The Defense Department's Military Spouse Employment Partnership connects military spouses with over 600 partner employers consisting of corporations, small businesses, non-profits and federal agencies who have committed to recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouses, said C. Eddy Mentzer, associate director of Military Community Support Programs in DOD's Military Community and Family Policy office.
This simplifies the career search process for military spouses, providing easy access to opportunities both in the civilian and federal space, Mentzer said.
The partnership's job search tool can be found at https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/portal/msep/jobs where thousands of employment opportunities can be found.
The partnership's job search tool now pulls open positions each day from USAJOBS, the U.S. government's official employment site https://www.usajobs.gov/, in addition to non-USAJOBS postings, he said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is one federal agency that posts job openings to the partnership.
"Our goal at the VA is to ensure the broadest number of our talented military spouses have access to the broad spectrum of employment opportunities we offer as the second largest government agency. Having our open positions feed directly to the MSEP jobs portal ensures that military spouses know that the agencies in the portal have committed to recruiting, hiring, promoting and retaining military spouses in their workforce," said Cheryl L. Mason, executive director for Veteran and Military Spouse Talent Engagement in the VA's Office of the Chief Human Capital Office.
Since the partnership launched in 2011, it has gained new partner employers, Mentzer said, and it's anticipated that more will be added over time.
"Expanding employment opportunities for spouses is a key priority in Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's action plan to strengthen the economic security and stability of service members and their families," said Mentzer. "The enhancements to the MSEP job search make it easier for spouses to find job openings and connect with federal employers who recognize their value."
Employers can learn about becoming a partner by visiting: https://msepjobs.militaryonesource.mil/msep/.
In addition, DOD established the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program to provide education and career guidance to military spouses worldwide, offering free comprehensive resources and tools designed to help spouses meet their career and education goals. This program also offers free career coaching six days a week, Mentzer said. That site can be found at: https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/portal/.