The Defense Department will host a series of free virtual events, including a symposium, webinar series, and a hiring fair beginning May 14 and running through May 30, to help and empower military spouses meet their career goals and connect with prospective employers.
The 2024 Virtual Military Spouse Symposium will kick off May 14 with three days of online sessions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT specifically designed and dedicated to career development and employment preparation. Topics will include resume tips, networking, mastering remote work, negotiation tactics, and more.
From May 21-23, a series of webinars, one-on-one resume reviews, and mock interviews will prepare spouses for the following week's hiring fair.
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership Virtual Hiring Fair, scheduled for May 29-30 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. EST, will connect spouses with hiring managers and representatives from the more than 700 employers committed to recruiting, hiring, retaining, and promoting military spouses.
"The success of our military is related to the strength and stability of our families, and the stability of our families depends on military spouses having access to quality employment," said Patricia Montes Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Military Community and Family Policy. "The theme of this year's series is ‘Even More in '24,' and that's what we're offering — more ways for spouses to grow professionally, more ways for them to prepare for the workforce, and more ways to get hired."
Barron added that whether spouses attend all or some of the events, we expect they will walk away with confidence, encouragement, and actionable next steps.
The DOD's Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) program designed these events to address unemployment among the nation's nearly one million military spouses. The unemployment rate for active-duty spouses seeking work stands at about 21 percent, and this trend has been steady for the past ten years.
The Department is committed to providing high-quality resources like the Virtual Military Spouse Symposium as one way we take care of our people, one of Secretary Lloyd Austin's top priorities for the Department. To date, the Department has taken a series of concrete steps to tackle military life challenges by updating policy and providing tangible resources to improve the quality of life for service members and their families.
All events are free and accessible to military spouses across the globe via the Zoom platform. Spouses can learn more and register for the series of events at https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/portal/events/live/virtual-military-spouse-symposium-2024.
About Spouse Education and Career Opportunities
The DOD established the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program to provide education and career guidance to military spouses worldwide, offering free, comprehensive resources and tools to assist military spouses in meeting their career and education goals. This program also offers free career coaching services six days a week to eligible spouses.
About Military Community and Family Policy
Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for establishing and overseeing quality of life policies and programs that help our service members, their families and survivors be well and mission ready. Military OneSource is the gateway to programs and services that support the everyday needs of the 5.2 million service members and immediate family members of the military community. These DOD services can be accessed 24/7/365 around the world.