Leave a Comment

NextGen MilSpouse is going beyond traditional career tips and tricks for military spouses! We are sharing the real stories of working military spouses (just like you!) and their professional success stories on Wednesdays.

Name: Grant Belgard

Years as a military spouse:

Tell us your profession:

Computational Biologist & Neuroscientist

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

Full-time

How long have you been working in this career field?

10 years

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

Mostly telecommute from a home office

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

I am always learning!

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

I started consulting for a startup founded by former colleagues, and was then recruited by them. If you make yourself indispensable with the quality of your work you can parlay a consulting contract into a job.

What is your No. 1 tip for a military spouse on the hunt for a job?

Do not take yourself out of the running before you even apply. Let the prospective employer make that call.

How do you feel about failure?

Do not fear it! If you never fail you are not taking enough risks.

I am not talking about risks with a negative expectation value (e.g. the lottery) or where the potential downside can be devastating (e.g. pouring your life savings into the latest fad investment), but calculated risks with a limited potential downside and an unbounded potential upside can be worthwhile.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

I was concerned that I would be unable to keep up a career in science remotely, as this is very unusual, but my mentors were very encouraging that I could find a way to make it work in spite of this. (There were some naysayers too.) Obviously this does not look exactly like a traditional career path, but thus far it has worked out well.

Constraints create a crucible for creativity, and one need not be restricted to the most common ways of working.

Who is in your support squad?

My wife has been very encouraging and supportive of wherever I want to take my career.

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

Yes, and we both work long hours and have a toddler so it is exhausting. We hire help where possible, and prioritize the most important tasks while accepting that we need to let nice-to-have-yet-nonessential tasks slip. (Besides Christmas, seasonal decorations are minimal. Household and yard maintenance wins over home improvement or landscaping projects.)

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do?

Family time outside

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

Not needing sleep

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.

“Due To Our Relocation To San Diego, I Have To Commute Across The Country To Go To Work.”

June 6, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer Leave a Comment

Name: Jacqueline LaFevers

Years as a military spouse: 1

Tell us your profession:

I am an offshore facilities engineer for Shell Exploration & Production. I provide daily technical support to operations on a production platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

Full-time

How long have you been working in this career field?

5 years

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

I work on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico for two weeks at a time and then I fly back home to San Diego for the next two weeks. It’s a 14-day rotation schedule.

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

I love the ocean views every day and getting to be hands-on.

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

Job fair at my school (Penn State University)

How do you feel about failure?

Everyone falls down sometimes but that doesn’t mean it has to be defined as failure. Every stumble teaches you a lesson and will make you stronger.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced while trying to maintain a career while living the military lifestyle?

The extra sacrifice to “make it work.” Due to our relocation to San Diego, I have to commute across the country to go to work for my two-week hitch.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received? Tell us the worst too, while you’re at it.

Best: Work hard and follow your passion

Worst: Do what pays a lot of money

Who is in your support squad?

My husband has been supportive and encouraging since the time when we were in college. He’s been with me every step of the way in my career and always stands behind me with whatever I want to do. He’s been very understanding of my current job situation.

I also have to give it to my parents who always pushed me to do well at school and follow my dreams.

Also can’t leave out my study buddies and mentors along the way.

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

Yes, considering I am not home half of the time!

When I am home, I try to pick up most of the chores since he has to do it the other two weeks when I am not home. We have a dog as well so he can be pretty demanding.

Share your best life-hack for saving time or sanity during the work week.

A planner and to-do lists

What’s your favorite app for making the most of your day?

Instagram

What’s your must-have song on your productivity playlist?

Thunder, Imagine Dragons

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do?

Spend it with my husband and dog

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

I love Harry Potter so if I could just do magic, that would be amazing.

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.

“Never Sit Stagnant; Always Keep Up Momentum In Your Career.”

May 30, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer Leave a Comment

Name: Jaime Bishopp

Years as a military spouse: 7

Tell us your profession:

Secondary ELA teacher, full-time doctoral student

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

Full time

How long have you been working in this career field?

Six years as an official teacher. It should be eight years but I was forced to take a two-year break when we went overseas and DoDEA didn’t have any positions open. I worked as a substitute and paraprofessional during those two years.

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

Classroom

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

Schools are everywhere, so you are guaranteed to have the possibility of a job wherever you go.

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

Being in education makes a job search easy. It’s easy to find the school district at your new location, look up employment opportunities and salary scales. As soon as we had orders I began my research, updating my resume and portfolio, getting letters of recommendations from the current administration.

The minute we receive official orders, I begin applying for jobs.

What is your No. 1 tip for a military spouse on the hunt for a job?

Never sit stagnant; always keep up momentum in your career. This means that if the ideal position for you isn’t available, find the next best thing. This may mean being underemployed or going back to school, but these things will help you to network in your location, gain more experience/certifications, and will eliminate large gaps in your employment history, all things which will help you to gain that ideal position when it does become available and will make you a more valuable candidate for jobs.

How do you feel about failure?

Failure is inevitable, either because as humans, we make mistakes, or because sometimes the deck gets stacked against you in this unpredictable military spouse life. The key is to learn what you can from the failure, let go of what was out of your control, and keep moving forward.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced while trying to maintain a career while living the military lifestyle?

The need to maintain certification in old states and re-certify in each new location is a very big challenge. Having to work through e-mail to contact state departments of education and coordinating all the paperwork needed to prove you meet the requirements is a lot of work and oftentimes very frustrating.

Related: Teaching…The Not So Portable Career For Military Spouses

In addition, having to order official transcripts from colleges, paying the fees associated with becoming certified in a new state, to paying to have to re-take tests, or take additional coursework, it’s time consuming and expensive to re-certify in a new state.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received? Tell us the worst too, while you’re at it.

I was once told to keep moving forward in my education.

When we went overseas and there weren’t any teaching positions for me, I went back to school. I debated between going back to get a second bachelor’s degree, this time in elementary education to open a wider range of doors for me, or continuing to move forward and get a master’s degree. I decided to go with that advice and get my master’s.

I’m still debating whether is was good advice or not. It definitely helps me to get hired when there is a secondary ELA position open and hiring. However, it does me no good if there are no secondary ELA positions, as I’m not qualified to teach anything else.

Who is in your support squad?

Unfortunately, I really don’t have much of a support system.

Teaching is unique in that it can really consume your life, and this is especially true in the first year or two that you teach. Being a military spouse, I’m either new or the bottom of the totem pole so I get shifted, and have never had the opportunity to settle into a grade level, which means I’ve spent my entire career as a first-year teacher.

Because of this, I have very little free time, and the little free time I do get, I need to recharge on my own. Since I don’t have the time or the energy to reciprocate, I stick to myself and take care of things on my own.

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

When my spouse is home, he does take care of a lot of household tasks. He is gone a lot, however, with TDYs or deployments, and then it of course falls all on me.

This does cause some contention as I often feel after being the 100% sole caretaker for months on end, that he should have to pull more than 50%.

Because of this, I have someone who comes in every other week to clean. It’s a huge sanity and marriage-saver to not have to deal with the tedious, gross, hugely time consuming tasks of cleaning the bathroom, mopping, dusting, etc. either on my own when he’s gone and the fighting over who will take care of these tasks when he’s home.

Share your best life-hack for saving time or sanity during the work week.

I doing weekly meal prep on Sundays. Having all the meals made for the week not only saves us from having to spend the time cooking during the week, but also saves a TON of time in the kitchen clean-up (cleaning the kitchen just once a week as opposed to every single day). It also saves us money and is better for our health, as we are far less likely to eat out during the week.

What’s your must-have song on your productivity playlist?

Besides when I work out, I don’t often listen to music. Instead, on my commute to work or school I listen to audio books or podcasts. “Freakonomics” is my favorite podcast.

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do?

I’d split it between getting more sleep and getting more exercise.

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

I would like for my super power to be to control time.

I wish I could hit pause at night so I could get more sleep, or during my prep so I could get more work done and not have to come in on the weekends, or make the weekends go slower to enjoy time with my family.

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.

“Meeting People And Connecting With Them Through Various Forms Of Social Media Is Truly The Most Rewarding Thing About Blogging”

May 9, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer Leave a Comment

Name: Amanda Huffman

Years as a military spouse:

Tell us your profession:

Blogger | Freelance Writer

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

Part-time

How long have you been working in this career field?

4 years

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

Home

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

Connecting with others. Either through sharing life experiences through writing or collaborating with others on business ventures.

Meeting people and connecting with them through various forms of social media is truly the most rewarding thing about blogging.

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

I started my blog to keep my sanity as a new mom who had just left the military. I started the blog for me, but now I have recently shifted it to focus on the main points for military spouses and veterans. I think opening up to share my experience is a unique voice not often found.

What is your No. 1 tip for a military spouse on the hunt for a job?

Find something you love to do. A small business might be a good option because you can move it with you and you will find a supportive military community already established. Or maybe you love an organization, so see if there are ways to volunteer with that organization. It may lead to an open door.

How do you feel about failure?

Becoming a mom taught me so much because essentially it was the first time I failed, regularly. Now, I realize failure is just a way to learn and grow. I have been struggling with growing my audience and often don’t meet the goals I set for myself, but I am moving forward.

Failure isn’t bad if you learn something from it and keep moving forward.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced while trying to maintain a career while living the military lifestyle?

Having young kids has made it hard to find the time and the energy to pursue a passion. Especially because in the beginning it has been hard to grow and find my voice.

I have learned the importance of not doing it alone. When you find a community to support you even if they are not physically with you it can help you push through the hard times and grow.

Related: People Often Ask Me ‘Do You Miss the Military?

The other hard part is preparing for changes. Unexpected deployments, TDYs or job changes can have an impact on how much time you have to work on different projects and that makes it hard to run your own business.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

Find your focus or your niche. When I first started sharing my experience I was all over the map. Any inspiration was used to fuel my blog. That was ineffective and instead of reaching someone I was reaching no one. Now I know that I need to constantly work on what my readers want/need to hear.

Who is in your support squad?

I am in a mastermind group with a handful of other military spouse bloggers. They encourage and inspire me to keep pushing. Through the group I have learned tools to help me in this entrepreneurship journey.

I also have the support of my husband who allows me the time to work on my blog in the evening and will watch the kids when I need him to. His support on my crazy dream means a lot.

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

Since I stay at home with my kids I do most of the household chores, but I do have a rule that since I cook he does the dishes. He does a pretty good job of helping me out with the dishes. It is the one thing that I really don’t like doing. It works well for us.

On Black Friday we invested in a Roomba and it is my new favorite thing. My sister recently came to visit and commented about how clean our house was. Did you get a maid? Nope just a Roomba!

Share your best life-hack for saving time or sanity during the work week.

Work batching. I try to work on each part of blogging in pieces instead of going all over the place. Writing, images, social media, ect. Each one done and then I move on to the next.

I also turn off social media and close my email inbox while working so I don’t have distractions.

Related: Why I Left the Air Force to Be a SAHM

What’s your favorite app for making the most of your day?

Instagram. I love seeing photos and being inspired

What’s your must-have song on your productivity playlist?

Anything Taylor Swift. Probably “Shake It Off,” is my favorite.

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do?

Listen to a podcast episode or two or watch YouTube

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

To be able to fly. I love traveling and being able to fly where ever I want to go would be amazing.

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.

“The Biggest Challenge Is Learning When To Say ‘No.’ It Is My Goal To Never Over Promise And Under Deliver.”

May 2, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer Leave a Comment

Name: Brian Alvarado

Years as a military spouse:

Tell us your profession:

Vice President, Marketing & Realtor – Dwell Well Realty

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

Full Time

How long have you been working in this career field?

10 years

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

A little bit of both. The nature of my job allows me to work in my office or from home or a lot of times, my car.

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

The flexibility.

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

This particular position was a promotion. I started out as a contractor for this company about a decade ago and then grew into my executive role and eventually became a shareholder and a member of the board of directors.

What is your No. 1 tip for a military spouse on the hunt for a job?

Make sure your first impressions are top notch. Have a clean and focused resume, professional headshots and be completely educated about the position, company and interviewer before heading into an interview.

How do you feel about failure?

It is something that everyone experiences. It’s a part of life. We have the power to choose how to deal with it, and I deal with it as an education.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced while trying to maintain a career while living the military lifestyle?

The biggest challenge is learning when to say no. Our time is valuable and we can quickly become pushed to our limits with regards to volunteering in our community. It is my goal to try to never over promise and under deliver.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice that I have ever been given is something that took me a very long time to get down, leave your emotions at the door. Everyone is going to have good days and bad days. Ups and downs. Wins and losses. If you let the negative side of those days affect you, it can have a really negative effect on your career.

Who is in your support squad?

Definitely my spouse. He is always so supportive of not only the work I do in my career, but in all of my volunteer efforts as well. He shows up to events and shakes hands and does the networking. He is the guy that goes and gets lunch and delivers it for my team or pops in and surprises everyone with cake pops from Starbucks. Aside from him, I have aligned myself with a boss that truly has my success as a part of her own goals, and an assistant who, when responding to any sort of fire, always says “it’s handled.”

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

We definitely have a clearly defined list of who is good at what and we sort of just fell into the chore list like that. I am a self-proclaimed kitchen genius so I tend to do most of the cooking. And my spouse has that military consistency drilled into him so laundry day is every Sunday on the dot for him!

Share your best life-hack for saving time or sanity during the work week.

Trashy television and an occasional whiskey. No joke.

Nearly daily, during the week, I take the hour of 10 to 11 p.m. to myself, usually catching up on something like “Shadow Hunters” or “American Housewife” and that just lets me take my mind off the day I just had and the day to come. It keeps me sane

Tell us one piece of tech you couldn’t live without that isn’t your phone:

My GoPro. We have so many adventures and I love capturing it all on video and editing and making little videos of our lives to share with our families.

What’s your favorite app for making the most of your day?

Does Candy Crush Count? Just kidding. Definitely my mail app. Being able to receive and send email from anywhere really makes a huge difference in my work day!

What’s your must-have song on your productivity playlist?

“Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do?

I’d love to say something amazing like volunteer more to help our community but in all reality, I’d probably double up on that trashy TV and whiskey hour.

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

If I were a superhero, my super power would be the power of influence over others. I’d love the ability to influence people who drive like idiots to get it together. Also, I’d love to be able to influence people into doing more in our world to protect it and each other.

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.

“I Have To Acknowledge That I Cannot Do It All And That #MomGuilt Is Real, Especially When Your Home Feels Like A Revolving Door With Military Life.”

April 25, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer Leave a Comment

Name: Melissa Bird

Years as a military spouse:

Tell us your profession:

I am a Program Director in Corporate Citizenship at First Data.

Each day, I work to support our company’s efforts around corporate social responsibility, including diversity and inclusion, philanthropy, supplier diversity, sustainability, and social and civic responsibility. Our company is global so our efforts include extending programs and initiatives to our international colleagues, as well as at the dozens of work locations across the United States.

Corporate Citizenship is a relatively new initiative for our company, and I am part of an amazing team who just so happen to be comprised of veterans, military spouses and military brats. Many of us came to First Data as part of the Military and Veteran Affairs team and have shifted into the start-up Corporate Citizenship program.

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

Full-time

How long have you been working in this career field?

Three years

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

Mainly in an office but a little bit of both.

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

Just one thing?!

The team I work with every day is small but mighty. We have our own specific roles and responsibilities, but each person is eager to jump in and help out as needed, never saying “that’s not my job.” We support each other as family and they truly have become part of my extended family, even though we all reside in different areas of the country.

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

I met my supervisor, the dynamic Dr. Vivian Greentree, through mutual friends I worked with in a previous job position.

The military community is very close-knit and full of people looking for the next opportunity to lift up another veteran or military spouse.

What is your No. 1 tip for a military spouse on the hunt for a job?

Network! You never know where your next job or meaningful work opportunity will come from whether it is at an office, in front of a computer, or in your community. If you do not put yourself out there, you may never discover your full potential. You also may miss out on meeting some truly incredible people who will help to shape your future.

How do you feel about failure?

It is part of life. What matters is how you move on from failure. Personally, I have a tendency to wallow in my sorrows for a short time and I recognize that is not the most efficient way of handling failure. I give myself that grace, but then completely move on and charge ahead, leaving failure in the past. It is something that is going to happen throughout life, no matter who you are or how hard you try, so accept it and let it drive you forward.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced while trying to maintain a career while living the military lifestyle?

My biggest challenge is accepting that I am doing my best and giving myself grace, even when I cannot fulfill all “expectations.” And I put “expectations” in quotes because those are self-assessed expectations.

My kids are fed, clothed, safe and loved. (That statement also could be applied for my husband – ha!) I get to work on time, strive to be a high-performer on the job, and fulfill my tasks and responsibilities.

However, my house is messy right now, I need to do our taxes, and the dog could use a walk. But that is all extra at the moment. I have to acknowledge that I cannot do it all and that #momguilt is real, especially when your home feels like a revolving door with military life.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received? Tell us the worst too, while you’re at it.

Work for the job level you want, not the one you have.

If you want to be a corporate executive, then each day you should be working hard to move up the corporate ladder. If you want to own your own business, then spend time working on educating yourself about entrepreneurship and developing your business plan.

The worst advice I have received is to just do your job and nothing more. There is always something more that can be done to set you apart from the next person. Your ambition and drive speak volumes about who you are as a person and the potential you have in a career.

Who is in your support squad and what role do they play in supporting your career?

My support squad is comprised of my current coworkers and former colleagues who also are military spouses. They keep me going on the days where you feel burned out and provide that necessary level of sarcasm and dry humor needed to survive in the corporate world, as well as military life.

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

Now that we have two children, there is more of a need to split household tasks. We definitely fall into some of the gender-stereotype roles where my husband takes out the trash, mows the lawn and kills unwanted creatures in the house, but we have found more of a balance in sharing cooking and cleaning responsibilities since adding a second kiddo to the nest.

Share your best life-hack for saving time or sanity during the work week.

I believe in saving sanity more than time so let it go. (Now you’re singing that song, aren’t you?)

If you are mentally exhausted, take a break.

Let household chores wait until the weekend (unless you are out of clean underwear for the kids, then put in a load of laundry).

ALSO, let your kids help with the chores. Sure, you may have to go back and redo their “hard work” eventually, but they are learning life skills and soon enough you will be able to take some of those chores of your own plate. And a little cleaner is better than not.

Tell us one piece of tech you couldn’t live without that isn’t your phone:

Stereo speaker to play music.

What’s your favorite app for making the most of your day?

Spotify. Music drives my world.

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do with it?

Please just let me sleep. I have a four year old and a five month old – give me all the sleep.

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

I want to be eternally caffeinated. The effects of coffee without the coffee.

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.

“So Much Of Getting Employed Is Knowing Someone Or The Right People”

April 18, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer 1 Comment

Name: Pam Chavez

Years as a military spouse:

Married for 11 years and dated for 3 prior to marriage

Tell us your profession:

I am a Certified Holistic Nutritionist (and totally foodie) who is passionate about helping exhausted and overextended military spouses become vibrant and thrive again.

I went from being in the Army to being married to the Army. I know firsthand how it feels to be the forgotten one in this lifestyle, the true unsung hero.

I get the most happiness and fulfillment from Nutrition to Heal Yourself. I founded this business to improve the lives of military spouses by helping them honor their value.

I am the AFI 2018 Military Spouse of the Year Base Spouse Fort Riley. My publications can be found on FoodMatters and The Brick Magazine and my podcast “Hey Military Spouse, Your Time is Now,” which can be found on iTunes, is full of quick, bite-sized nuggets of goodness.

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

I am an entrepreneur, so I set my own hours but I seem to work a lot because I love it.

How long have you been working in this career field?

I launched my business just over two years ago, while we were stationed in Korea. If I wanted to work I had to create my own because getting a job as a holistic nutritionist in Korea would have been next to impossible.

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

The majority of my work is from home. Although I hold wellness workshops in the community too. While stationed in Korea I would give tours of the local outdoor markets to help military spouses break down the intimidation with local ingredients and language barriers.

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

I love showing military spouses how simple healthy food can be and that it makes you feel amazing. Preparing healthy meals for yourself and your family doesn’t require exotic ingredients, isn’t expensive and is full of flavor.

There are so many incredibly hard parts to this lifestyle and it is super easy to always put your health on the back burner. Once you have the tools and more importantly, when you begin to reap the benefits life is much more enjoyable. When I help someone lose weight, skyrocket their energy, and begin feeling true happiness again, it is incredibly rewarding for me.

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

Out of necessity and a drive to work, I launched my own business while we were stationed in Korea. Being an entrepreneur is so much harder than I thought it would be but it is also extremely gratifying. There are so many layers to building a business but I love the independence and creative direction I have by working for myself.

What is your No. 1 tip for a military spouse on the hunt for a job?

Be open to opportunity and start conversations in environments where you would like to work.

So much of getting employed is knowing someone or the right people.

Don’t just apply for jobs, but also make connections with people and let your personality shine.

How do you feel about failure?

Failure isn’t easy, but there is so much to learn in every situation. If there is a way to put the pieces together and figure out what failed, do it, adjust and get back in the game.

Failure doesn’t equal the end, unless you let it be that way.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced while trying to maintain a career while living the military lifestyle?

Gosh there are so many challenges while living the military lifestyle. Honestly one of my biggest challenges is my spouse being under constant stress and always working. The military has taken my spouse from me, physically and emotionally so consistently and it is tough to feel I don’t have my partner very often.

While promotions and career progression has its benefits, it also takes a toll on the soldier and increases work stress exponentially.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received? Tell us the worst too, while you’re at it.

The worst piece of career advice I received was when I was told to not work exclusively with military spouses because I would be limiting myself. I had hired a group of prominent business coaches and I felt they knew better than what my gut was telling me. Once I fired them and listened to my intuition, things began to take off.

The best piece of career advice I have received is to follow my instincts.

Who is in your support squad and what role do they play in supporting your career?

I would love to say it is my spouse and he is one of my support systems. Honestly though the best support systems I have are my girlfriends and other milspouses. My husband doesn’t really get my unique challenges because he doesn’t live this military spouse lifestyle.

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

I would love to say that we do, but honestly that is not the case. My hope is that one day we will get there, right now with his work demanding so much of his time and energy we do not split household tasks.

Hiring a house cleaner has been a lifesaver for myself and my marriage. I used to get very resentful with the lack of help around the house. I don’t get weekends off so I didn’t see it as fair that my spouse wasn’t pitching in on his time off.

I decided to remove the possibility of resentments building and hired a house cleaner to come in and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

With three young boys my home is constantly needing something cleaned, so I still have plenty to take care of but it relieved a lot of time which I could use to build my business.

Share your best life-hack for saving time or sanity during the work week.

Green smoothies.

It may not be your typical life-hack but starting my day by flooding my body with vitamins and nutrients with dark leafy greens and fruits sets my entire day up for success. The simple act of keeping frozen fruit, fresh spinach or kale, maybe some nuts or seeds and a bunch of water makes an incredibly delicious smoothie. Not only does it begin to clear the fogginess from my mind, it gives me loads of energy. This one habit sets the tone for my day by knowing I gave myself some love and influences positive decisions throughout my entire day.

Tell us one piece of tech you couldn’t live without that isn’t your phone:

My Macbook. It is the lifeblood for my business and I step into work mode when I am on it.

What’s your favorite app for making the most of your day?

Trello is my current favorite. It helps me stay on task while also mapping out what needs to get accomplished.

What’s your must-have song on your productivity playlist?

“Glorious” by Macklemore

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do with it?

Yoga.

Along with the power of food, yoga has been instrumental in my mind/body happiness. I had wanted to begin a yoga practice for many years. Once we moved to South Korea, which proved to be the most difficult transition thus far, I knew I had to give it a go. I was struggling with loneliness and the effects of my husband’s work stress spilling over into our home.

“Yoga with Adriene” was an amazing platform I stumbled upon on YouTube and she offers hundreds of free videos. I loved her style, quirkiness and sense of humor. She is perfect for a beginner too. I have done her videos consistently for over two years now and still love them just as much.

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

My super hero power would be to fly.

I have always flown in my dreams and it always makes me so happy. Plus I could fly my children around to visit family that they miss dearly. Traveling with a family of five is expensive, exhausting and is such a chore.

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.

“I’m Lucky Enough To Help Support A Company That Wants To Bring Flexible Work To The World, Including Military Spouses”

April 11, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer Leave a Comment

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase via our links, you help us keep the lights on and the good times rolling.

Name: Jessica Howington

Years as a military spouse:

Tell us your job title/profession:

Content Manager at FlexJobs

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

Full-time

How long have you been working in this career field?

7 years

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

Completely remote from my home office

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

Only one?!?!?! To encompass many of my favorite things, I’d say the vision/mission behind my job, the team and the company.

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

It was using FlexJobs’ services, oddly enough.

I had a part-time job at the time, but wanted to go full-time, or find more part-time work to supplement my income, as we were going to be PCSing back to the States. When I signed up for the service, one of the first jobs I saw was for FlexJobs. I was SO nervous. When they reached out about my application/resume for a job as a researcher with FlexJobs I was beside myself, yet still a little nervous as the company was still very small and new. I was interviewed by the CEO, Sara Sutton Fell, and instantly knew it was the job for me.

Seven years later, joining (FlexJobs) was the best decision I’ve made in my career, and I’m lucky enough to help support a company that wants to bring flexible work to the world, including military spouses.

What is your No. 1 tip for a military spouse on the hunt for a job?

Don’t limit yourself by applying constraints and restrictions that are typical in a traditional job search. Use services like FlexJobs to help you find a job that will travel with you, apply your many skills to get outside of a strict career field, LOOK for flexible work, and do the research necessary to find an employer that will support you.

Once you let go of the restrictions and think outside the box, a world of opportunities present themselves.

My other big one is honesty. I hear a lot of military spouses say they lie about being a military spouse. I’m not suggesting you scream it from the rooftops, but it doesn’t have to hold you back. If you know an employer is worried about your affiliation, come armed with examples of how it won’t be an issue/hindrance to your employment.

How do you feel about failure?

Failure is necessary. It is how we learn and how we prove to ourselves that we can be better. Nobody is perfect. It’s all about how you recover from that failure, what you learn from it, and how you utilize that information moving forward.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced while trying to maintain a career while living the military lifestyle?

Flexibility.

I’ve been blessed with my current job, but prior to that it was quite difficult. I need to be able to have flexible hours and be able to work outside of an office.

With an active duty spouse and three kids, I am the only constant we have, so having the flexibility at work gives me the wiggle room I need to maintain my sanity. Flexible work has also helped with the other challenges such as deployments and a lack of child care.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received? Tell us the worst too, while you’re at it.

The best (advice) would be to get uncomfortable. To grow you need to change and change is uncomfortable. Obviously you don’t want to be miserable, but a little discomfort can push a person to change perspectives and open their mind.

The worst would be to lie. DO NOT EVER lie to an employer. They will find out and not only did you get busted for not being truthful, you’ll be known as such moving forward.

Who is in your support squad and what role do they play in supporting your career?

My husband is my biggest supporter, but I’d also say that my coworkers are as well. Those around me know that I need to work for personal satisfaction and that I take great pride in being a hard worker. Given the military lifestyle, though, it can be a challenge. They all champion around me when the tough times arise allowing me to do what I need to do to make it all happen.

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

We try.

It hasn’t been an easily traveled road to get to where we are, though, and being married almost 17 years helps two people learn what the other needs. (We were married and had an infant when my husband joined.) For the most part it is about communication. What works one week/month won’t work the next. We both try to be mindful about speaking up about what we need help with.

I’m also super organized and productive and a big believer that you work hard to play hard, so even the kids know when mom means business.

Share your best life-hack for saving time or sanity during the work week.

Meal planning and scheduling. Plan, plan, plan, but be adaptable.

Tell us one piece of tech you couldn’t live without that isn’t your phone:

My laptop

What’s your favorite app for making the most of your day?

Focus@Will

What’s your must-have song on your productivity playlist?

Right now anything by Imagine Dragons

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do with it?

Nothing.

I would find a quiet place in the woods that has sun filtering through the trees and I would just sit and take it all in.

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

Making others believe in themselves.

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.

“I Realized Right From The Start That Professional Licensing Is A Beast To Tackle”

March 28, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer Leave a Comment

Name: Jenah Wieczorek

Years as a military spouse:

Tell us your job title/profession: Director of Community Outreach for PCSgrades

When I met my handsome soldier, I was a dental hygienist in Atlanta living that single good life. The uniform did me in and we were married less than a year after meeting. I realized immediately that not all states would recognize my dental hygiene license and though I did get certified outside of the state of Georgia, this wasn’t going to be a career I could take with me everywhere we PCSed.

I then started thinking about things I enjoyed and might have a slight knack for and social media popped into mind. Fast forward a few years and I’m the Director of Community Outreach for PCSgrades.

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

I technically work part-time but it’s pretty much full-time. It’s always on my brain.

How long have you been working in this career field?

2.5 years

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

I work from home and also from the library on Ft. Leavenworth. They have super fast internet and it forces me to climb out of pajamas a few days a week.

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

They understand (almost) all the acronyms I use and don’t blink an eye when I say “We are PCSing, I need 2 weeks off.” To truly have my team also be a part of my little military community is the best.

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

A fellow military spouse introduced me virtually to Todd, the CEO, of PCSgrades. After talking we realized that both of our “whys” match up and it was onward and upward from there.

What is your No. 1 tip for a military spouse on the hunt for a job?

Use the network you have. I put a post on FB that I was thinking of getting back into the job market and I was interested in x, y, and z. A milspouse friend saw it and thought of me when she heard of an opening that matched my description a few weeks later.

How do you feel about failure?

I fail at numerous things each week. Last week, I emailed military families in Hawaii asking them to leave housing reviews at Camp Pendleton which you know…is not in Hawaii. I then told them to have a happy Fri-yay and it was actually Thursday.

We are all human and make mistakes and have a lot on our plates so I just laugh at myself, drink more coffee, and move on.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced while trying to maintain a career while living the military lifestyle?

I realized right from the start that professional licensing is a beast to tackle. It’s more than just paying fees to be certified in that state. Had I known I was going to become a military spouse, I would have explored my interest in the photography more.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

The best piece of career advice I ever received came from listening to someone else’s answer of why they do the job they do. He said he doesn’t always enjoy his job every single day, but he enjoys the overall mission of that job/company and the people that he works with. I took that to heart.

It’s not always rainbows and sunshine each day, but I do really enjoy my teammates and our common mission to do good.

Who is in your support squad and what role do they play in supporting your career?

This will sound corny but my spouse is my biggest fan in all things.

I want to be a dental hygienist but might need to go back to school to certify in some states – he says here is my G.I. bill, go forth and conquer.

I change my mind and want to be a stay at home mom. He says sounds great let’s make a baby.

I get a little bored with being at home and want to dabble in social media. He says let’s get our kids into the CDC so you can get going.

I take on roles with my local spouses’ club because volunteering is at the core of my being – he works his schedule around our functions and meetings so I can truly commit.

If I said tomorrow I wanted to quit everything and become a farmer he would buy me the nicest tractor and tell me to get on it. I married my best friend and he is literally the jam.

Also, my mom. Moms are the best.

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

Yes we split all things. We both want our two sons to understand that household chores are not just one person’s job, specifically mommy’s job. We all live in the house and we all pitch in to make it run efficiently. I LOVE to cook so I do dinner every night. My spouse tackles the laundry and we both pack the daycare bags and do the dishes. Our preschoolers take turns feeding the dog. Team Wieczorek is our motto.

Share your best life-hack for saving time or sanity during the work week.

I never thought I would do this but we hired a college student to clean our house. I’m very Type A personality so cleaning is therapeutic for me (hence the dental hygiene profession) but I just don’t have time to do it. We work during the day, have a 4- and 2-year-old, volunteer at church and the spouses’ club, hang out with friends, and we just want to enjoy any free time we get as a family. I pay her to come clean every 2 weeks to help pay for her tuition and for me to come home to a clean place. Everyone wins.

Tell us one piece of tech you couldn’t live without that isn’t your phone:

The crockpot. It makes so many nice family meals that make it look like I put in a ton of effort but all I did was hit the start button and set the Alexa timer.

What’s your favorite app for making the most of your day?

Trello for organization and Instagram to laugh at UPS Dogs. If you’re not following that account, you should be.

What’s your must-have song on your productivity playlist?

Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”

Do you need a productivity playlist? Try NextGen MilSpouse’s Ultimate Work Motivation Mix on Spotify.

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do with it?

Read.

I’m a huge book nerd and was just recently gifted a new e-reader (with the back light woot woot!) and I tend to wind down at night reading. It is the best way to zone out from social media, life, wife and mom duties, and relax. I do stay up too late reading most nights so maybe I should ask for an extra hour of sleep.

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

If I had a super power it would be to stop time. I feel that my kids are growing so fast and though I’m home for a lot of it, sometimes I look over and think “how did you get so big so fast.” I would stop time and really enjoy the chaos of my little family.

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.

“HR People Get Tons Of Resumes. Your Chances Of Them Remembering You Are Small. Do The Extra Work!”

February 28, 2018 By NextGen MilSpouse Staff Writer Leave a Comment

Name: Juliette Ramberg de Ruyter

Years as a military spouse:

1 1⁄2

Tell us your job title/profession:

Program Associate – one of the most mysterious job titles in the world.

Is this full-time, part-time, hourly, contract or freelance work?

I am working part-time right now which gives me time to focus on professional development and my side projects. I love the dynamicity!

How long have you been working in this career field?

I am new in the realm of diplomacy but I came in strong due to my professional background and passion for international relations.

Do you work in an office, telecommute from home (or Starbucks), or a little bit of both?

I work in an office in San Diego with occasional meetings and events out in town. The job entails a lot of socializing and networking so I rarely feel chained to my desk.

Tell us one thing you love about your job.

I do excessive research on foreign policy issues and international affairs personally and professionally. At work, I get to engage with these topics in many ways by working with hundreds of influential government officials, legislators, professionals, activists and civic leaders.

I am in the front row of foreign affairs and diplomacy on a daily basis which is a very empowering and enriching experience.

How did you get this position? Was it a resume, referral, job fair? Spill your magic.

As a new immigrant in the United States, I started looking for internships as a way of adjusting to the American business world. I have worked in other countries prior to moving to the U.S. so I know it takes time to learn and build that confidence in a new environment. I mean, even the keyboards are different! After a few days of searching I landed an internship. I was offered a job at that office about one month later.

What is your No. 1 tip for a military spouse on the hunt for a job?

Make an impression prior to applying for the job. If you are scouting jobs in retail or the service industry I would suggest you to go visit the place. If you are into a specific organization – go to one of their events and introduce yourself. HR people get tons of resumes, your chances of them remembering you are small. Do the extra work!

How do you feel about failure?

Rare. But necessary.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced while trying to maintain a career while living the military lifestyle?

I’m the one who needs advice on this topic! This is our first station meaning the challenge of maintaining my career is still ahead of me. The military world is filled with “what ifs.” I try to stay flexible and avoid solidifying my dreams too much. I try to remind myself that everything can change overnight.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received? Tell us the worst too, while you’re at it.

The best: “Be yourself.”

SUPER cheesy but job hunting is really like dating.

The worst: “It’ll work itself out.”

Nope, you have to own your life!

Who is in your support squad and what role do they play in supporting your career?

My husband is definitely my number one supporter. Our professional passions kind of overlap at times, making him a great source for ideas and advice.

Do you and your spouse or partner split household tasks? How do you do it?

Absolutely. I tried to do it all for a while and felt exhausted!

We try to do most of the household tasks together on weekends so that we at least suffer together.

Share your best life-hack for saving time or sanity during the work week.

A synchronized calendar between my husband and me. This helps us keep track on each other’s commitments and events. So unromantic, yet very helpful since I expect him to ask me how my dentist appointment went. It works!!

Tell us one piece of tech you couldn’t live without that isn’t your phone:

Definitely my laptop. I bring it everywhere.

What’s your favorite app for making the most of your day?

Spotify. I often listen to music when I power through my inbox.

What’s your must-have song on your productivity playlist?

Sander van Doom – Ori Tali Ma (LVNDSCAPE Remix)

Do you need a productivity playlist? Try NextGen MilSpouse’s Ultimate Work Motivation Mix on Spotify.

If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do with it?

Swedish crossword puzzles – it is very relaxing and helps me keep up with my Swedish. My mom sends them to me in the mail. She’s such a sweetheart.

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

Something involving flying very fast. I love traveling.

Are you a working military spouse? Do you want to share your career tips and tricks? Fill out the MilSpouses Who Work It Q&A today. Click here to complete our questionnaire.