Hiring Preference For Military Spouses

It’s not really a secret that our military service members don’t get paid too much, so it’s often necessary for their spouses to work in order to supplement the household income.  Maintaining a career can be quite a challenge when you’re forced to relocate every few years, though, so I’d like to spend a few minutes going over how the government offers hiring preference for military spouses who apply for jobs with the federal government.

Spousal preference is just what it sounds, which is a process where the spouses of active duty military service members can get the first opportunity to be hired over other candidates.  Although it sounds like a simple policy, there’s actually a lot of work involved for the applicant.  You’ll still have to apply for the position through USAJOBS and make the hiring certificate of the “best qualified individuals.”  As part of the supporting documentation that you  upload to the website, you’ll be asked to include your spouse’s PCS orders.

Spousal preference will give you a leg up over a lot of the other qualified individuals, but it’s important to get the most mileage out of your network if you really want the job.  For example, you should be reaching out to your spouse’s sponsor network at the new assignment to examine the possibility of employment.  They might be aware of positions that haven’t been posted to USAJOBS yet, and they could possibly put you in touch with the hiring manager.  This kind of interpersonal contact goes a long way if, for some reason, you didn’t initially “make the cert” of qualified candidates.  If the manager knows who you are and wants to help you out, he or she can request that your name be added to the hiring certificate.

Reaching out to your network is a good way to get around the hard and fast rule that spouses can only claim hiring preference within 30 days in advance of the date on your PCS orders.  With this short timeline, it’s very important to stay organized.  I recommend having all our your supporting documentation ready to go at a moment’s notice, since you never know when a manager will ask to see your DD-214, PCS orders, references from previous employment, or college transcripts.  Pack all of this information separately from your household goods, and it’s even better if you can keep scanned .PDF copies on your laptop.

Living the military lifestyle is full of unique challenges, and I doubt that’s ever going to change.  Still, the whole process of relocating and finding new employment will go much more smoothly if you take advantage of all the benefits available to you, so put in the time to do your research.  For starters, here’s a great site that all military spouses should bookmark and refer to often.

Good luck with your move, and with your job search!