DoD Is Holding a Spouse-Only Virtual Job Fair and Giving Free Resume Help

Military spouses anywhere can access one-on-one career coaching, employment webinars and virtual job interviews during the spouse-only Military Spouse Employment Partnership hiring events taking place through the remainder of May.

Webinars and virtual drop-in sessions began Tuesday and will end Thursday. All of the events are free, and the webinars are recorded and available to watch afterward. During the drop-in sessions, career coaches assist with resumes and perform mock job interviews to help participants get ready for a job fair May 29-30.

The Defense Department’s program aiming at helping to alleviate some of the challenges, MySECO -- short for Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities -- is hosting the events via Zoom. Spouses will need their DS Logon ID to register through the events’ MilitaryOneSource portal.

The department recognizes that many military families need spouses to “provide that really important second income,” said Patricia M. “Patty” Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy, on a call with reporters Monday to promote the webinars and job fair.

But often, a permanent change-of-station (PCS) move means “you have to start almost all over again,” Barron said.

Because the employers taking part in the job fair are already part of the DoD’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership, that means “they’ve all said, ‘We’re hiring military spouses,’” Barron said. More than 700 employers in the partnership have hired more than 275,000 spouses.

Employers in the partnership include national retailers, federal agencies, educational institutions and small businesses.

Topics of the webinars taking place this week include “Preparing for a Virtual Hiring Fair,” “Know Your Worth: How to Negotiate Your Perfect Fit” and “Federal Resume Focus.” Videos from past events are also available to watch, Barron said. Webinars presented earlier this month included “Breaking the Insanity Loop of Unemployment and Discouragement,” “In My Employment Era: Strategies for Entry, Mid, Senior and Back-to-Work Job Seekers,” “Finding and Mastering Remote Employment” and “Ace Your Interview.”

Barron said the MySECO program’s career coaches are available to stick with spouses while they look for work and can “take you from wherever you are to wherever you want to get.”

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