Tag: Military Spouse

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Sigma Forces Offers Career Help and Free Courses for Veterans and Military Spouses

Sigma Forces for Veterans and Military Spouses

Sigma Forces is a military spouse-owned, veteran-owned, globally accredited training provider of professional education and certifications. They offer courses and other career help and state that their mission is to “reinFORCE the next generation of industry leaders with a trusted and seamless pathway to professional development using best-in-class training programs, backed by unwavering community support. Success for us looks like seamlessly equipping individual learners, corporations, and nonprofit organizations with the resources needed to succeed.”

How does Sigma Forces work?

The first thing you would do is decide on your course, enroll, and receive access to your training portal. Second, you would complete your training and take your exam online, and then receive your digital certificate and your badge.

What courses does Sigma Forces offer?

Sigma Forces offers the following courses:

  • Marketing and Sales –  is knowing what the customer needs and showing them the products as well as the buying and selling of the product. A couple of examples of the courses are: SMstudy® Certified Marketing Strategy Fundamentals and NGstudy® Certified Negotiation Associate.
  • Scrum – is an agile project management framework that helps teams structure and manage work with values, principles, and practices. A couple of examples of the courses are: Scrum Fundamentals Certified (SFC™) and Scrum Master Certified (SMC®)
  • Lean Six Sigma –  is a fact-based data-driven philosophy of improvement that values defect prevention over defect detection. A couple of examples of the courses are: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB™) and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB™)
  • Six Sigma – is a set of management tools and techniques that are designed to improve the capabilities of the business process while reducing the likelihood of error. A couple of examples of the courses are: Six Sigma Yellow Belt (SSYB™) and Six Sigma Green Belt (SSGB™)

They have some courses that are free, and others have a cost to them.

All of the courses are globally accredited and industry-recognized. They are a partner of the International Lean Six Sigma Institute and an Authorized Training Provider of VMEdu®, a global accreditation body for Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma, Scrum, and Marketing & Sales certifications.

The courses include multiple formats such as videos, podcasts, simulated tests, and mobile. All of the courses are online, are self-paced, and on-demand. They do have a formal partnership with the International Lean Six Sigma Institute and because of that can offer a discounted course price for their instructor-led courses.

What types of career help does Sigma Forces offer?

In addition to the courses, at Sigma Forces you can find:

  • Scholarships – such as Farm 2 Veteran Scholarship Fund, Boots to Books, and V School Forever.
  • E-guides
  • Brochures
  • Videos
  • Blog posts and articles
  • Career readiness workshops – these are free for all US military-connected individuals including military spouses. Some examples would be a LinkedIn workshop or a workshop on resumes.
  • Groups – Sigma Forces offers study groups, group mentors, and workshops.

Why are these courses worth taking?

There is a big demand for these types of certifications in the current job market. Sigma Forces offers a great opportunity for those looking to improve their hireability, whether they are a service member transitioning to the civilian world, a military spouse looking for a career change, or a veteran looking to up their skills.

For more info, please go here.

 

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Free Online Courses & Certifications for Veterans and Military Spouses

Free or Low-Cost Online Courses for Military & Veterans

Are you looking to upskill or reskill to land the job you want? You’re in luck! Several companies offer free or low-cost certifications for veterans and military spouses. Certifications and courses can vary by organization, so we compiled a list for you. Online certifications available for veterans and military spouses include Six Sigma, project management, salesforce, and more.

Free Courses

Sigma Forces

Military-focus

Sigma Force’s certifications and education programs are globally accredited. Sigma Forces is a veteran/military spouse-owned business, giving them a unique understanding of the importance of upskilling and reskilling for the military community. Learn more here.

Courses offered by Sigma Force:

    • Marketing and Sales
    • Scrum
    • Lean Six Sigma
    • Six Sigma

SalesForce Military

Military-focus

SalesForce Military program offers free 100% remote Salesforce courses for military and military spouses. The program covers certification costs, can be completed in 6 months, and the opportunity to participate in a 12-week paid job training program is available to all who qualify. Learn more here.

Courses offered by Salesforce Military:

    • Salesforce Administrator
    • Salesforce Developer
    • Sales Cloud
    • Marketing Careers
    • Salesforce Architect
    • Business Analyst
    • Salesforce Consultant
    • Service Cloud
    • Salesforce Designer

Syracuse University Veterans Career Transition Program

Military-focus

Through Syracuse University’s Onward to Opportunity (O2O) program transitioning military members and military spouses can take free accredited courses. Learn more here.

Courses offered by Onward to Opportunity (O2O):

    • Customer Service
    • Information Technology
    • Entry Level IT Technician
    • Cyber Security
    • Cloud Services / Information Security
    • Business Management
    • Project Management
    • Six Sigma
    • Human Resources

FEMA Independent Study Program (FEMA ISP)

FEMA Independent Study Program (FEMA ISP) offers over 200 free self-paced courses. The courses are similar to military experience, making them a great fit for the military community and first responders. FEMA has its own professional certification. Learn more here.

Courses offered by FEMA ISP:

    • An Introduction to Hazardous Materials
    • Special Events Contingency Planning for Public Safety Agencies
    • Civil Rights and FEMA Disaster Assistance
    • Public Information Officer Awareness
    • Introduction to Emergency Management for Higher Education
    • And More

The USO Pathfinder Transition Program

Military-focus

The USO Pathfinder® Transition Program is available to active duty, reserve, national guard, and military spouses. The program offers 3 professional development courses in partnership with Microsoft. Learn more here.

Courses offered by USO:

    • Skillsoft
    • IBM SkillsBuild
    • Coursera

Career Forward by HOH

Military-focus

Career Forward is a career program offered by Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) for veterans. The program is designed to help veterans get certifications in as little as 6 months. Veterans can enroll in the self-paced Google Career Certificate program to help launch a new career. Learn more here.

Courses offered by Career Forward:

    • Data Analytics
    • IT Support
    • Project Management
    • User Experience (UX) Design

Free or Low-Cost Courses

Chartered Certified Project Manager Certifications (CCPMC)

CCPMC has developed the Military Governmental Educational Advanced Placement Exemptions program that allows for special military exemptions for the MPM and CIPM certifications. If military members meet the eligibility requirements for the two courses, they would be exempt from the training or accredited college degree requirements, fees may apply. CCPMC also offers over 100 certificate courses. Learn more here.

    • Courses offered by CCPMC:
    • MPM Master Project Manage
    • CPM Chartered Process Manager
    • CIPM Certified International Project Manager
    • Engineering Certifications
    • CSSA Certified – Six Sigma Analysis
    • OSHA Safety Credentials
    • And more

Coursera

Coursera is a collection of free or low-cost courses/certifications by 200+ companies and universities. They are not military-focused; However, their courses/certifications are well-known and recommended by many companies. Learn more here.

Courses offered by Coursera:

    • Data Science
    • Health
    • Arts and Humanities
    • Information Technology
    • Business
    • Social Sciences
    • Physical Science and Engineering
    • Math and Logic

Alison

Alison offers over 4,000 accredited online courses. The courses are free to take and self-paced. There is no cost to take the classes, however, users will incur a cost to obtain a diploma or certificate. Learn more here.

Courses offered by Alison:

    • IT
    • Health
    • Language
    • Business
    • Management
    • Personal Development
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Engineering & Construction
    • Teaching & Academics
    • English

Skill Storm – Military Focus

Skill Storm works with transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses to develop their technology career goals. Skill Storm courses are approved for VA funding and offer scholarships for military spouses. Learn more here.

Courses offered by Skill Storm:

    • Introduction to Coding
    • Objected-Oriented Programming
    • Programming in JAVA
    • Data Structures
    • Relational Database and SQL
    • Introduction to Pega
    • Introduction to AWS
    • Full Stack Java Development
    • Introduction to Salesforce

Added Benefit

Not only are you getting a leg up on the competition by upskilling/reskilling for free or low-cost and advancing your career by obtaining certifications, but many of the organizations listed above have employment assistance programs specifically for the military community. Career services include interview prep, resume building, work programs, personality tests, career guides, and more.

 

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Free Six Sigma Courses for Veterans & Military Spouses

Veterans & Military Spouses: Free and Low-Cost Six Sigma Courses

Many companies offer the military community free or low-cost Six Sigma certification courses. These courses allow you to upskill or reskill to land your desired job. Many companies that provide these courses also have career services to help with the military transition, post-military career search, or military spouse employment.

Free Six Sigma Courses for Military, Veterans, and Military Spouses

Syracuse University Veterans Career Transition Program

Onward to Opportunity (O2O) is a free career skills program Syracuse University offers. The courses are accredited. The program is designed to help bridge the gap between the military-connected population and the skills employers seek. Learn more.

O2O offers the following categories of free Six Sigma Courses:

      • Six Sigma Green Belt
      • Six Sigma Yellow Belt (SSYB)

Career assistance resource at O2O:

      • Career Programs
      • Mentorship
      • Resume Assistance
      • Resource Library

Sigma Forces

Sigma Forces is a military spouse-owned, veteran-owned, accredited training provider of professional education and certifications. They offer courses and other career help. Learn more.

Sigma Forces offers the following free Six Sigma Courses:

      • Six Sigma Yellow Belt (SSYB™)

Career assistance resources at Sigma Forces:

      • Scholarships – Farm 2 Veteran Scholarship Fund, Boots to Books, and V School Forever
      • E-guides
      • Brochures
      • Videos
      • Blog posts and articles
      • Career readiness workshops are free for all US military-connected individuals including military spouses. Some examples would be a LinkedIn workshop or a workshop on resumes
      • Groups – Sigma Forces offers study groups, group mentors, and workshops

Free or Low-Cost Six Sigma Courses

American Academy of Project Management

AAPM is the leading graduate certification organization in the world known for project management certifications. They offer a Six Sigma course that anyone can apply for, fees may apply. AAPM also offers over 100 certificate courses, some courses have special exemptions for the military community. Learn more.

AAPM offers the following Six Sigma Courses:

      • CSSA Certified – Six Sigma Analysis

Career assistance resource at the AAPM:

AAPM does not have career assistance resources or programs for the military community.

Coursera

Coursera offers Six Sigma free or low-cost college courses and certifications. With over 5,800 courses in whole veterans and military spouses can start or advance their careers with professional certificates from 275+ universities and companies. Some certificates and specific skill courses may cost. Learn more.

Coursera offers courses in the following categories:

      • Six Sigma Yellow Belt
      • Six Sigma Green Belt
      • Six Sigma Principles
      • Six Sigma Black Belt
      • Data Analytics for Lean Six Sigma
      • Lean Six Sigma
      • Six Sigma and the Organization
      • Six Sigma Tools for Define and Measure
      • View more courses

Career assistance resource at Coursera:

Coursera does not have career assistance resources or programs for the military community.

Alison

Alison offers 4,000+ free online courses, they offer multiple Six Sigma courses for free. While the courses are free the certificates and diplomas to showcase course completion are not.  Courses are built by subject matter experts. Alison’s courses qualify for Continuing Professional Development standards and benchmarks, This CPD Certification Service provides recognized independent CPD accreditation compatible with global CPD requirements. Learn more.

Alison offers courses in the following categories:

      • Beginners Six Sigma Methodology
      • Business Diploma in Six Sigma
      • Fundamentals of Six Sigma (6σ) – Six Sigma White Belt
      • Basics of Lean Six Sigma: Green Belt
      • Learning Lean Six Sigma: White Belt
      • Learn Process and Six Sigma
      • Learning Lean Six Sigma: Yellow Belt
      • Toolkit for Lean Six Sigma
      • Education Diploma in Six Sigma Yellow Belt
      • View more courses

Career assistance resource at Alison:

      • Resume Builder
      • Career Guide
      • Personality Test

Why are these courses worth taking?

There is a big demand for Six Sigma Certifications in the current job market. These courses are a great opportunity for those looking to improve their hire-ability, whether they are a service member transitioning to the civilian world, a military spouse looking for a career change, or a veteran looking to up their skills.

 

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Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot Program

Career Accelerator Program for Military Spouses

We all know military service members tend to move every 2-4 years. This makes finding the right career and the right job difficult for the military spouse. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the military spouse unemployment rate is as high as 22%. The DoD has now introduced a new program called the Military Spouse Career Accelerator program to help military spouses find jobs.

What Is the Military Spouse Career Accelerator Program?

The Military Spouse Career Accelerator program provides spouses of currently serving members of the military paid fellowships at civilian employers across various industries and locations. 

The program is open to spouses of the following military members: 

  • Army
  • Navy
  • Marine Corps
  • Air Force
  • Space Force
  • Reserve
  • National Guard

The DoD’s Taking Care of Our People Directive

This program addresses the DoD’s Taking Care of Our People directive, which expands spousal employment. In addition, the program supports the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) programs, whose overall goal is to provide the tools, resources, and information in order to help spouses in finding meaningful career opportunities. 

“The department has partnered with Hiring Our Heroes to provide robust and meaningful fellowship placement that could lead to full-time employment. Military spouses have made it clear that meaningful employment is essential to their quality of life. We hope this program provides them a strong start to solid employment opportunities,” stated Patricia Montes Barron, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy. 

According to Military Times, more than 800 spouses have already started applying, and 500 of them have completed the process. 25 employers have also registered to participate in the program. As you can see, the Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot program is off to a good start. 

How Does the Career Accelerator Program Work?

The program is 12 weeks long and free for both employers and military spouses. A military spouse will be placed with host companies that match their location and work experience as well as other factors. The spouses will receive in-person or professional training and mentoring.

The program will run for three years, and applications will be accepted throughout the length of the program. There will be new opportunities each month.

When Does This Program Start?

The program has started, and January 2023 is the first month.

Can You Get a Long-term Job from the Program?

Yes, spouses who excel in the program may be invited to join the host company. If you do a good job, the company can keep you on as a direct hire. It is, however, not a guarantee that you will be hired.

How Do I Apply for the Military Spouse Career Accelerator Program?

To apply for the Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot program, head over to MySECO. When you apply, they will determine your eligibility, and if you are eligible, you will be able to move forward. If you are not accepted, you will be connected with a SECO career coach to become career ready.

What Is In It for Employers?

Employers who sign up for this program benefit from having early access to a diverse, highly-skilled, and educated workforce. It is a free opportunity for them to connect directly to military spouses and gain recognition opportunities through promotional activities and social media engagement. Employers will also be able to find new individuals to add to their company.

 

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Step-by-Step Guide to Employment for Military Spouses

Military Spouse Employment Step-by-Step Guide

  • The portability factor
    • Does the portability of a career drive your choice?
    • Are you wanting to find jobs in career fields that can transfer easily?

Prepare Your Mind

  • Prepare your mind
    • Prepare your mind by listening to a podcast for military spouses about the type of work you have chosen.  Or you might listen to podcasts about resumes/interviews/networking to prepare yourself for the hiring process.  Here’s a list of podcasts to get you started.
  • Identify a Focus
    • What career field should you pursue?
    • What career path within a chosen field?
  • Research the jobs/career field you are interested in
    • Skills needed
    • Education needed
    • Experience needed
    • Pay
  • Evaluate Your Skills
    • Skills & Credentialling
    • Degree completion
    • Relevant industry certifications (PMP/Agile Scrum Master/ Lean 6 Sigma)

Set Goals

  • How much do you need to make?
  • Will you need childcare?
  • Do you need education/training?  Can you afford it?

Education and Training

Evaluate and Translate Your Skills

  • Translate your Story/skills
    • Translate your volunteer experience
    • List transferable skills
  • Resume
    • Format – Functional and chronological, which is best?
    • Build a master resume with all employment experience (5 -6 pages)
    • Professional summary (1 – 2 pages) tailors
      • Catalog your accomplishments, awards, publications
      • Education and training (translated skills)
  • Identify your marketable skills
  • Cover Letter
    • Make the cover letter personal.
    • Sympathize with the company’s issue(s).
    • Be Detailed
    • Offer yourself as a solution.
    • Send a paper copy of your cover letter(with resume) directly to the hiring manager.

Elevator Pitches and Business Attire

Networking and LinkedIn

  • Professional photo/headshot
    • Use for attending virtual career fairs
    • Use for networking on LinkedIn
  • Networking
    • Hiring events
      • Have resume ready
      • Be ready for an interview
  • LinkedIn ( ii-xvii – https://www.gijobs.com/finding-job-after-military/)

Goals (Make 200+ connections, join 20+ veteran/interest groups, follow 20+ companies)

    • Customize it for Yourself
    • Create Your Account
    • Add Your Profile Picture
    • Add a Background Picture
    • List Your Job Title
    • LinkedIn Summary
    • List Your Experience
    • List Your Education
    • LinkedIn Endorsements – don’t get hung up
    • List Your Accomplishments
    • LinkedIn Interests
    • Building LinkedIn Connections
    • Build the Relationships
    • Location – define where you are looking
    • Making Contact
    • Close it Out
  • Conduct Informal Interviews
    • Use services available to military spouses to practice interview
      • Base employment offices
      • Nonprofits and companies
  • Find Mentors
      • ACP mentorship program is a free 1-year program for military spouses

Strategic Job Searching

  • Strategic job searching (how to search for a job)
    • Veteran and military spouse job boards
      • Remote work
      • Freelance work
      • Industry-specific
      • Recruiting/staffing agency
      • Go directly to the company
      • Find matches with CareerRecon’s tool
  • Apply for jobs
    • Target Your Resume
    • Target Your Cover Letter
    • Network within the company

Interviewing

  • Prepare for interview
    • Research company
    • Tailor your weakness and strengths to still highlight why you are an asset to the company
    • Highlight your measurables
    • Make sure to communicate clearly you want the job
  • Interview follow-up
    • Send a thank you note for the opportunity to interview

 

 

 

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Military Spouse Employment Guide: Resources for Certifications and Training Programs

Step by Step Guide to Employment: Military Spouse Community – Resources for Certifications and Training Programs

As you start your job search, one part of the process you should consider is working on certifications or trainings that can help you on your career path. These can put you in a better position when applying for jobs, teach you skills to help with your career, and lead to you the perfect job. There are quite a few resources out there for military spouses looking for certifications and training programs.

Here are a few of them:

Onward to Opportunity

This program is operated by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University. The program is for spouses of all active duty members, and eligible veterans. It includes training courses and certifications that will prepare you for fast-growing, industry-leading, and high-paying positions. 

When you finish the Onward to Opportunity program you will receive non-credit certificates from Syracuse University. You would also be able to work with an academic advisor, and learn job searching skills such as resume and cover letters and how to research a potential company. 

There are two different tracks within the Onward to Opportunity program:

  • Information Technology
    • CompTIA certifications
    • Oracle Database 11G and 12c
    • Information Technology Infrastructure Library
    • Cisco certifications 
  • Business Management
    • Six Sigma Green Belt
    • Human Resources certifications 
    • Project Management certification 

You would need to apply online to get started. 

Amazon Apprenticeship and Training Opportunities

This program is for veterans and military spouses. Amazon is dedicated to hiring military veterans and military spouses and this program is a part of that. Their program helps develop technical skills that lead to successful careers within the company and includes fields such as software development, support, data center operations, and military recruitment. 

The Amazon Technical Apprenticeship was added to create an avenue for veterans and military spouses seeking careers in Cloud Computing. This includes 10-20 weeks of paid full-time training, then 12 months of paid, on-the-job training and mentorship. You can find out more information here. 

Employment Readiness Program 

Your military installation should have job-searching resources within its Employment Readiness Program. Some of these include:

  • Career Counseling
  • Free Self-Paced MS Office Suite Computer Training
  • Job Bank and Employer Referrals
  • Resume Assistance
  • Employment Resource Library

Check out your local Employment Readiness Program for more information. 

Career Forward at Hiring Our Heroes

Hiring Our Heroes has a Career Forward Program. Within this program, you can help level up your career for free. You can gain skills through Google Career Certificates. You can get certificates in, Data Analysis, IT Support, Project Management, UX Design, Digital Marketing, and E-Commerce. 

Within the program, you can also connect with ready-to-hire employers, including interview prep and career workshops. You can apply on their website. 

We have a Recruiting & Staffing Profiles page at Career Recon that can also offer you some opportunities for training and overall help with your job search. Here are two of them:

Hiring Our Heroes

Beyond Career Forward, Hiring Our Heroes works to connect the military community with meaningful employment opportunities. They have different career events and hiring fairs as well as workshops and fellowship programs. 

Virginia Department of Veteran Services (VDVS)

VDVS is for military members getting ready for the transition from the military as well as for military spouses. They have a Virginia Military Spouses Liaison and several different transition programs. 

Finding programs that allow you to work for certifications and offer training to help you in your field are an important part of getting ready for the job search. Take advantage of what is available to you and use these resources to move ahead with your career path. 

 

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Military Spouse Employment Guide: Strategic Job Searching

Step by Step Guide to Employment: Military Spouse Community – Strategic Job Searching

As a military spouse, finding a job can be a bit more complicated. Because of the military lifestyle you are living, you might have issues with moving every few years, having a gap in your resume, or not knowing your new area enough to know what the opportunities are. The good news is that there are plenty of resources out there to help you find a job.

Job searching is all about knowing where to look for the jobs you want to apply for. There are military spouse and military related job boards, places to find remote work and freelance opportunities, and industry specific job boards.

You can also go with a staffing or recruiting agency as well as applying to a company directly. In today’s world, there are many options and different ways to search for and find the right job. 

Veteran and Military Spouse-Specific Job Boards

A job board is a website, or app, where an employer with job openings can be seen by those looking for a job. There will be multiple ways to search from keyword to location to industry. When you pull up a job listing you can see the job description, job responsibilities, and requirements, and sometimes salary. This should be enough information for you to decide if the job is a good fit or not.

The listing will also tell you how to apply for the job. Some will redirect you to the employer’s website, and others will tell you how to apply from the listing. You can also sign up for job alerts so you can be on top of what jobs might fit what you are looking for. To prepare to search a job board, make sure your resume is up to date, and know what keywords you will be using. 

Here are a few job boards to start your search:

  1. Military Spouse Jobs gives military spouses exclusive access to their premier job board. They have a work-from-home section as well as four million jobs across the United States. 
  2. Hiring Our Heroes has a job board where you can search for full-time jobs, part-time jobs, contract jobs, internships, and temporary jobs. 
  3. Virtual Gal Friday has a job board for virtual assistant jobs.
  4. Flexjobs is where you can search for 100% verified remote and flexible jobs. 

Staffing and Recruiting Agencies 

Staffing and recruiting agencies can be great ways to job search. They are the middleman between you, who is looking for a job, and the employer with job openings. Working with an agency can give you the confidence, skills, and ability to find the perfect job. These agencies can also save you time, and help take away some of the stress of the process. Some agencies are focused on the military community and others are more general. 

Here are a few to check out to get you started:

Military Spouse Career Initiative (MSCI/CSI) is a staffing and consulting firm that focuses on federal, state, and local government jobs, private for-profit jobs, and non-profit jobs. They focus on helping military spouses and can help you pursue job opportunities that value your skills, knowledge, and abilities. 

Virtforce can help active duty military spouses find vetted virtual career paths. They offer resume training, a dynamic podcast, hours of free training, and an outstanding social media community. 

You can also visit our Recruiting & Staffing Profiles page for a big list of agencies you can use to help you in your job search. 

Go to the Company 

Another job search method is to apply to the company directly. This will first require you to make a list of the places you would be interested in. You can do so by searching job sites, looking for companies on LinkedIn, and talking to your network about companies in your industry and your area. 

Most companies will list either their current job openings or how to contact them to apply for the job. If you are unsure about a company you can also take a look around its website and social media accounts. That can give you a sense of what type of company they would be to work for.

Even though the job search can be daunting, if you are strategic about doing so, you should be able to find the right job. Use the resources available to you to help. 

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When Do You Start Getting Vacation Days?

Your Employment Questions Answered: When Do You Start Getting Vacation Days?

Sometimes the best way to learn something new is by seeking advice from those who have been there. Asking questions is how we learn about new resources or can give us perspectives we might never have thought about before. When you ask a question, you can gain the knowledge you are lmiliooking for that will help you figure out what you need to know to move forward, whatever the subject might be. 

Finding a job with paid vacation and holidays is super important. You will need to take days off during the year, and knowing you won’t lose out on pay is a big deal. Some companies offer you PTO right away, others make you wait 30-60 days, and others can make you wait a year. It just depends on the company. This question is about when companies start giving employees these benefits. 

Question: What do most companies do when it comes to PTO?

I work for a company that doesn’t offer any holiday pay or vacation days until you have worked there for a full year. Is that normal? What do most companies do?

Answer: What do most companies do when it comes to PTO?

When it comes to what a company offers and when you receive the benefits, it just depends on the company or even the career field. There are many different ways to do things. Here are a few examples.

  • Some companies give PTO immediately.
  • Some companies make you wait a year for vacation days but give you holiday pay right away. 
  • Some companies don’t offer PTO at all.
  • Some companies offer PTO after 30-60 days.
  • Some companies make you wait a year before any paid time off. 

As you can see, there are different options for different types of benefits. It might be frustrating to have to wait a year, but for the right job, it can be worth it. 

Know that different companies make different choices when it comes to PTO and when they offer it. Companies may or may not also offer unlimited PTO. Unlimited PTO can be a good benefit for some. Companies can also put a limit on PTO days. Some PTO is use or lose during the year. Some PTO can be rolled over. 

Don’t companies have to give you at least holiday pay? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, they do not:

“The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations or holidays (federal or otherwise). These benefits are generally a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee (or the employee’s representative).”

The best thing to do going forward is to make sure you know what benefits a company will be offering you and if they align with what you are looking for. 

If you are currently looking for a job, or want to start that process, visit our Recruiting and Staffing Profile Page on Career Recon. These companies and organizations can help you with your job search, and your journey to find the right job. Here are a couple of examples.

  • Insight Global is good for veterans transitioning out of active duty and military spouses. They offer an IG University which includes one-on-one mentoring, classroom training, group discussions, and more.
  • Military Hiring Accelerator is good for veterans and military spouses. Their goal is to help you create a roadmap to your new job, prepare you for interviews, network for you, and talk to companies about the value you can bring to them. 

 

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Finding a Job With a Gap in Your Resume

Your Employment Questions Answered: Finding a Job With a Gap in Your Resume

Sometimes the best way to learn something new is by seeking advice from those who have been there. Asking questions is how we learn about new resources or can give us perspectives we might never have thought about before. When you ask a question, you can gain the knowledge you are looking for that will help you figure out what you need to know to move forward, whatever the subject might be. 

When you are a military spouse, particularly with children, you may find gaps in your resume. This can be frustrating because even if you do have the education, you may be up against a wall when it comes to finding a job when you are ready to go back into the workforce. You may feel like no one wants to hire you because of a gap or that you won’t ever be able to find a way back in. The good news is that you can in fact find a job using the right resources. This question is all about that. 

Question: I have a gap in my resume and can’t find a job, what can I do?

I am feeling pretty hopeless when it comes to finding a job. I have a master’s degree in accounting which I would have thought made me pretty marketable but I feel like that isn’t even helping me. I haven’t worked in 10 years because I decided to stay home with my kids. My last volunteer position was four years ago so I don’t even have that to work for me. I am also studying for my CPA exams. I have applied to a ton of places and am still not able to find a job. I am losing hope and wonder what is wrong with me. What can I do?

Answer: I have a gap in my resume and can’t find a job, what can I do?

It sounds like you are having a difficult time finding a job. First of all, remember that your self-worth is not tied to how easily you can find a job. You have spent the last 10 years with your family and that isn’t a bad thing. The right job is out there and we want to give you some resources to help you find it. Also, know that you’re not the on;y one in this same boat. Other military spouses have put their careers on the back burner and there are organizations to help you get back into the workforce. 

Here are some resources to help:

Remember, sometimes it does take time to find the right job. Don’t give up. Take your CPA exam. And look for opportunities to further your career. 

 

 

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