If you were consumed by news of NFL kneeling and election results this week you probably missed a pretty astounding milestone: the U.S. Labor Department reported that there are now more job openings in the U.S. then there are people to fill them.
This is the first time this has happened in 20 years.
CNN reported that at the end of April there were 6.7 million job openings.
Does that mean the odds are in your favor to find a job?
Maybe.
By Amy Nielsen
This week I am participating in two vastly different symposiums that neatly bracket my scope of practice. I am an integrative nutritionist, herbalist, and chef.
On Saturday I went to a day-long intensive class learning about the varied uses of one herb given by a visiting herbalist who is an expert in that plant. It was held at a world renowned herbalist’s school. On Wednesday, I will attend an end-of-the-year symposium discussing diverse research on the broader topic of metabolism given at Harvard honoring the graduating doctoral students in the program.
My husband says I can make a new best friend in line at the commissary.
I’ll bet many of you are the same way – you move to a new place, and within five minutes you’ve met someone who will be the emergency contact for your kids’ school. Or the person who will be your go-to pet sitter. Or even someone you’ll spend more time with over the next two years than you do with your husband.
That’s military life. We bond fast.
And we bond hard
Friendships are not so easily forged in the civilian world.
Did you just arrive at your new duty station? Are you visiting before the big move to look at housing? Carry some freshly printed resumes with you and hit the pavement too. It’s never too early to start making connections and introducing yourself to the new neighborhood.
Click on the links below for details about each of these military spouse only hiring fairs hosted by The U.S. Chamber Foundation. Registration is required and they often fill up so don’t wait until the last minute!
June 1
Seattle, Wash.
Longtime military spouse supporter, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, is creating a new program called Military Spouse Economic Empowerment Zones (MSEEZs) to help address the issues military spouses face in finding employment.
The foundation launched the effort in collaboration with USAA, and is working with both public and private companies and foundations to connect military spouses with employers and employment-related tools and resources.
By Amy Nielsen
I don’t remember when I fully understood that May is a problematic month for me. I know it has been so for a very long stretch of my life. It is both my most favorite month and also the month I most prefer to keep at arm’s length. In working on a project for school, I am required to write a timeline of my life and I have been struck by certain patterns. Events in May seem to top the list.
When American actress Meghan Markle weds Prince Harry this weekend she will take on a title much more important than anything royalty could bestow upon her. She will become a military spouse.
Prince Harry served in the British Army for ten years, rising to the rank of Captain. He served two tours in Afghanistan.
While visiting the U.S. several years ago, he told Michelle Obama and gathered military families that his tour in Afghanistan “changed his life.”
How long is sufficient to retain a quality job?
Army leadership is asking that question now and assuring senators that they are working to help military spouses find employment.
This week Military.com reported that top Army leaders spoke with lawmakers about helping spouses find meaningful work and that longer assignments to duty stations could be a way to make that happen.
Are you graduating from a degree program this year?
There may be more jobs waiting for you to choose from than in past years.
Employers plan to hire 4 percent more new graduates this year than from the Class of 2017, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Surveyed employers said their hiring numbers are growing due to company growth, retirements and the need for entry-level talent.
PCS season is here. Time to start purging, packing and planning. Time to start looking at houses and school districts and things to do in the new place. Time to start convincing the kids how great the new place is going to be. Time to start saying goodbye to friends and neighbors and get ready to reinvent yourself all over again for the umpteenth time.
Oh, wait.
Not me.
Not this year.
I don’t have to do that anymore. We’re retirees now.
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