Check out the 2020 Virtual Military Spouse Symposium
The Department of Defense Spouse Education and Career Opportunities team will host the 2020 Virtual Military Spouse Symposium from 29 to 30 April 2020. The two-day virtual symposium is designed to provide military spouses with up-to-date and relevant information related to career development, entrepreneurship, personal branding, employer connections and more. Check out some of the symposium offerings, as well as ways Marine Corps Community Services can help supplement the topics if you cannot make these workshops. More information about each course offering is available on the Virtual Military Spouse Symposium website.
2020 Schedule
Day 1: April 29
The More You Know, The More You’ll Grow
Can’t wait or can’t attend? Learn more about pursuing your education now.
Think about Ten Things To Do When Applying to a College or University. Wondering how you might pay for your education? Considering credentials?
Want to learn more but not quite ready to commit to a school? No problem! Take a look at the virtual learning options offered by Universal Class through the Library Program. (Although there are hundreds of options, if you want to prepare for college courses you’ll need to take later, consider English Composition 101, Economics 101, Precalculus 101, Statistics 101, or Physics 101: Beginner to Intermediate Concepts.) These courses can provide you the multiple session, online class experience of college in a low stakes environment (at no cost to you!) and help you learn something along the way. If it’s been a while since you took an academic course, this can help you ease back into academics.
Access to electronic library resources are available wherever Marines and families are stationed through the MCCS Virtual Library Portal. Marine Corps installations should seek assistance at their installation libraries. Remotely stationed Marines and families can contact the Library Program at usmclibraries@usmc.mil to obtain virtual access.
Career Changes: There’s A Time and Season for Everything
Know you want to make a change in your career path but don’t know the direction you want to go? Check out the O*Net Interest Profiler to help you decide what kinds of careers you might want to explore based on your interests and the Career Exploration section of MySECO.
The Best Presentation of You
Learn more about putting your best foot forward now.
Let’s talk about networking! How do you feel about your 30 second elevator pitch? For military spouses, networking may or may not come naturally. How do you introduce yourself? Are intimidated to introduce yourself or looking to smooth out your process? If you are a networking pro take a peek at Building Your Network as a Marine Spouse and 7 Tips for Effective Face-to-Face Networking, both articles contain fantastic tips and tricks for network effectively and efficiently. If you are new to networking or struggle with the way networking feels, check out How to Make Networking Feel More Natural.
How to Navigate Your Federal Job Search
Did you know that military spouses may be eligible to apply for federal employment using a non-competitive process designed to help them get a job in the federal government? Learn more at USAJOBS. Check out the USAJOBS webinars, especially “Navigating USAJOBS – Finding and Applying for Federal Jobs” and “Writing Your Federal Resume” and OPM’s FedsHireVets Family Members page. And don’t forget to take a look at 4 Tips for Writing Your Federal Resume and Six Things You Can Do to Find the Perfect Career on USAJOBS.
Day 2: April 30
Leveraging Technology to Advance Your Career
This session is led by two members of the Grow with Google team.
If you can't make it, learn more about leveraging technology in other ways. Past technology sessions have focused on leveraging LinkedIn. Learn more about leveraging LinkedIn. Learn more about leveraging technology for mentoring to advance your career, including resources such as eMentor, Veterati, American Corporate Partners, Blue Star Families, the Rosie Network, and more. Learn more about leveraging technology to advance your career with members of the Spouse Ambassador Network.
Is Your Vision Owning Your Own Business?
Learn more about pursuing entrepreneurship now. Reach out to your installation’s FMEAP or Transition Readiness staff to learn more about entrepreneurship. They can also help introduce you to Boots to Business, an entrepreneurial education and training program offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as part of the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP). The curriculum continuum includes steps for evaluating business concepts, the foundational knowledge required to develop a business plan, and more. And don’t forget to check out SBA’s Learning Center for a variety of online courses to help you start and run your business.
10 Employer Questions Your Resume Should Answer
If you're looking for more resources about resume best practices, try these:
- Get Started Writing Your Resume Today!
- Six Tips for the Experience Section of Your Resume
- Seven Resume Mistakes that Might be Holding You Back
- Marines, Don't Make These Common Resume Mistakes
- mySECO’s Resume Toolkit
Learn more about the Virtual Military Spouse Symposium sessions and register for any or all of the tracks that interest you at SECO!
Your installation Family Member Employment Assistance Program (FMEAP) staff should be your first local point of contact for all things spouse employment related. You can also connect to the Marine For Life Network on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.