Career Help at Your Fingertips! How the USO Transition Program Empowers Military Spouses!

Meet Mariana.

She invested four years into a challenging undergraduate program, successfully navigated many internships, and then received an extraordinary job offer. She had landed her dream job! 

Only to soon learn her husband had received military orders overseas. Unfortunately, Mariana had to face the disappointment of declining her potential employer’s offer. 

Now meet Caroline:

a sweet, determined military spouse and a hardworking go-getter who quickly climbed the ranks at work. But upon the news of her family’s upcoming PCS in Germany, Caroline also had to experience the heartbreak of having to leave a job that she loved. 

Has this happened to you?

At the USO, we know that Milspouse employment is a huge challenge and too often an aspect of military life that is overlooked. 

Nearly half of military families say that military spouse employment is a Top 5 issue for their family. This makes a ton of sense since 21% of military spouses are unemployed and 31.6% are underemployed. 

At each new duty station, finding a job can feel more and more impossible. No one seems to return your emails or phone calls. You slowly lose hope and get burned out. By the time you reach your next location, you don’t even bother to look. 

There is so much talent from military spouses and few employers willing to hire them.

Job opportunities can also be hard to come by, are limited, and can be extremely competitive.Mariana and Caroline’s PCS stories are not unique. Through the USO Transition Program, we were able to be there for them. And the USO wants to be there for you throughout your journey as a military spouse.

Let’s show you how.

The USO Transition Program is a free resource available to all military spouses as well as active-duty, Reserve and National Guard service members. Our research-driven programming delivers support and guidance, so you are not alone.

First, we connect you with a USO Transition Specialist who can assess your needs and build you a customized Action Plan with resources to meet those goals. We focus on employment, education, mentoring, VA benefits, and financial readiness. 

From a free in-house resume writer to assistance with LinkedIn, networking, mentoring, and access to over 20 free certification opportunities – we use a well-rounded approach to help you meet your professional goals. 

We don’t stop there. Then, we provide ongoing support, accountability, and encouragement. If you face roadblocks, we’ll take detours with you. We won’t let you fail!

The USO Transition Program is an incredible resource for Milspouses. We want you to take advantage of it as many times as you’d like throughout your military journey as well as in preparation for post-military life. Curious yet? Click here to start your journey!

In the meantime, feel free to browse our upcoming career oriented USO Military Virtual Programming (MVP) Transitions events. You can attend live discussions and classes online from wherever you are stationed. 

• Education Kickstart–April 1, 7 p.m. EDT
• Resume Workshop with Hire Heroes USA—April 4, 11 a.m. EDT
• USO Career Kickstart—April 11, 11 a.m. EDT
• Mastering LinkedIn & Building a Personal Brand—April 18, 11 a.m. EDT
• Education Roadmap Series: HR and Employment Relations Careers—April 23, 11 a.m. EDT
• Job Resiliency Workshop—April 24, 11 a.m. EDT

And you may be wondering what happened in Mariana and Caroline’s job searches.

These Milspouses put in the work. They followed up on their Action Plans and had frequent check-in calls with their Transition Specialists. 

They updated their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. They felt a bit rusty, so they practiced for interviews. All of these steps boosted their confidence and helped them in their job hunts.

After a couple of months, Mariana applied for and was offered a position with the American Red Cross in her region. Thrilled, Mariana accepted the opportunity and recently began work.

Within weeks, Caroline received two job offers. She made the ultimate decision to move forward with one that would challenge her, inspire others, and allow her to support the military community.

Let us connect you to the USO Transition Program. We’ll be with you during deployments, overseas, and back at home throughout your professional and military careers. 

Who knows? Most likely, you will have a similar success story like these two Milspouse champs did.

Written by Lisa Elswick – Lisa is a proud former Navy dependent, mom of two, and has been with the USO for 18 years supporting service members and spouses. She is currently the Vice President of Transition Programs at the USO. 

The USO is the leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the well-being of the people serving in America’s military and their families. Since 1941, the USO has been by the side of service members throughout their military service. Impactful support is provided through our 250+ locations around the world, a robust care package delivery program, global entertainment, military spouse and youth programming, and much more, all made possible by donors, corporate partners, volunteers and staff. 

*To learn more and support our critical mission around the globe, please visit USO.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram and LinkedIn.  

*Mission:Milspouse is proud to partner with The USO and bring their fabulous resources to our community! Check out other USO posts on our M:M Blog Homepage.