By Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer
Fall 2004
As military spouses look for jobs with each move, many of us focus strictly on the salary level or on positions we see advertised in the newspaper.
That's what Kathie did early on. When she couldn't match her human resources salary after moving from Chicago to Washington, D.C., for example, she switched fields.
Well, that's not the best strategy. Jumping from one career to the next with each move keeps you from building a track record. You always start over on the learning curve, you don't develop a reputation in one field, and you don't connect with colleagues who you might turn to in the future for leads.
Other military spouses are more strategic in planning their long-term careers as they move with the military. Lynn Edwards, an Army wife, provides an interesting example.
Lynn analyzed her interests and values to find a career field that fit. "I'd always been about fun," she says. "I loved being involved with planning the prom, helping create school fundraisers, coordinating silent auctions."
Lynn graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in leisure studies. When she ended up married to the military, it turned out that working in the hospitality industry was one of the best career fields she could have chosen for this lifestyle. No matter where you move with the military, there are hotels, tour companies, convention centers, resorts, event facilities, golf courses that hold large events and, of course, military Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) opportunities.
That doesn't mean you can always move straight up in this career as you move with the military. With each move, Lynn had a different kind of job within the industry. "Be open to that," she advises, "it deepens your experience and value."
She's held all kinds of related jobs: recreation planning for MWR Korea, marketing for the Sheraton Savannah Resort, sales for a 120-room historic inn, large event coordination at an Oregon event facility, management for the Yakima Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau, convention sales for Ocean Shores Visitors and Convention Bureau, even unpaid internships. Currently, she coordinates large events and meetings for clients.
Consider how her strategies might work for you, no matter what career field you pursue.
Join and stay active in your professional association. Lynn always has been involved with Meeting Planners International and the American Society of Association Executives. "Your professional associations are a huge key," she advises, "especially moving internationally. The dues may seem high at first, but membership is worth its weight in gold."
Other spouses agree. Amy J. Fetzer, Marine wife and romance author, belongs to the Author's Guild and the Romance Writers of America. "Both organizations provided me with information I might not have found, especially since my writing took off when we lived in Okinawa before Internet connections were available."
Army wife and artist Kerry Vosler belongs to the Portrait Society of America, and she joins all the art clubs in each area as she moves. "Your peers shorten your learning curve. They can save you a lot of time and money," says Kerry.
When you belong to professional associations, you run into your peers at events even as you move. You have a connection when you move to a new location almost anywhere in the world, and it's an easy connection to make.
Get your professional certification. As military spouses, we feel we have to reestablish our credibility and professionalism with each move and each job. Professional certification cuts through that. "I looked at the jobs I wanted five years down the road and asked what those folks did to get there," Lynn says. "In my world, it's the Certified Meeting Planner (CMP). It gives you instant credibility."
Look for mentors, negotiate career-building opportunities, and be proactive on cross training. "You have to create your own opportunities," says Lynn. "Speak up and take things on." When she worked at the Yakima Convention and Visitors Bureau, for example, she told her boss, "I'm not interested in your job since we'll be moving, but I want to learn." He let her sit in on city council and board meetings. When he told her they couldn't afford to give her the raise she deserved, she negotiated time off and the entry fee to do her CMP training, time instead of money.
Be persistent in your job search and start early. As soon as she learned that she would move to Savannah, Lynn got the event facilities list from the Convention and Visitors Bureau and sent a cover letter and resume to every business on the list. Then she called those businesses, asking for information interviews and an opportunity to discuss the industry in that community. Once they arrived in Savannah, she went to Bureau luncheons and stood up to say "I'm new here and bring a wide skill set," handing out lots of cards. Even though she was frustrated that she didn't find something immediately, she says, "I did stuff every day – calls, meetings that forced me to get dressed, and I toured Savannah to get the lay of the land."
Be willing to take a pay cut for new experience (or just to continue in your field in a smaller community). In Savannah, Lynn accepted a pay cut to work in sales at a high-end facility. Six months later, she was promoted to sales director. It may feel like "one step forward and two steps back" at times, but it's worth it in the long run to continue working in your chosen career path, making contacts and connections along the way. Your variety of experience should pay off eventually.
Be prepared to make changes in the kind of work you do. Some jobs in the hospitality industry, for example, do not allow family flexibility. But some do. When Lynn had her second child, she chose the full-time Convention Bureau job and negotiated three days a week of work instead of five. Later, wanting even more flexibility, she started her own consulting firm.
Sell yourself. Recognize the strengths you bring to an employer. "I'd basically say, 'Lucky you, I bring a unique set of skills to town,'" Lynn recalls.
She's right: You bring considerable experience in seeing how other businesses run things and may contribute helpful new ideas. You bring the strength of flexibility and the ability to deal with change. You've probably learned to work with individuals from all levels of society and different states and countries. Recognize and sell the value you bring.
Peggy H. Frede, an Air Force wife and educator, echoes that idea. "In interviews, be up-front about your transient lifestyle. Turn it into a plus. I emphasize the wide range of subjects I've taught as well as the range of ages. I point out the varied perspectives and input I can provide from that wide experience at other locations."
Network. We can't emphasize this enough! "This industry is very incestuous," says Lynn. "Management and sales jobs rarely make it into an ad. It's always through networking. It's who you know – who knows how well you work!" When a move landed her back in Oregon, she called her old boss who led her to a contact with an event coordinator job at a large event facility.
Create your own visibility. Lynn volunteers to speak and teach classes on the leisure industry for community colleges, universities and at conferences. She volunteered time on the boards of the state chapters of her professional associations.
These strategies will work with any industry. Apply them to the career of your dreams. And if the hospitality industry interests you, you don't have to have a degree in leisure studies or business management. "People have gone from dishwasher to general manager in some hotels," Lynn says.
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Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer write the "Married to the Military" column in the Air Force/Army/Navy/Marine Corps Times newspapers. They present workshops and are writing a book for fellow military spouses. For information and to subscribe to their free e-zine, or if you seek more information about a specific career field or have a story to share, go to www.jumpintolife.net/military.html.