Military Spouse Resume Builder Gets Makeover

Blue Star Families is working on an updated and expanded Version 3 of our Military Spouse Resume Builder scheduled for release in October.  It’s all written by military spouses who have developed, tested and refined these strategies through their own employment experiences.  We’ve expanded the very popular part of the document that explains how to translate volunteer work into effective resume points; additionally, we’ve also included new strategies and resources that show military spouses how to leverage the very unique lifestyle they live into great jobs.  

"Blue Star Families' new and expanded Military Spouse Resume Builder is an initiative that leverages military spouses' lived experience into effective employment strategies," said Cristin Orr, Blue Star Families Project Coordinator. "It's packed with practical strategies for overcoming common challenges to military spouse employment.  For example, we describe resume writing strategies if you have multiple shorter-term jobs as a result of frequent military moves or how to address the dreaded resume "gaps" for those returning to the workforce after a substantial absence." 
 
Most importantly, the Military Spouse Resume Builder is written for military spouses by military spouses.  Experienced military spouses who have managed to establish and maintain careers are an underutilized resource in military spouse employment initiatives.  Blue Star Families takes the military spouse lifestyle, from frequent volunteering to stellar teamwork skills and resiliency, and shows how it can be translated into a strong resume--and a strong case for why employers should hire military spouses. 

The new document translates additional volunteering and military life experiences into effective resume points, outlines strategies for overcoming gaps in employment on resumes and how to talk about gaps in job interviews, and includes military spouse-specific career advice and sample resumes tailored for different types of employment including corporate, public sector, and non-profit jobs. 
 
Really, what makes this document unique is that it assists military spouses in re-interpreting their own military spouse experiences as an asset rather than a liability, and it gives them specific tools and strategies to capitalize on that experience when seeking employment. In the meantime, if you haven't already -- visit our Resume Toolkit page here >>>