Military spouses in and around our nation’s capital had the chance to develop career skills and network at the Military Spouse Network’s Capital Military Spouse Career Summit last month.
The Military Spouse Network is partnering with military-friendly banking institution USAA to bring a Military Spouse Career Summit to cities all around the United States.
“The Summit is for any career minded military spouse looking to further their professional goals as well as any military spouse looking to start or build on their business,” the event site said.
One of the biggest employment challenges that military spouses face is developing meaningful, long-term careers when frequent relocations are a certainty in military family life. Events like the Military Spouse Career Summit aim to help those interested find opportunities that will fit their lifestyle.
Attendees were able to network with other military spouses and potential employers, including those who have initiative to hire military spouses and those with remote work opportunities.
“Our attendees and speakers fly in from across the nation and overseas for our events because they appreciate the opportunity to unplug and spend a few days focused solely on their professional goals and ambitions,” said the event website. “If you have a dream and the drive to go after it, these are the people you want to be around in an environment that will educate and empower you.”
Attendees come from all over the world for the networking opportunities and skill-building that the event provides. Military spouses who are interested in learning more about traditional career building, including resume writing, interview skills, and corporate and federal hiring practices, get a lot of information from the panel speakers and networking.
But other non-traditional employment opportunities are also included in the summit. The path to entrepreneurship was highlighted during the event, as many self-employment opportunities can be portable. Spouses interested in organized volunteering are also provided with the chance to find what paths and resources will help them maximize their efforts.
The event was sponsored by USAA, who also happens to be a long-time supporter of the military and military families. The company has a 30 percent military and military spouse hiring goal, as well as a commitment to have veterans and their families represent 25 percent of their workforce by the year 2020.
Congratulations @CynthiaGiesecke! We’re proud to be the presenting sponsor of @NMSNetwork’s #NMSNsummit18. It’s an honor and privilege to serve military spouses. https://t.co/71evN8dPw0
— USAA (@USAA) October 13, 2018
Keynote speaker at the summit was National Military Spouse Network founder, author, and advocate for military families Sue Hoppin. Ms. Hoppin is a “nationally recognized expert on military spouse and family issues working to bridge the cultural gap between government, private and public groups and military communities.”
Other speakers included USAA Certified Financial Planner and U.S. Army veteran JJ Montanaro, HR expert and military spouse Julie Waters, and team-building and coaching expert Nancy Belmont.
The National Military Spouse Network was founded in 2010. The organization provides “quality content, mentoring, networking opportunities and cutting edge resources” for military spouses’ personal and professional interests. They also send out a monthly newsletter and bi-annual magazine digitally.
The National Military Spouse Network takes the network part of their name very seriously. It is a network of military spouses and supporters who “create a community of military spouse professionals, business, academics and media to share expertise and craft innovative solutions on both balancing a viable career with the military lifestyle and laying the foundation for a successful career post-military life.”
This is the seventh year that the organization has hosted the Military Spouse Career Summit. Another similar summit was presented in Colorado Springs, Colorado in June of this year.
