Asking For A Raise: The Process Too Many Military Spouses Neglect
Let’s be honest. As Military Spouses, many of us are so relieved to find rewarding employment that we are ready to sign on the dotted line for whatever our employer is willing to offer. If we do negotiate, we breathe a sigh of relief when it is over and get on with the job. By the time our first performance review comes around the following year, many of us are already dreading the inevitable PCS, and asking for a raise seems inappropriate, if not the last thing on our minds. Asking for a raise - it is the process too many Military Spouses are neglecting. So why do we need to...
Read MoreThe sticky issue of referring somebody who quits
I’m feeling a little professionally bruised this month. I have personally recommended and referred two Military Spouses for positions (fortunately with two separate employers!), and both have left for greener pastures in less than six months. I am happy for them. Both have taken positions with greater pay and opportunities for advancement, and I know this can be a cut-throat employment market - we need to take these opportunities when they present themselves. I think I am feeling bruised as I am concerned my professional judgement on potential employees is now a little tainted...
Read MoreThe Military Spouse Obstacle Course: Returning from an extended career break
I am at that “stage of life.” As the mother of two young children, I find myself surrounded by friends who will tolerate my conversations about sleep deprivation, picky eaters and the pros and cons of preschool. Well I’ll be honest - I seek these people out as they understand the current chaos of my life and are forgiving of the unreturned emails and phone calls. Some of these friends have chosen to continue working and others have selected the “pause option” on their working lives while they navigate life with children. Within the Military community, it is...
Read MoreMilitary Orders…The Waiting Game
I have decided that waiting for Military Orders is a little like waiting for the birth of a child….you know that the orders are coming and have a rough idea when you might have to move; but they are often late, and there is usually a period of frenetic activity and complete chaos once they do. Unfortunately the timing of Military Orders is not as precise as the timing of predicted birth dates, and you may be left waiting for months rather than weeks. The husband and I are playing the waiting game right now. We may find out where we are headed in April but could be required to move any...
Read MoreThis Military Life: When was your last “well-being” check?
I really enjoyed Jeremy Hilton’s recent article on “Caring for Yourself” in the February issue of Military Spouse Magazine. Jeremy provides a sage reminder that many Military Spouses within our community have been “burning the candle at both ends for much too long.” I think he is right. As a community, we do find it hard to say “no” and those Spouses who seek to pursue a professional career alongside their Service Member partner can sometimes find themselves stretched as they try to balance their professional responsibilities with holding down the...
Read MoreProfessional Development 101: Be proactive and ask for what you want
Sometimes I think I am my own worst enemy on the career front. I am very excited and grateful when I land a position in my field because I know first hand how hard it can be to find timely and fulfilling work as a Military Spouse. I give that position and that employer my very best effort. I assume that they will send me on any training courses I absolutely need, but I never really think about the opportunities beyond that. I mean they hired me despite knowing I was a 2-3 year prospect - they would never seriously consider longer term, non-essential professional development...
Read MoreMilitary Spouse Underemployment: The Elephant in the Room
Share As I was reading a recent Air Force Times article on the difficulty DOD is having in tracking the success of the Military Spouse Employment Programs, I found it hard not to be a little cynical although I do appreciate that obtaining metrics on these type of programs is an incredibly difficult task. My cynicism stems from my perception that there seems to be so much emphasis on plugging a Military Spouse into a job that I think some people might be forgiven for thinking that Military Spouse employment is a charitable cause rather than a wise business decision for an employer. There is a...
Read MoreJanuary…Nobody’s Favorite Month!
As we pack away the Christmas decorations, get started on those New Year resolutions, and wonder how 2012 could possible have disappeared so fast…it is important to remember that January can be a hard month for many within the Military community. December usually keeps us busy. I for one had a much more impressive social calendar during December than I normally do. The excitement of the holidays, the break from work, the visits with family, the overflowing mailbox, the regular social events and of course the food! But January - my calendar is looking a little blank, and this is a...
Read More“I’m sorry — what was your name again…?”
Share Does anyone else have that problem? I meet someone for the first time and unless I walk out of the room muttering “Stephanie Walters..Stephanie Walters..Stephanie Walters..” under my breath, I find that I just can’t seem to remember their name and then spend the next day going through emails to track it down before I meet them next. I never forget a face…but remembering the name is a skill that is eluding me. Am I more interested in what people are saying and so focus on that…or am I just getting old and the memory part of the brain doesn’t work as...
Read MoreWhat is your biggest accomplishment?
Share The “Biggest Accomplishment” question is up there with the “Biggest Weakness” question as one of the most commonly asked interview questions. One day I would love to answer it honestly—“getting home from work at 5.30pm, cooking a nutritious meal, feeding and bathing two children under the age of two and then having them both asleep in their respective beds by 7pm.” Every time it actually happens – I feel like a superstar! But sadly, I don’t think Mr. Prospective Employer is actually that interested in my children’s nighttime routine. I also don’t think he is...
Read MoreAnyone else feeling overwhelmed?
Share ‘Tis the season to be jolly….but it can also be the season where you wake up one morning and find yourself over-obligated, exhausted, rushed, stressed and sleep deprived. When I drove past my street this week and forgot to turn, when I found the peanut butter in the freezer, when I served my children a skillet meal from a bag on two consecutive nights (it had a green vegetable on the cover so somehow in my mind that justified the sodium content), and then contemplated pouring some heavy whipping cream in my coffee as I hadn’t had time to buy milk.…I realized that I had reached...
Read MoreMy two-year old has better goals than I do!
Share A few months ago we took my two-year old daughter to the Blue Angels Air Show. She loves planes and so we thought that she would be particularly impressed by the fast, loud, colorful ones doing aerobatics. To our surprise, she was much more taken with the long line of yellow school buses that had assembled to ferry spectators to and from the event. She wasn’t particularly keen on becoming a pilot, but in the weeks since the Air Show, has repeatedly expressed her desire to become a bus driver. She started me thinking—what do I want to be when I grow up? Now that I am (almost) 40…is...
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